# Postal problems. Not exactly trains but related.



## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

If anyone outside the USA is considering having "stuff" sent by USPS Priority Air Mail (PAM) you might like to think again.
The Priority part is only until it leaves the US Post Office and is up to the point of actually being put on a plane. After that it may or may not actually leave the USA and even if it does, the Australian PO regards it only as ordinary mail. Not even ordinary Air Mail.
I recently had a small package sent from a USA supplier who shipped via Priority Air Mail on the 12 th of Oct with a tracking #.
I can track it to Chicago where it was allegedly exported on the 15th of Oct.
Then it disappeared, and is still missing.
Today I was advised by the Australian PO that as there is no actual flight details it is highly likely it never actually left the USA.

My supplier is most apologetic but it is not their fault.
Over a number of years we have successfully used the PAM service to try and keep shipping costs down. Now it will be a No No. and I will only use the the proper International Express Mail Service (EMS) even though it costs more.

Please. No comments about how wonderful UPS and Fed Ex are. They cost much more than EMS does and usually take longer.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I had a package sent out to me last week via priority mail from MA and it still has not arrived here in GA. Go figure. Later RJD


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

I wouldn't give up on it yet Tony. I use US Priority Mail on a regular basis for all of my shipments to Australia and the United Kingdom. It typically takes 10 to 14 days. Yes, there really is no "priority" and there is no tracking. But so far I haven't lost anything.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I have had things sent Priortiy mail here in the USA and it took as much at 10 to 15 days or more to get accross the country. These Items were things I got on E bay. They sent me a E mail the day the things were shiped but they took for ever to get here.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Oh NO J.J. May be going postal on us!! Hee Hee! Seriously folks, according to my postmaster, regular post 1st class is 5-7days, and priority is usually 3 days give or take! I have sent and received pkg's from my partner in crime out in Kalifornia in two days!! Yet here in West. Ne. to Utah is 3 go figure??? He tells me after I have shipped 100's of items regular post, that the difference between the two is they are handled way more, and thrown around more on 1st class, compared to priority!! Also they are mixed with pkgs that are 75#s or more on 1st class! Sooooooo if you have something that is fragile or somewhat fragile go priority, and also if you are not in any hurry and want to save money,go 1st class. I would always insure either way, and if the item is somewhat fragile, and getting there is important then priority is your beast of burden!! I just purchased a set of batteries, and they are coming UPS, and they were purchased early on Tuesday this week. Received a notification, "shipped" on Wed! Just received the UPS tracking was never picked up till Thurs now because of the weekend another consideration between UPS and USPS is you can get mail on Sat's not UPS though! So now batteries are not going to arrive till Tues. next week according to UPS! Would have been here Sat if USPS! Also on a side note what do you guy's think of companies using the $4.94-5.00 priority shipping, but at their site charging just short of $9.00???? profiting about $4 of our hard earned money?????? I wrote that company and expressed my sentiments on that!! Received a automated email saying my question would be answered in about 24-48 hrs. That was 4 days ago!! Also they used a cardboard envelope instead of a priority box, and last time I did this the pkg was damaged, and the batteries were ready to fall out of the pack!!! Surprised they didn't!!!!! Regal


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

I find that the USPS tracking # don't mean squat. It tells you when it picked up and delivered. Nothing in between!
It dosen't work like UPS.


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

US Mail and the Royal Mail are not much better either. Stan Cedarleaf sent me a package that left Phoenix on the Saturday, LA on the Sunday evening and I got it just over a week later. BTW thats a 13 hour flight.

That was US Priority Mail too.

Rod


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Tony, 
I have shipped to down under for over 6 years never a problem except sometime it take weeks and other time just days. I think it gets hung up in customs sometimes. Never lost a package but can be slow at times. The cost is the cheapest way to ship. I tell my customers figure 2 weeks and that way if comes sooner great.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't think it matters which shipper you use. You are the whim of the customs officers. They don't answer to the shippes. If they want stuff to move, it will. If they don't, it won't.


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## Curmudgeon (Jan 11, 2008)

I've been nailed by US Customs three times, I think. 
Got them all reversed, but what a crock. 
You can't GET the package until you PAY the fees, then they have their money, and YOU have to fight to get it back. 

Since the USPS Rate Increase was denied, one wonders how much of this slowdown is just to "show" us how bad delivery can be without their rate increase......


