USPS and tracking information

[Bethalize]

I ordered something I can't buy in the UK from a company in Texas, USA. They sent me a note of dispatch with  a tracking number on. The shipment was sent on 1st February. It went to Dallas, TX on the 2nd, Coppel TX on the 3rd and arrived at Chigago, IL on 5th Feb. Since then my package hasn't been updated, and the status remain on "PROCESSED THROUGH USPS SORT FACILITY". Is this normal for "USPS"? I'm assuming that's the United States Postal Service but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, is this normal for transatlantic packages? I've never had anything small take more than a week to arrive before. I'm wondering if my package has been "lost". Does this sound likely?

[123Sandy]

I think it means your parcel has left the US postal service and they can't track it anymore. I've had things take much longer than a week.

[MommyPenguin]

USPS's tracking is ridiculously awful.  You tend not to get the "package has shipped" until days after it does, and then *maybe* it will update once in transit, but frequently there will be no updates until it arrives.  And that's *within* the U.S.  I don't know how long it should take, so I can't respond to that part, but I can say that I wouldn't let their tracking worry me.  Maybe it was put on a plane in Chicago, so there's no update because that's when it went overseas.  But I wouldn't be worried just because there's no update.  Do you have a delivery estimate date?

[Snooks]

USPS is no use once the parcel leaves the US and it's a really slow way to get stuff to the UK, I'd allow at least three weeks for it to get to you.

[beach_bum]

I ship internationally several times a week.  USPS says 7-10 days after shipping for delivery.  However, that is subject to your customs offices.  I find that it takes 7-14 days most times.  Once it reaches the UK and they scan it, you can begin to track it again.  I hope this helps!  Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.

[Bethalize]

Thanks, guys.

I knew it was going to be slow - but really? It didn't arrive today but if it takes 14 days there's still tomorrow. Once it hits Royal Mail it should take a day or three days if second class to arrive. I wonder if the supplier sent it surface mail. I've enquired but not heard anything yet. It didn't occur to me that would happen because all my ebay purchases have been for a similar charge but arrived much more quickly. This was $15.50 for a half ounce bottle of potion.

[Bibliophile]

I guess telling you that it once took 9 months for a package from the UK to reach me in the US wouldn't be helpful...  Customs can hold things up quite a bit sometimes.

[RandomAngel]

My understanding is that the "national" postal services tend to coordinate with each other. So if you ship something via FedEx (a private shipper), FedEx takes it the whole way. But when I order something through the regular mail from Germany, the tracking info I get is for a Deutsche Post parcel. When it leaves Germany, La Poste takes it over (I'm in France) and gives it a new tracking number. There IS a way to find it out--I know I've done it before--but I can never remember how, and Deutsche Post's website (for example) is definitely not it. 

[Bethalize]

Well, I found it. Or at least, I got a letter from customs telling me that I have to pay VAT plus a handling charge. I'm annoyed. If I can work out who exactly to be annoyed at I'll tell them. If this product hadn't had such a good reputation that was agreed upon in many different places I'd give up.  It's £9.50 in VAT and £8 handling charge on a product which I'd already spent $70 on. It had better be as good as its reputation or I shall be posting full and frank reviews in an appropriate place.

[Dindrane]

Well, I found it. Or at least, I got a letter from customs telling me that I have to pay VAT plus a handling charge. I'm annoyed. If I can work out who exactly to be annoyed at I'll tell them. If this product hadn't had such a good reputation that was agreed upon in many different places I'd give up.  It's £9.50 in VAT and £8 handling charge on a product which I'd already spent $70 on. It had better be as good as its reputation or I shall be posting full and frank reviews in an appropriate place.

I can certainly understand that you would want to review the product poorly if you don't like it, and I sympathize with the frustration of having to pay half the price of the original product for the VAT and the handling charge.  You seem to be approaching your frustration in a somewhat unfair way, however.  The company you bought the product from can't control your country's customs (or taxes/fees), and if it's a small company, there may have been no way for them to prevent your having to pay the VAT and handling fee in order to get your package.

On top of that, why would you only review the product if you didn't like it?  It sounds as though you would be especially inclined to leave a negative review because of the shipping process, which doesn't have anything to do with the product itself and isn't really the fault of the company who sold it to you.  It kind of reminds me of people who review products at Amazon.com poorly because they bought the product from some other retailer and didn't like the customer service.  That type of review isn't helpful to other potential buyers, and (if Amazon.com is any indication) mostly results in people either ignoring or ridiculing the review.

[Bethalize]

I can certainly understand that you would want to review the product poorly if you don't like it, and I sympathize with the frustration of having to pay half the price of the original product for the VAT and the handling charge.  You seem to be approaching your frustration in a somewhat unfair way, however.  The company you bought the product from can't control your country's customs (or taxes/fees), and if it's a small company, there may have been no way for them to prevent your having to pay the VAT and handling fee in order to get your package.

On top of that, why would you only review the product if you didn't like it?  It sounds as though you would be especially inclined to leave a negative review because of the shipping process, which doesn't have anything to do with the product itself and isn't really the fault of the company who sold it to you.

FWIW I was partly annoyed at myself for not realising that not every supplier pays customs dues as part of the international shipping price. Also FWIW the full cost of the product and time of shipping is part of the buying experience. Anyone desperate for a product that claims to do what this does should know that. It so happens that it's a skincare product which claims to reduce the life time of certain condition from three to four weeks to a week. The fact that the product takes three weeks to arrive is extremely relevant. But I hope it works - if there's anything left to use it on by the time I get it.

It's a fact of marketing research that people who are very cross or very pleased are more inclined to leave reviews. As there aren't any reviews from people in the UK I shall be adding my experience in relevant places. I don't think I've been unfair - all I've done is express my frustration here.

[wolfie]

I guess telling you that it once took 9 months for a package from the UK to reach me in the US wouldn't be helpful...  Customs can hold things up quite a bit sometimes.

It once took 6 - 9 months for something from Canada to reach me in the US. I don't know what happened but in the summer we got this random Christmas package from family in Canada. Either it got caught up in a spot detection or it ripped so it detoured through whatever process they use to fix broken packages.

[Bluenomi]

I find the time it take packages to arrive from overseas varies wildly. I've had stuff from the US arrive in 2 weeks and other times stuff form the same company takes 7 or 8 weeks. Same with things from the UK, if I'm lucky it takes a week, if I'm not it takes 5 or 6.

[Animala]

To be honest it can take a long time for something to get from one spot in the US to another spot in the US.  Packages can just randomly get held up for awhile which is why so many people use alternate delivery methods.