Need help. US postal system

[Abstraktum]

So I have a kind of big problem and really hope anyone from the US can help me with that. 

 

I've ordered some fossils form an US onlineshop. It's a big online shop from Washington I'm pritty sure everyone knows. It's selling fossils worth thousands of dollars and has daily updates with fossil from all over the world.

I won't name it, because I don't know if this is allowed, even though I don't blame the shop in any way. If you want the name -> PM me.

 

I already ordered two times at this shop. Shipping to Germany was no problem and the package arrived as planed. Very well and professional packed, all was perfect.

 

Now I orded a third time at the shop and here is where the problem began.

 

They shipped it and gave me as usual the tracking number. 

But now the packages seems stuck/lost/hold or whatever in Los Angeles for nearly 2 weeks now.

 

So the tracking page is stamps.com and then USPS Package Tracking.

This is the current status, nothing else happend since:

 

 

It still hasn't left the US apparently. The last two times I orderded, around 3-4 days after this status it gives a new status stating that it's in Germany now. But not this time.

 

I already worte an E-Mail to the onlineshop. They responded immediately, but didn't understand why it wasn't shipped to Germany neither.

And that's the part I'm most scared about, as it seems this is an unusual problem for them.

 

They promised me to investigate and answer me within one or two days, but I haven't received any massage for 4 days now from them (I understand it's weekend now). 

 

I don't really know what to do and what happened. I'm scared my package and more importantly my money I paid via credit card is lost.

 

I'm not familiar in any way on how the US postal system works. Is stamps.com or USPS a private company? Is there a standart insurance for all international shipping? Is the seller responsable for that as long as it happened within the US? Is it my job to contact the post company? How do I get my money back if the package is lost? Or is it something diffrent? Customs maybe? We're talking a few hundred dollars here. But the last two orders where also a few hundred dollars and there was no problem with US customs.

 

Any advice or any help is very welcomed. Thank you so much!

 

Again: Not blaming the shop in any way, still hoping the package is not lost.

[FossilsAnonymous]

@Abstraktum there has been some confusion with orders for me too recently. The shop you are speaking about seems to have been pretty consistent for what you stated. What I've done in the past was waited it out and for me the situation was resolved in two weeks or so. However, i'm not ordering through customs so I have no inkling of what could have happened.

 

Hope that reassures you a bit.

[Bobby Rico]

Contact your credit card company and ask for advice. I also would  contact the fossil shop and let me know your disappointed with the service. If they have Twitter account them tweet then with your disappointment . Most companies don’t like to look bad on social media. Cheers Bobby 

[LiamL]

If it's a reputable fossil dealer site they should put it right and refund your money if it has indeed been lost.

[LiamL]

Once i ordered a fossil and it got lost so the seller refunded. Then 3 months later it turned up and i paid again 

[Abstraktum]

8 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

Contact your credit card company and ask for advice. I also would  contact the fossil shop and let me know your disappointed with the service. If they have Twitter account them tweet then with your disappointment . Most companies don’t like to look bad on social media. Cheers Bobby 

 

Sorry, I don't have twitter, snapchat, instagram or other social media (yes those people still exist).   

 

I don't think they did't something wrong in the first place, as you can see it traveled down from Washington to Los Angeles. The shop stated that all their international shipping go through Los Angeles.

So everything went well until Los Angeles. And yes I understand we have Christmas time, there is a lot shipping going on right now.

 

Well, hopefully I'll get an answer on Monday. If not, I'll write them again.

[fossilcrazy]

Just to add some recent experience; I placed a small order shipped from California. USPS shipment came to Central New York then to the nearest big city in Western New York. From there it was to go to my local post office. Instead it went right back out to California. Tracking showed "your package is delayed but will still arrive". I guess it would be delayed, it made the trip twice. In the end, I did get the package. What a fiasco as we near holiday shipments.  

