That d*mn courier thread.

[HumbleHomeCook]

It's insane.

 

[WildBoar]

It was manually flagged to go into International. That reportedly meant a real live postal worker at a recent CA stop saw it and found the error that kept it in Domestic.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

It was manually flagged to go into International. That reportedly meant a real live postal worker at a recent CA stop saw it and found the error that kept it in Domestic.

But now it's back to being in domestic.

It was in Toronto.

 

[WildBoar]

D'oh!

 

[Rangen]

A high-value sharpening stone that I am awaiting eagerly. Here is what tracking tells me. This is a DHL shipment from Europe that is supposed to be handed off to the US Post office.

DHL says: it left the Frankfurt airport, and landed 5 days ago at some unspecified airport. Possibly an airport in the US, but maybe not?

USPS knows only that it's a thing that might show up someday.

This is not conducive to happy thoughts.

 

[M1k3]

A high-value sharpening stone that I am awaiting eagerly. Here is what tracking tells me. This is a DHL shipment from Europe that is supposed to be handed off to the US Post office.
View attachment 233438
DHL says: it left the Frankfurt airport, and landed 5 days ago at some unspecified airport. Possibly an airport in the US, but maybe not?

View attachment 233439
USPS knows only that it's a thing that might show up someday.

This is not conducive to happy thoughts.

It's probably in customs and not in USPS possession.

 

[WildBoar]

^^this. USPS will not know anything about it until it makes it through Customs.

 

[Rangen]

It's probably in customs and not in USPS possession.

That's my guess, too. What I don't have a guess for is why they would not mention that in the tracking. I know I've seen tracking that does say exactly that.

 

[WildBoar]

DHL's tracking is the one that should be saying that.

 

[esoo]

That's my guess, too. What I don't have a guess for is why they would not mention that in the tracking. I know I've seen tracking that does say exactly that.

Have you tried 17track? Sometimes they show more details that the carriers don't show.

 

[Rangen]

Have you tried 17track? Sometimes they show more details that the carriers don't show.

Huh. I'd never heard of that. I tried it out, and while it did have many more details, the last detail was the same as I have, "landed at the (unspecified) airport."

Bookmarking this for future reference, though. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Rangen]

This tracking information would also be consistent with "the plane containing your sharpening stone landed, then was taken to a junkyard and crushed into a small cube, like that car in Pulp Fiction."

 

[Rangen]

An update, which I am providing not because I think people are on tenterhooks about my sharpening stone, but to show what is possible.

My stone left the Frankfurt airport on the 20th. The Frankfurt airport is like the crossroads of the world; you can get practically anywhere from there. So of course my US-bound stone went from Frankfurt to...Switzerland. Where it waited for a week with no updates, and then boarded a flight to JFK. Now the USPS tracking has woken up, and says it's in customs. Progress!

 

[dragjp]

Okay, Russian post- anyone else is expecting a package from RU, especially from Andrei? Not sure how the situation looks like at this moment, if anyone had recent experience what's the rough ETA?

 

[WildBoar]

Packages back and forth between US and Ruzzia have always been dicey, particularly when sent from there to the US.

Somewhere some crystal glasses sent as a wedding present are being enjoyed by someone from their postal or customs service. 13+ years later, we've given up waiting

Stuff we've sent for wife's nephews has had mixed results.

 

[dragjp]

Thanks, a friend also told me it'll be 1 month to infinite. Guess what I can only do right now is being patient..

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

My package left LA again an this time they decided to try sending it south to Ft. Worth. Those folks sent it right off to Toronto again.

Unfortunately, it left Toronto three days ago with no update since so I'm sure it is gonna pop back up in LA.

It's like a continental game of keep-away.

 

[MarcelNL]

the in-between hops a package travels on with a courier are much like how your email message hops around the globe, it's mainly availability that drives the route ...it does not matter too much, what does matter is speed and delivery reliability; and these two last items are seriously low with some couriers.

 

[More_Gyutos]

USPS goes to deliver package, sees signature required, scans it into package locker (which would get my signature), decides not to put it in locker, leaves a we “tried to deliver card“. I sign the card ask them to deliver to USPS package box or package locker. USPS ignores the card. Guess I’m going to the post office.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Update. My package finally made it to Matt.

Thanks to @WildBoar for reaching out.

For what it's worth, during this process I had two different postal employees tell me that Canada is seriously cracking down on imports. There's a LOT of rules. Gifts over $60 will be subject to duties an taxes. I put $75 on this package and they slapped an almost $16 duty fee on it! Also, I believe now they can require a receipt be included in the package for gifts over $60.

Now, none of that explains the round and round trips the package made in the states before it ever got to Canadian customs.

 

[WildBoar]

I've seen people on some other forums lamenting the issues shipping into Canada -- supposedly it's about impossible to avoid duty and tax these days.

anyway, who gets the frequent flier miles the package earned?

 

[blokey]

Anyone knows how long would take Russian post to get to US these days? I got a package that said it was released from Russia on 15th, March, then no updates at all.

 

[esoo]

The last two knives I bought came into Canada duty free. USPS/EMS is your best bet for the odds (as Canada Post doesn't seem to check every package). Not guaranteed to skip duty but the best bet on my experience

 

[dragjp]

Anyone knows how long would take Russian post to get to US these days? I got a package that said it was released from Russia on 15th, March, then no updates at all.

mine left Moskva on 3/15 and arrived US custom on the 1st, hopefully it's not an April fools prank.

 

[enrico]

mine left Moskva on 3/15 and arrived US custom on the 1st, hopefully it's not an April fools prank.

Same

 

[WifeNotUnderstand]

USPS struggling to find an outbound flight for 6 days.

 

[MarcelNL]

isn't the issue causing these erratic patterns that some bored office staffer is drawing doodles on the map using his mouse?

 

[dragjp]

mine left Moskva on 3/15 and arrived US custom on the 1st, hopefully it's not an April fools prank.

update- it's delivered today!

 

[enrico]

update- it's delivered today!

Just got my Markin as well. Seems like he was right with the 3-4 week delivery time.

All I can say is, wow. That was the easiest onion I've ever cut.

 

[Rangen]

It must be "dreams come true" day, because my package also arrived today, fresh from its 1 week Swiss ski vacation side trip.

I always told myself that if I ever found a big-ass coticule that was actually graded as extra-fine, and therefore suitable for razors, I'd buy it, price be damned. Never thought I'd actually find such a thing. Now it's in my hands. It's a good day.