USPS taking forever in customs? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Keith956
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 06:37:12 pm
content: Is it normal for an eBay item ordered from the US to ship to the UK to sit around in customs for ages?I ordered a bit of HP test equipment recently and it seems to have gone in and out of customs twice, and is now sitting in a black hole:Tracking detailsUSPS tracking #XXXXXXXXXXX26 Mar 20229:34pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYLOS ANGELES CA INTERNATIONAL DI, 9000926 Mar 20229:34pmCUSTOMS CLEARANCEISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS), 9000925 Mar 20223:33pmINBOUND OUT OF CUSTOMS9000924 Mar 20229:43amOUT OF CUSTOMS9000921 Mar 202212:36amPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYLOS ANGELES CA INTERNATIONAL DI, 9000919 Mar 202211:44pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYLOS ANGELES CA INTERNATIONAL DI, 9000919 Mar 202211:44pmINTO CUSTOMS9000919 Mar 202211:44pmCUSTOMS CLEARANCEISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS), 9000919 Mar 20229:50pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYCARSON, CA 9074719 Mar 20229:48pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYCARSON, CA 9074718 Mar 20227:50pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYSAN JOSE CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 9510118 Mar 20225:51pmDEPART POST OFFICEMORGAN HILL, CA 9503718 Mar 20224:28pmPICKED UPMORGAN HILL, CA 9503718 Mar 202211:03amPICKED UPMORGAN HILL, CA 9503718 Mar 20223:35pmIs there any way of finding out what's happened? I've not had this problem before with items previously - they've usually made it to air freight in a week.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 06:52:36 pm
content: How was the package sent?I have had Priority International Mail cross the U.S. in a few days, then spend four (4) weeks in Jamaica NY before being sent on to Germany. The entire trip is supposed to take 6-10 business days.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 07:02:40 pm
content: It is probably in the UK at an airport somewhere (possibly just outside Coventry) waiting for the default carrier (ParcelFarce) to notice and consider it worth writing to you to tell you it'll be delivered just as soon as you pay their extortion fee.

author: Keith956
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 07:16:23 pm
content: Yes, USPS Priority Mail International.eBay international normally goes via Kentucky, sometimes taking a detour round Florida too, but this one seems to have just gone to LA. Or is that AWOL.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 07:18:46 pm
content: I used to sell a lot on Ebay and much of it went to Europe and always by USPS. All I can tell you is that the time it took to get thru customs was highly variable. Sometimes packages went thru with no delay at all but other times they would sit in customs for weeks and sometimes months. I sent a package to Germany once that went through German customs at least four times and in widely distant cities and every time the package was cut open on a different side! In all it took almost five months for it to get delivered. But the worst was Italy where I returned a package that had originated in Italy and it took over six months to be delivered and cost the recipient almost $300 in customs fees. He was SCREAMING mad about it but I had absolutely no control over Italian customs. After that I refused to ship anything else to Italy.I've shipped a lot of small items to England, often just in a Priority Mail envelope and those have never been delayed. Packages (shipped via Parcel Post) took a few days to get through UK customs and they almost always charged a duty on them. Other than the duty that they charge I've never really had any problems with customs in the UK. THE longest that I recall that anything going to the UK took was less than two weeks and Priority Mail usually arrived in under a week.I don't understand your tracking info. I've never seen an item go through customs inside the US and before being sent overseas. And if it did go through customs then why was it returned to the USPS?What did you ship? I wonder if they thought that it was an export controlled item?

author: Keith956
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 07:40:19 pm
content: Quote from: Stray Electron on April 04, 2022, 07:18:46 pmIt is a bit of HP test gear - I believe it weighs around 12Kg, so not a small package, but I've had bigger things shipped in the past. They've all been via courier though.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2022, 07:43:38 pm
content: My experience with USPS customs has been poor for things of value. That is, cheap stuff from China makes it through, but if it seems worth resale, it may just disappear. Very little to no accountability. I lost a valuable, virtually irreplaceable set of specialized machine collets that way about 15 years ago. Shipped from GB by Parcel Force and tracking was great until it hit NY. Then nothing. After about a year, I got an 80% insurance payment. It was also eBay. The collets were worth a lot more than that to me. USPS was not a whole lot cheaper than the common carrier -- maybe $10 to $20. Total shipping cost about $100.The advice I got was to ship by common carrier (e.g., DHL, FedEx). The reason is that our customs clears shipments based on the bill of lading from the carrier. That is, a whole container at a time. USPS shipments are cleared by the individual item and have a greater chance of getting "lost." I do not know if that still applies.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2022, 08:48:47 am
content: Bonjour à tousWe see custom clearances inbound to USA 1..5 day's, depending on shipment size, value, and documentsOver certain dec value or insured value more scrutiny.A commercial invoice, shippers and receiver VAT/tax ID number for duties and taxes, proper custom s déclaration and precice Harmonize number speeds up clearance.Ebay and especially Chinese shippers may not have/understand /supply all of this required information.Outbound package from USA are suffering a double delay,1. at the USA export port ( eg Memphis for Fed Ex) eg blocked by military restrictions, dangerous goods, Li battery, if shipping value over $2500, require US CBP EEI number, from a horrible US government website.2. At incoming country POE, yet another customs clearance.We have seen Germany customs delay 2 days...5 weeks (DHL shipment)6 days total time OP mentioned in tracking is quite normal.If you need it urgently, pay for Fed Ex or use a Freight FowarderCheap post...you get what you pay for....Bon courageJon

author: MegaVolt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2022, 09:09:20 am
content: USPS LOS ANGELES CA is indeed a black hole. Parcels get stuck there for a long time. And the part will never arriveI'm already losing my second parcel from EBAY there. Even the Chinese post is better.

author: factory
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2022, 06:52:43 pm
content: Try the tracking number at Parcelforce instead and you might want to contact them if the customs bill doesn't arrive, certainly had trouble with the Stoke depot not sending them.David

author: Keith956
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2022, 02:17:14 pm
content: Well a bit more progress since 26th of March. So in two weeks, it's come out of customs again and sitting back with USPS.7 Apr 20226:26pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYCARSON, CA 907477 Apr 20226:25pmPROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITYCARSON, CA 907476 Apr 20224:29pmOUT OF CUSTOMS90009As Easter is coming up I don't expect much to happen in the near future!

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2022, 12:48:08 pm
content: At least it is really really cheap to send parcels these days, so it is understandable that the service is not top notch! (irony on MAX)It is getting to the point where, if you are sending something valuable, it can make sense to book a plane ticket and pack it in the luggage - and combine it with a city break!