[digit]

Just to let you know, stamps.com isn't involved in the shipping at all (though they may provide access to the same shipping information as USPS). They are just a company that has an arrangement with the post office to allow users to print their own postage so they can avoid having to do that at the post office itself. People or companies who post lots of packages find this a convenience to setup an account with stamps.com and print valid postage from their own printer.

 

I've seen packages miss being scanned and show up as undelivered long after the recipient has informed me that they received the package. Companies like Fedex or DHL tend to have a bit better tracking. The unnerving status of "acceptance pending" does not sound promising. It would likely be difficult for you to get someone from the USPS on the phone to explain the status of the package and I would request that the company who you purchased this item from chase it down with the USPS so you can get a clue as to what is going on. They should have the actual shipment number and may be able to find someone in customer support to look into the status of the item to see if it is in fact still languishing in a bin somewhere in LA.

 

Fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

1 hour ago, Abstraktum said:

So I have a kind of big problem and really hope anyone from the US can help me with that. 

 

I've ordered some fossils form an US onlineshop. It's a big online shop from Washington I'm pritty sure everyone knows. It's selling fossils worth thousands of dollars and has daily updates with fossil from all over the world.

I won't name it, because I don't know if this is allowed, even though I don't blame the shop in any way. If you want the name -> PM me.

 

I already ordered two times at this shop. Shipping to Germany was no problem and the package arrived as planed. Very well and professional packed, all was perfect.

 

Now I orded a third time at the shop and here is where the problem began.

 

They shipped it and gave me as usual the tracking number. 

But now the packages seems stuck/lost/hold or whatever in Los Angeles for nearly 2 weeks now.

 

So the tracking page is stamps.com and then USPS Package Tracking.

This is the current status, nothing else happend since:

 

 

It still hasn't left the US apparently. The last two times I orderded, around 3-4 days after this status it gives a new status stating that it's in Germany now. But not this time.

 

I already worte an E-Mail to the onlineshop. They responded immediately, but didn't understand why it wasn't shipped to Germany neither.

And that's the part I'm most scared about, as it seems this is an unusual problem for them.

 

They promised me to investigate and answer me within one or two days, but I haven't received any massage for 4 days now from them (I understand it's weekend now). 

 

I don't really know what to do and what happened. I'm scared my package and more importantly my money I paid via credit card is lost.

 

I'm not familiar in any way on how the US postal system works. Is stamps.com or USPS a private company? Is there a standart insurance for all international shipping? Is the seller responsable for that as long as it happened within the US? Is it my job to contact the post company? How do I get my money back if the package is lost? Or is it something diffrent? Customs maybe? We're talking a few hundred dollars here. But the last two orders where also a few hundred dollars and there was no problem with US customs.

 

Any advice or any help is very welcomed. Thank you so much!

 

Again: Not blaming the shop in any way, still hoping the package is not lost.

 

50 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

Contact your credit card company and ask for advice. I also would  contact the fossil shop and let me know your disappointed with the service. If they have Twitter account them tweet then with your disappointment . Most companies don’t like to look bad on social media. Cheers Bobby 

Hi there,

 

  As someone that ships internationally often please for your first option do not call out the company on Facebook, on Twitter, on Yelp ... why in Gods name do people not communicate with one another like adults and instead take the problem into the court of public opinion for "help" ?   Maybe that works for larger companies but I will warn you for smaller companies and unreasonable individuals we will often tell them to take their money elsewhere ---->

 

(ok rant over)

 

Ok, so that aside.  USPS and frankly any international shipping operations are ungainly and ugly beasts and are often fraught with delays for various reasons.  It looks like it has only been traveling for 10 business days.  That honestly is very little transit time for international parcels.  For Germany --- I'd give it at least 21 business days before you begin to panic.  Generally USPS you can expect 11-15 business days for a 'slow' parcel.

 

Why ship slowly ?  Well, it's cheaper for you.  International shipping is wicked expensive and sometimes it is easier to keep and retain overseas customers using slower cheaper shipping methods.  Generally we will also 'eat' some of that cost.  Welcome to the world of FREE shipping.  More on that fallacy later.

