That d*mn courier thread.

[MSicardCutlery]

Lets see,....my first time ordering MagnaCut or A/U, before I could get it domestically, I was charged a 70$ brokerage fee for a single 2x36" bar. Roughly a $200 shipment total.

Ordering about 200lbs worth of steel from NJSB, a couple of years ago, via the $500 3 day freight option, it's the end of July...outbreak at the warehouse, big backlog, whatever-par for the course. It finally ships mid-late August. Ships to a border town in NY, sits...sent to Virginia, then Arkansas, the back to Virginia, then back to NY....repeat once, I vaguely remember a stop off in New Mexico too, then bouncing a few times between VA and NY, then finally it crosses the border and I had it the next day. It was the end of September by then.


USPS is probably the worst for losses and delays as far as I can tell.

 

[MarcelNL]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the delivery of the coffee shipment...I bought those beans as greens from a roaster in NY so we could compare notes all roasting the same bean ...so by now they are well travelled and 5 times more expensive than when they left home but most importantly, they do age and comapring notes is best done when they are all at around the same amount of time post roast.

What is going on with the knife (the 36 days and going nowhere shipment) is just ridiculous.

 

[M1k3]

Lets see,....my first time ordering MagnaCut or A/U, before I could get it domestically, I was charged a 70$ brokerage fee for a single 2x36" bar. Roughly a $200 shipment total.

Ordering about 200lbs worth of steel from NJSB, a couple of years ago, via the $500 3 day freight option, it's the end of July...outbreak at the warehouse, big backlog, whatever-par for the course. It finally ships mid-late August. Ships to a border town in NY, sits...sent to Virginia, then Arkansas, the back to Virginia, then back to NY....repeat once, I vaguely remember a stop off in New Mexico too, then bouncing a few times between VA and NY, then finally it crosses the border and I had it the next day. It was the end of September by then.


USPS is probably the worst for losses and delays as far as I can tell.

With USPS, they can suck. And frustrate you. But they generally get it there. Especially for rural areas (FedEx and UPS can just say "Nope. We don't deliver to that address." USPS can't).

 

[WildBoar]

This is shaping up to be more of a labelling/ Customs issue than anything else. Info sent to Marcel via DM.

 

[esoo]

Seem like this belongs here

 

[MarcelNL]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the delivery of the coffee shipment...I bought those beans as greens from a roaster in NY so we could compare notes all roasting the same bean ...so by now they are well travelled and 5 times more expensive than when they left home but most importantly, they do age and comapring notes is best done when they are all at around the same amount of time post roast.

What is going on with the knife (the 36 days and going nowhere shipment) is just ridiculous.

USPS is true to form, my coffee is now in the US since March 7th and has to get to PA, guess it's going into the wastebin upon arrival. I'll be avoiding DHL and any courier that makes a shipment ending up with USPS.

 

[Corradobrit1]

You guys in the US are getting screwed on brokerage fees.

 

[Corradobrit1]

USPS is true to form, my coffee is now in the US since March 7th and has to get to PA, guess it's going into the wastebin upon arrival. I'll be avoiding DHL and any courier that makes a shipment ending up with USPS.

Curious why anyone would ship coffee intercontinental. There are SO many great options to buy in the US.

 

[WildBoar]

With respect to shipping into, or out of, the US, all packages have to go through Customs. That is often where things go off track. They are a black box; USPS has no control over the process, and only a few people can even access the Customs database (through sparse dedicated secure terminals) to try and find info on packages. There are only a few Customs locations, with Chicago and NY being the big ones many packages bound for Europe pass through. When Covid hit the Chicago location was taking up to 3 months to process packages. These days the processing time seems to fluctuate a lot. Any problems/ questions on the forms can result in all sorts of results, such as the sending the package back to shipper, having it 'disappear' for weeks/ months, etc.

I think some shippers have dedicated people at Customs to help address issues, which is why some services may deliver your package along with a hefty bill for the duties as well as for their services. I am not sure if USPS does this, but I generally do not hear of packages arriving via USPS and being accompanied by bills. I definitely hear about it with some of the 'overnight' shippers.

 

[MarcelNL]

Curious why anyone would ship coffee intercontinental. There are SO many great options to buy in the US.

we are doing a roast and learn, so we all bought the same greens and are now trying to exchange samples in order to compare notes.

I hope Kafatek understands what happens if Customs at either end gets wiser and checks the actual value...congrats on the grinder, did you get a flat or a conical?

 

[MarcelNL]

With respect to shipping into, or out of, the US, all packages have to go through Customs. That is often where things go off track. They are a black box; USPS has no control over the process, and only a few people can even access the Customs database (through sparse dedicated secure terminals) to try and find info on packages. There are only a few Customs locations, with Chicago and NY being the big ones many packages bound for Europe pass through. When Covid hit the Chicago location was taking up to 3 months to process packages. These days the processing time seems to fluctuate a lot. Any problems/ questions on the forms can result in all sorts of results, such as the sending the package back to shipper, having it 'disappear' for weeks/ months, etc.

I think some shippers have dedicated people at Customs to help address issues, which is why some services may deliver your package along with a hefty bill for the duties as well as for their services. I am not sure if USPS does this, but I generally do not hear of packages arriving via USPS and being accompanied by bills. I definitely hear about it with some of the 'overnight' shippers.

