Anyone received anything via USPS from March onwards???

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Item

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#270582 16-May-2020 11:04

So I ordered a few things online in early mid-March that all happened to ship via USPS - a few records and accessories for iPad etc.

I have so far received exactly 0 of them. Tracking information is pretty wild - some things haven’t been scanned since popping up somewhere in the U.S and at least one of them was scanned in Auckland in late March and still hasn’t appeared.

Consensus seems to be that the scanning for USPS can be pretty useless and I don’t know whether to just sit tight for another few weeks and assume the delays are all just COVID-related or whether to start chasing hard on these items. I really don’t want to hassle small vendors in the current climate, but equally I don’t want to give up on my stuff ever arriving!

Anyone else in the same situation or have your USPS packages arrived?

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#2484801 16-May-2020 11:27

I'm in the same boat. Two separate orders (placed a couple of days apart), both sent via USPS. One of them was "International departure" from NYC on March 31, the other was the same but on April 3.

No updates on either of them since then. I got in touch with the retailer (B&H Photo) who said that the packages are stuck in the US somewhere because of the lockdown.

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sbiddle

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#2484806 16-May-2020 11:59

The global shipping and postal network is a nightmare. There are already multiple threads discussing these issues - and there isn't much you can do about this. Parcels right now are taking up to a few weeks to even get around NZ, foreign is far far worse, and freight prices have skyrocketed.

I wouldn't also necessarily trust a scan that says Auckland - this could simply be customs advance lodgement.

danielparker

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#2484808 16-May-2020 12:12

My package last said..

Your item was processed through our CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER facility on April 14, 2020 at 7:07 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

sdavisnz

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#2484812 16-May-2020 12:17

Yeah the delays are getting a bit ridiculous, I have about 10 aliexpress orders from the last 3 months and no sign of anything.

Not a great shopping experience, where items used to take around ~2 weeks.

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sbiddle

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#2484814 16-May-2020 12:22

sdavisnz: Yeah the delays are getting a bit ridiculous, I have about 10 aliexpress orders from the last 3 months and no sign of anything.

Not a great shopping experience, where items used to take around ~2 weeks.

Aliexpress parcels aren't going to be a priority when airfreight costs are at a premium.

I've got more stuff for work coming from Hong Kong that shipped yesterday - DHL prices are double what they were last month, and expected shipping times to NZ are upwards of 2 weeks rather than the usual 3-4 days. When I was chatting to the supplier there he said DHL shipping to the US from Hong Kong at present is estimated to be up to a month.

Item

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#2484822 16-May-2020 12:56

Well glad it isn’t just me then. Sounds like I should just suck it up for another few weeks and see how we go.

The high value stuff that I have ordered during lockdown has all come via FedEx and that is taking 3-4 days from US and 4-5 days from UK at the moment, so no real worries there.

KiwiSurfer

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#2484826 16-May-2020 13:34

Not just you. I have a USPS parcel at 67 days in transit and counting (for goods from a supplier which previously took no longer than a week to be delivered under 'normal' circumstances). Last tracking update suggests it's been sitting in Chicago for the last month. My guess is USPS has decided it's more convienent for them to hold the parcel at their warehouse until shipping costs reduces? Or perhaps COVID-19 has impacted on their workforce to a much bigger degree than it has here in NZ? Who knows... I have pretty much given up on that particular parcel. It'll arrive when it arrives.

In the mean time I have suspended all my international purchases. Only purchasing from domestic businesses at the moment where the turnaround is much, much better! COVID-19 has shown how fragile our global logistics system is.

NPCtom

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#2485013 16-May-2020 18:09

I have an item coming for a vehicle. It's rather important since I have to buy belts here in New Zealand at $50NZD a piece compared to this US retailer at $12NZD a piece.

They're willing to re-ship via DHL but they are a small business and I bought in bulk. So I'm just waiting to see if my package which has had a tour around the United States makes it to either Australia or New Zealand.

Oblivian

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#2485050 16-May-2020 20:46

NZPost and it's offshoots (USPS, Chinapost, DHL, subcontracted carriage) have a 200?% increase in flow

Last week was busier than christmas period. Blown it out of the water, basically Christmas+normal rates combined. Todays FB post estimated 200 items/min

rb99

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#2485492 18-May-2020 10:58

Just as a matter of interest, does anyone think they might just decide to send stuff by sea instead of air ?

I know people paid for airmail and expect to get it, but just wondering.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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#2485789 18-May-2020 17:46

rb99:

Just as a matter of interest, does anyone think they might just decide to send stuff by sea instead of air ?

I know people paid for airmail and expect to get it, but just wondering.

We had product for our stock shipped by surface mail (sea freight) by our East Coast, Canadian supplier in the first week of January. Normally the transit time is 3 months but we only received the shipment last week, so 5-6 weeks late. Parcel labelling showed it took about 10 days to get to Vancouver then... who knows as it was untracked.

Best guess is that the bulk of the hold-up was at NZ Customs due to the heavy workload caused by COVID-19.

Worth knowing too is that our supplier attempted to get us some quick stock by airmail but was advised a couple of weeks ago that Canada Post is not accepting Airmail items to NZ - surface mail only available. I note also that USPS has advised":

New Zealand

New Zealand Post advises that while the government has declared a lockdown in an effort to slow spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the post is an essential business that will remain in operation insofar as possible under the state of emergency provisions and regulations in place. New Zealand Post can no longer guarantee service delivery standards, such as delivery times and other quality measures, and is invoking a situation of force majeure in relation to any such standards until further notice.

Also our Chinese supplier quoted us what they regarded as a "crazy high" price to airfreight in advance stocks from China recently, and double the usual 1 week delivery. I guess they are sending via the 'scenic route'due to the lack of direct China-NZ flights. We decided to wait for that stock to arrive by sea.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

rb99

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#2485810 18-May-2020 18:58

So surface mail is also slower than usual. Not unexpected I guess. I'll just have to take some patience steroids...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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lNomNoml

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#2485814 18-May-2020 19:05

UPS have to be the most useless courier company in NZ, out of all the couriers we use for work they are always the slowest or things go missing.

HarmLessSolutions

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#2485818 18-May-2020 19:12

lNomNoml:

UPS have to be the most useless courier company in NZ, out of all the couriers we use for work they are always the slowest or things go missing.

It seems to depend who does the 'last mile' delivery for the international companies I think. DHL move fast until they hit NZ and then you get situations like I had for an iHerb delivery recently. a week from the US to AKL and then bounced around in AKL departure for 3 days before heading down to the Naki.

Also don't confuse UPS with USPS (United States Postal Service), who revert to NZ Post once it reaches NZ.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

boosacnoodle

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#2485901 18-May-2020 21:12

Seems like a bit of an opportunity with all of the planes parked up, you would think. Some airlines are flying things in the passenger area strapped to seats which admittedly takes a bit longer to load and unload but still better than having a plane just sitting there.

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