 

Anyhoo .. some USPS shipping methods do not track outside of the US.  ie. even once it has left US customs it enters a black hole for some time before being delivered.  The tracking will look very similar to your example.  The tracking will end at the port of exit.

 

Again shipping methods and costs determine this. So tracking .. sometimes does not help you to -see- the parcel.  Only UPS and FEDEX you are guaranteed this information.  You will pay a premium for this service.

 

Ok, so just to be clear the USPS has the parcel.  Not the seller. They generally have the exact same information as you do.  Their first course of action is to well ...... wait.  Why ? Well, everything I said earlier about shipping internationally.  It takes time, unless you pay money.  If your customer begins to get antsy well within the shipping window I will generally inform them it is not time to panic yet.  Or ever.

 

They can run a trace, make a call .... and see if USPS can 'find' the location of the parcel.

 

You can ... contact your local post office, that handles parcels and see if they can run a trace using the tracking number.  Generally the USPS transfers the parcel to the home country and that service takes over.  Think --parcelforce-- for the UK.  

 

I would say .. give it 3 weeks .... 21 "business days"  The money can always be returned.  They can't hold onto it if you don't eventually get your parcel. 

 

What I will say ?  Anxious buyers overseas will sometimes voice their concerns too early and often ... only to find the parcel at their front door the next week.

 

10 days is not enough time.  Give it some time. Breathe.

 

You want the parcel right ?  Someone has to complete their job to get it there.  Sometimes that job takes time.

 

Good Luck,

Brett

[Abstraktum]

7 minutes ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

 

It takes time, unless you pay money.

 

 

 

I paid that money. I could also have a shipping time up to 3 weeks for less money. But I paid more for a faster shipping time.

 

 

It should be here within 5 business days. 

 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

8 minutes ago, Abstraktum said:

 

 

I paid that money.

 

 

It should be here within 5 business days.

 

In that case .. the tracking is suspicious.  You should have information from door to door.  My next option as a seller would be to call USPS International and see if they can trace the parcel while I'm on the phone.  The address may have been entered incorrectly and it is sitting in a distribution center in Germany.

 

Next would definitely be to contact your local post office.  They may have it.  Do you normally pay customs duties .. get a notice etc ... ?  Did the notice get washed away, blown off the door ... etc..

 

10 business days is still ok.  Even for faster shipping.. I will say that just because you pay for it you may not receive that service. Ultimately customs officials in the US and Germany make that call.  Is it stuck there ? In customs hell.

 

My MO would be to still give it at least another week to next Monday .. with proactive prodding.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

[digit]

9 minutes ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

USPS and frankly any international shipping operations are ungainly and ugly beasts and are often fraught with delays for various reasons.

Well said.

 

I recently shipped a package to France. Most USPS shipments in flat-rate boxes come with free tracking but on this parcel it clearly said that tracking was not available. I have a return parcel coming from the same address in France (a trade of materials with a French friend). He gave me a French tracking number that does not even match the correct length of a tracking number in their system. Till both packages navigate the uncharted waters of the mysterious process of inexpensive international shipping, we just hold our breath and keep checking our mailboxes for the eventual conclusion of this process.

 

Still better than the old days when Alfred Russel Wallace's collection (4 years worth) from South America was lost when his ship caught fire and sank. Ouch!

 

Normally, I'd say just be patient (it is a busy shipping time of the year) but the wording of the last status update is a bit ominous. Brett is right in that getting upset will gain you nothing in the end. I'd contact the place you purchased from and see if they can have a look for you. Since you paid on credit card you are not risking your payment if the package truly does enter a black hole. I'm sure it will reappear before long but some insight to its current status might be available if you contact the seller on Monday when they are open again.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[KimTexan]

Part of the hiccup could be that it was ordered on a holiday here in the US. Who knows what happens on holidays. November 22 and 23 were postal holidays in observance of Thanksgiving. Regular postal service would have resumed on November 26.