Customs can be a hefty hurdle to take, in every country (I have had packages sit for weeks at Dutch Customs, no way to get it moving since they are incommunicado).
This shipment however should have passed customs already

Indeed the courier services handle that but not with folks at customs but prior to getting to the point of customs. They have you complete a proforma invoice and customs declaration or help doing so (and make you pay for that service). The excessive handling fees of couriers at this end of the pond usually are for 'handling' VAT, and differ per courier but they generally are out of whack for use of an automated system...(as an example ; I've paid 17 euro's for having the courier handing over my 5 euro worth of VAT to customs).

Best way to avoid it is to get a non EU company where you buy to use the EU OSS system (One Stop Shop) so you pay VAT to them and they have to pay all VAT due in one EU country of their choice.

 

[WildBoar]

I saw the beans were from the US, so initially they were sent to you (successfully) and the problem is a shipment back to someone in the US? The info you can look up shows it made it through Customs here in the US, and is bouncing around? Let me know if it is something you need looked up.

 

[MarcelNL]

Thanks David, yeah the shipment from the seller of the greens was made with UPS as it was cost effective because I bought a larger quantity and that one arrived within 3 days of shipping.

The current shipment of roasted beans is now moving at a snail pace with USPS but we'll wait it out, the target of one week post roast is already missed by over a week and the shipment of samples to me is also with USPS and not anywhere near arrival either (being 'processed at facility' since March 6).

 

[MarcelNL]

it's pretty ridiculous, Jamaica NY is about a 2 hr walk from Queens, 7 miles or so;
( and I fully understand it's not an in person delivery)


2023-03-14 12:35
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER, Departed USPS Regional Facility -> Your item departed our USPS facility in QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER on March 14, 2023 at 12:35 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

2023-03-14 10:41
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER, Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

2023-03-11 00:00
In Transit to Next Facility

2023-03-07 15:23
JAMAICA NY INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER, Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

 

[WildBoar]

I got curious, and found this: Jamaica NY International Distribution Center - US Global Mail

Average length a package stays there is 4 days, but it can be as little as an hour, and as much as a very long time. Customs is in this facility too, so this is where the package goes into the Customs 'Black Box'. You get the opportunity to experience USPS and Customs delays all in on easy stop. Win-win!

 

[MarcelNL]

yeah yet the weird thing is that it took 3 days to get from post customs processing;

2023-03-11 00:00
In Transit to Next Facility

to Queens, it probably shows how much overload this system has, or how little 'priority' means

 

[WildBoar]

I believe it's all the same facility. It was basically in USPS sorting and Customs for a week, then moved to the side where USPS distribution take place. It did not take 3 days to 'move'. Once it hit the distro side it looks like it moved on the same day.

 

[MarcelNL]

Jamaica NY is a different facility as the one in Queens acc to Google maps, agree that administratively it may look as if it takes 3 days but still, processing is slower than a snail.

 

[WildBoar]

Got some info on NY. Supposedly shortly after Covid hit all NY Customs was sent to Chicago. It only restarted in NY very recently, and is reported to be severely understaffed. It is Customs agent who are assigned within the USPS facility.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

So the last packaged I sent to @MSicardCutlery in Ontario CA took a three week detour to Brussels Belgium before eventually arrived to him.

This time, same address it has just been bouncing around California and back and forth to Washington. And yes, Matt has verified the address I used.

Here it is so far in descending order:

 

[WildBoar]

"Logistics Center" seems like a mother ship location they had to send it to for some reason...

Shoot me a DM with the tracking # and I'll see if I can get any useful info for you tomorrow.

 

[M1k3]

in Ontario CA

Wait? CA as in California? Or Canada? Because California does have a city called Ontario.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Wait? CA as in California? Or Canada? Because California does have a city called Ontario.

Actually on the label I attached, both times, it is spelled out. CANADA.

I checked to send via UPS this time around, because of the last madness, and they found the address right away. But, too expensive so rolled on USPS again.

 

[deltaplex]

Apparently I lucked out?

 

[WildBoar]

Actually on the label I attached, both times, it is spelled out. CANADA.

I think I see the problem. This would have been okay at USPS's end, but at the Canadian border they likely stopped it because it did not read CANADA, EH?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I think I see the problem. This would have been okay at USPS's end, but at the Canadian border they likely stopped it because it did not read CANADA, EH?

But I taped a Molson's, a Thomas Hammer gift card and some freeze dried poutine to the outside with a "For Customs Personnel" tag on it.

 

[esoo]

But I taped a Molson's, a Thomas Hammer gift card and some freeze dried poutine to the outside with a "For Customs Personnel" tag on it.

There's your issue - needed to be a Tim Horton's gift card.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

There's your issue - needed to be a Tim Horton's gift card.

Damnit, that's the one! Shows ya what I know about foo-foo coffee. And I live in Washington, the foundational cradle of foo-foo coffee!

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

So the last packaged I sent to @MSicardCutlery in Ontario CA took a three week detour to Brussels Belgium before eventually arrived to him.

This time, same address it has just been bouncing around California and back and forth to Washington. And yes, Matt has verified the address I used.

Here it is so far in descending order:

View attachment 232382

View attachment 232383

View attachment 232384

So close...

 

[M1k3]

So close...

View attachment 233364

View attachment 233363

Carson? Want me to go pick it up?