Experiences with USPS sought...

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Trunks2

224 posts

Master Geek

#97788 20-Feb-2012 17:30

Anyone had much experience with USPS? I had something sent via Priority mail from the US on the 25th of Jan, tracking number says it left the country on the 26th and hasn't updated since.

Is this normal? The website says it should take 6-10 business days, I'm starting to get worried it's lost or something.

Thanks.

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Ultimate Geek

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#584059 20-Feb-2012 17:52

The USPS can be hilariously slow. Here's an example - sent via EMS:

Shipment Accepted TORRANCE CA 90503 03/09/11 1:14pm
Electronic Shipping Info Received 03/09/11
International Dispatch ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS) 03/10/11 7:23pm
Arrived Abroad NEW ZEALAND 03/16/11 8:34am
Out of Foreign Customs NEW ZEALAND 03/16/11 11:47am
Attempted Delivery NEW ZEALAND 03/17/11 7:27am

Note the fact it took 6 days to get from LA to NZ, allegedly by air (mind you, this is probably one of the quicker shipments I've had via the USPS).

To compare and contrast, I ordered a watch from Japan, also sent via EMS. It shipped Sunday evening NZ time, and arrived on my doorstep a shade over 36 hours later on Tuesday morning.

HowickDota

423 posts

Ultimate Geek

#584061 20-Feb-2012 17:56

USPS has been very slow for me sometimes, near 2 weeks.
Never had any problems with UPS on the other hand.
Also if the value of what you're importing is over $400 it will attract GST and customs attention, I had to go pick up the shipment when that happened to me.

KevinL

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#584074 20-Feb-2012 18:09

The customs thing is a bit hit and miss when you send via EMS/USPS - customs don't pick up every package (in fact, I don't think I have -ever- been hit for GST/duty for any shipments - not that I'd mind paying). When they are picked up by customs, they can be held up for some time as the default notification seems to be postal.

If you send via Fedex/UPS/DHL then it is a little bit different - essentially, you pay a premium for the courier company to act as your representative at customs; consequently everything that is due to be taxed, is. The first time this happens it can delay things by a day or two (you need to apply for a customs ID of some sort), but subsequent packages are effectively fast-tracked.

Trunks2

224 posts

Master Geek

#584155 20-Feb-2012 20:32

The item is worth about $150 I also told him to mark as a gift so I shouldn't have to worry about customs, I just hope it shows up soon, been over 3 weeks now.

KevinL

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#584160 20-Feb-2012 20:37

You can pretty much guarantee it will take at least double the USPS delivery guidelines - i.e. if it says 6-10 business days, don't be surprised if it takes 12-20. No idea why they are so ineffective (although it may relate to the fact that they always seem to be on strike) - even getting stuff shipped from China via EMS is faster than the USPS.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#584163 20-Feb-2012 20:44

Also I can pretty much guarantee that a topic with a single word in the subject won't attract as many comments as a topic with a more clear subject. I have changed it for you.

Chainsaw

357 posts

Ultimate Geek

#584165 20-Feb-2012 20:47

I'm still waiting for something sent to me 2 years ago via USPS.

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keewee01

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#584206 20-Feb-2012 22:11

Have had very mixed experiences with USPS - some items arrived really quickly, others take ages. I suspect part of it is where in the US it is coming from, as it is usually the same localities that are either fast or slow.

Kyanar

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#584332 21-Feb-2012 09:06

Everything I've ever had sent via USPS has taken the two weeks and then some - they are hideously slow. Contrast that with Royal Mail, where every package has arrived in 3 working days flat. On the bright side, neither USPS nor Royal Mail have ever lost a package I've ordered, compared to NZ Post which has lost one or two.

stevenz

2802 posts

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#584352 21-Feb-2012 09:51

Trunks2: The item is worth about $150 I also told him to mark as a gift so I shouldn't have to worry about customs, I just hope it shows up soon, been over 3 weeks now.

The cutoff for customs is a value of roughly NZ$400, so you didn't need to worry.

I've found USPS to generally be pretty good. It's been rare for anything to take more than 2 weeks assuming holidays don't get in the way.

@KnightNZ

timmmay

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#584378 21-Feb-2012 10:27

I had a package from the US on USPS take about 25 days to arrive. Sometimes they arrive in 7 days. Up to a month isn't unusual. They almost never make their advertised deadlines, so don't worry too much until it gets to 30 days.

Disrespective

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#585343 22-Feb-2012 20:26

Something I've been tracking is taking its time... it's been coming via USPS Priority Mail International.

Customs clearance processing complete, February 21, 2012, 3:08 pm, NEW ZEALAND
Processed Through Sort Facility, February 21, 2012, 9:04 am, NEW ZEALAND
Processed Through Sort Facility, February 12, 2012, 9:49 am, FOREIGN CENTERJERSEY CITY NJ 099
Arrived at Sort Facility, February 12, 2012, 9:48 am, FOREIGN CENTERJERSEY CITY NJ 099
Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility, February 11, 2012, 10:04 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07032
Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility, February 11, 2012, 8:49 pm, MONSEY, NY 10952
Shipment Accepted, February 11, 2012, 2:17 pm, HARRIMAN, NY 10926
Electronic Shipping Info Received, February 11, 2012

Normally It's towards the shorter end of their estimates, but not always.

LookingUp

411 posts

Ultimate Geek

#585345 22-Feb-2012 20:34

Kyanar: Everything I've ever had sent via USPS has taken the two weeks and then some - they are hideously slow. Contrast that with Royal Mail, where every package has arrived in 3 working days flat. On the bright side, neither USPS nor Royal Mail have ever lost a package I've ordered, compared to NZ Post which has lost one or two.

The software used to track RoyalMail parcels was delivered out of Christchurch. NZ Post previously used the same NZ supplier, then decided to DIY their own version 'cos it would be cheaper, hmph, 'nuff said? ;-)

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Trunks2

224 posts

Master Geek

#585354 22-Feb-2012 20:50

My package was sent by USPS Priority Mail International

Processed Through Sort Facility, January 26, 2012, 9:34 am ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), International Parcels
Arrived at Sort Facility, January 26, 2012, 9:34 am ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)
Electronic Shipping Info Received, January 25, 2012

And that's it so far.

Behodar

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#585355 22-Feb-2012 20:53

In my experience, the USPS tracking site is best while the package is in the US. Once it arrives in NZ, NZ Post's site tends to be more up to date. In one case I've had the USPS site say "arrived in NZ" two days after NZ Post did.

Short version: For the latest details, put the tracking number into the NZ Post site.

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