I don’t understand the postal service here in the US. A package was shipped to me a couple weeks ago. The sender told me it had been delivered on Saturday, which we generally have postal delivery service on Saturday, the the business facilities are closed I think. Anyway the package did not show up at my house on Saturday, despite tracking saying it did. Sunday morning I was home when a postal delivery was made and they rang my doorbell and there was my package. Generally we do not get mail delivery on Sunday, but the last few years all the shipping companies have been making deliveries on Sundays too in the larger cities. A lot of times the Sunday deliveries are done by individuals who must contract with the shipping companies to deliver on Sunday, because on Sunday if it is FedEx the delivery person shows up in a personal car and wearing regular casual clothes and not a uniform. The Sunday delivery is a mystery to me.

[Abstraktum]

1 minute ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

In that case .. the tracking is suspicious.  You should have information from door to door.  My next option as a seller would be to call USPS International and see if they can trace the parcel while I'm on the phone.  The address may have been entered incorrectly and it is sitting in a distribution center in Germany.

 

Next would definitely be to contact your local post office.  They may have it.  Do you normally pay customs duties .. get a notice etc ... ?  Did the notice get washed away, blown off the door ... etc..

 

10 business days is still ok.  Even for faster shipping.. I will say that just because you pay for it you may not receive that service. Ultimately customs officials in the US and Germany make that call.  Is it stuck there ?

 

My MO would be to still give it at least another week to next Monday .. with proactive prodding.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

Yes I understand that it's not possible shipping within exact 5 days. Even if it take up too 2 or 3 weeks, it ok for me IF I see a progression in the shipping, which is not happening right now.

 

 I get a notification from German Customs, but until now, nothing is in my mailbox. But I do understand that this package MIGHT be already in Germany. International shipping comes normally through Frankfurt.

 

I'm not mad at the shop and I don't want to rant about it.  I understand that international shipping during Christmas time just takes time and is somewhat chaotic. 

The shop answered my E-Mail right away, so I don't feel scammed or anything like that. I'm sure they will help me with that.

 

 

I posted this here because I don't have any idea about the US postal system and maybe there is a reason to it, I just don't know.

[digit]

1 minute ago, Abstraktum said:

I posted this here because I don't have any idea about the US postal system and maybe there is a reason to it, I just don't know.

If you learn how the US postal system works, please post it here. We'd all like to know.

 

Fingers still crossed (which makes typing difficult) that you see your package before Christmas.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Abstraktum]

Thank you. I will surely post an update if there are news   

 

And thank you for everyone sharing their story so far. It helps understanding the problem  

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

7 minutes ago, Abstraktum said:

 

Yes I understand that it's not possible shipping within exact 5 days. Even if it take up too 2 or 3 weeks, it ok for me IF I see a progression in the shipping, which is not happening right now.

 

 I get a notification from German Customs, but until now, nothing is in my mailbox. But I do understand that this package MIGHT be already in Germany. International shipping comes normally through Frankfurt.

 

I'm not mad at the shop and I don't want to rant about it.  I understand that international shipping during Christmas time just takes time and is somewhat chaotic. 

The shop answered my E-Mail right away, so I don't feel scammed or anything like that. I'm sure they will help me with that.

 

 

I posted this here because I don't have any idea about the US postal system and maybe there is a reason to it, I just don't know.

Haha well ....

 

In that case ... then yes, tracking here in the US can at times be unreliable, non-existent, incorrect. The odd messages in the tracking tree are probably a result of human error.  A parcel marked as sitting forever at a port of exit are also common unfortunately.

 

We are crossing our fingers .. let us know how it goes ! 

 

PS. Just to give you an idea how nuts it is here now.  I call USPS and get put in a queue that is 4 hours long.  They help by calling you back. You don't have to physically wait.  Then I wait after my callback for another hour on the phone for the international reps to pick up.  Who then transfer my call.  The call drops.

 

I start over.

 

Merry Christmas !!

[Bobby Rico]

1 hour ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Maybe that works for larger companies but I will warn you for smaller companies and unreasonable individuals we will often tell them to take their money elsewhere ---->

This definitely works for many companies and it is also a very quick and not a time consuming action ( you don’t have wait for 4 hours on a phone) I personally would not start tracking parcel or call UPS because that is the job of the company you purchased the item of. I would put as much pressure on the supplier to do their job and get your item delivered or a refund if your not in luck. We all do things differently but I like the least  amount of stress.  Sorry I meant to say this is after the first time of calling the surpplier .

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

5 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

This definitely works for many companies and it is also a very quick and not a time consuming action ( you don’t have wait for 4 hours on a phone) I personally would not start tracking parcel or call UPS because that is the job of the company you purchased the item of. I would put as much pressure on the supplier to do their job and get your item delivered or a refund if your not in luck. We all do things differently but I like the least  amount of stress. Sorry 

Ahh yes .. you misunderstood .. that is me.   Sitting on the phone for a -customer- waiting for a response from USPS.  Again, if you are working with a small company tread lightly and treat each other with respect.  Most of what occurs with shipping is outside, actually almost entirely outside of their control.

 

If you were our customer and being unreasonable.  The door ----> a polite thank you .... and a refund is what you will receive.

 

Cheers,

Brett

[Bobby Rico]

2 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Ahh yes .. you misunderstood .. that is me.   Sitting on the phone for a -customer- waiting for a response from USPS.  Again, if you are working with a small company tread lightly and treat each other with respect.  Most of what occurs with shipping is outside, actually almost entirely outside of their control.

 

If you were our customer and being unreasonable.  The door ----> a polite thank you .... and a refund is what you will receive.

 

Cheers,

Brett

I am always polite and respectful . That goes with out saying but your still aloud to complain if you not getting  the service you expect and are struggling to receive your items. 

 

Cheers Bobby

[caldigger]

Heres another one for the books.

I sent a package to Canada. Tracking showed it going to Los Angeles and to be processed. The next day it showed being processed and was on its way to the next destination. Then nothing for the next week and a half.

I get another tracking message 11 days later stating the parcel has just arrived that day in Los Angeles to be processed.

Where did it go for all that time?

Has technology gotten so advanced that they can even send packages into "The Cloud"? 

 

So just to put your nerves at ease, I deal with the Los Angeles department all the time. It is not uncommon to get weird tracking messages from them and everything always comes out Sunshine and lollipops in the end so just have patients.

[Abstraktum]

Since some where asking if anythings is happening.

And the answer is no, nothing. Status is still November 27th in Los Angeles.

However I'm in contact with the shop and they do anything they can to find the package. They also stated that they have insurance that would cover my money in case of an actual loss.

 

But still hoping to get my fossils.

[Bobby Rico]

40 minutes ago, Abstraktum said:

Since some where asking if anythings is happening.

And the answer is no, nothing. Status is still November 27th in Los Angeles.

However I'm in contact with the shop and they do anything they can to find the package. They also stated that they have insurance that would cover my money in case of an actual loss.

 

But still hoping to get my fossils.

If I was you I would decide how long I your willing to wait and then get a refund for the Item and postage costs. It still may turn up and if it does after you got a refund you can always contact the company and pay them again.  Last year I sent a gift to a TFF friend they got it on Christmas Eve 5 weeks it took UK to USA  , this same friend I sent them another gift this year for Christmas 4 days from door to door. So last year my parcel must have been waiting somewhere for weeks before it got onto the postman’s van. Good luck I hope you get it.

[Abstraktum]

This is just a short update

Today I was able to pick up the package from the custom office in Munich. The package was in bad condition and partly ripped open on the edge (something must have happend during transport), but all the fossils where packed very well and are therefore unharmed. Nothing is missing. Will post some pictures later on.

 

The shop also gave me a 20 $ refund for the long shipping time. So everything is fine now.

 

Shipping time in total was around 5 weeks.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Oh, well, glad it all worked out in the end and no real harm was done.