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## Wayne Spence (Jan 15, 2008)

Tony, 
I must know somebody !! 
Over the last two months I have had five "large" locomotives & several freight cars sent to me from Illinois to Australia, all via USPS Priority Mail International. 
Eight large packages and they all arrived (undamaged) within 7 days each. 
If there was any holdup, it would be here in AU, mail distrubition centre to door. 
Can't complain, sure happy with that service, even if the rate is around $US115 per loco. 

Regards 

Wayne 
Wayne


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree that it could be a problem at this end. 
However, until the thing either turns up, or the shipper manages to find out what happened at the Chicago exit portal, my money is on it not having left the USA yet. 

I don't know whether or not it is Guvmint policy, but, parcels under about A$1,000 value never seem to be held up in customs here in OZ. Something about the Sales Tax collectible does not cover the actual cost of processing the parcel.


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## wigginsn (Jan 9, 2008)

Sorry to hear that Tony. Once bitten twice shy. 

Had no problems to date with USPS to NZ, as you note most other methods price themselves off the planet. 

Its funny watching the track n trace, 1 package took three weeks from NY to CA, then 5 more days from CA to my door out in the *** **** at the bottom New Zealand. Others have been exactly the opposite.. 

Cheers 
Neil


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Probably not the best of threads to point out that I work for a guy who has a contract postal route. 

I did have a order from Colorado Model Structures vanish into the ether...despite having a tracking number.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Every "problem" I have had with an international package was a sender problem. Yeah, we sent it....bug bug bug....OK, look into it, bug bug.....then it arrives, with a cancellation date of the last wave of "bugging". 

Getting paid from a few countries in a timely manner has been a problem too. 

FYI, in the US, model train/railway stuff is duty free. Cannot say the same for a lot of car parts tho, had to jump through a lot of loops on those.


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Model train stuff is generally duty free Worldwide. But not necessarily tax free. That depends on the local situation of the destination country. 
In our case a 10% Goods and Services (GST) tax is technically applicable but not usually charged if the declared value is lowish. If Customs officers read what is the declared value and decide it is too low for the goods in the shipment, they can get very stroppy and start applying all sorts of imposts.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Interesting, learned something there Tony!


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## GaryY (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By TonyWalsham on 28 Oct 2010 07:59 PM 
Model train stuff is generally duty free Worldwide. But not necessarily tax free. That depends on the local situation of the destination country. 
In our case a 10% Goods and Services (GST) tax is technically applicable but not usually charged if the declared value is lowish. If Customs officers read what is the declared value and decide it is too low for the goods in the shipment, they can get very stroppy and start applying all sorts of imposts. 
Similar deal up here in Canada. No duty but taxable. Never the less, stuff shipped here via USPS (non priority) most times escapes through free unless it is bulky or because of the declared value being high. 

At present I am expecting a package train stuff from MA and it was shipped on the 20th. The tracking number only tells me it was shipped and the rest is a waiting game. Amazingly some packages are a matter of a few days and others take weeks....I cannot say it is USPS or Canada Post as there is never any indication where it was held up.
While at the post office the other day the clerk was saying since the US$> CDN$ rates are almost parity, parcel traffic seems to have increased. 

I try and avoid UPS/Fedex route, altho it is easier to track parcels, I can almost guarantee having to pay customs charges ... which is another pain in the butt 

Regards
Gary


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Gary. 
I forgot about the Customs clearance charges, as distinct from duty or taxes, being charged by UPS and FedEx. 
The PO does not usually charge for that unless it is also taxable.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

My wife sends those off-the-shelf tooth whitening kits to a freind of hers in Osaka Japan because they are so much cheaper here then there. The Japanese customs boobs in Osaka read the words "professional strength" on the box and instantly declare an illegal import of a perscription drug and send it back. She sends the same stuff to another friend in Tokyo, no problems. It does not matter what the law reads, if the customs officer is a jerk or innocently ignorant, 'yer screwed.


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Tony, 

I wonder if your problems are as a result of the UPS news story? Possible but I don'y know.


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

What UPS news story is that? Why would a UPS news story have anything to do with the USPS?


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

USPS contracts with UPS and Fedex to Transport there over sea's mail !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All done by air now, no Surface transportation anymore as of 2 years ago. As in boat.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By TonyWalsham on 29 Oct 2010 03:43 PM 
What UPS news story is that? Why would a UPS news story have anything to do with the USPS? Suspicious packages 'contain explosive material,' Obama says[/b]


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## Doug C (Jan 14, 2008)

When I ship (usually south) an item worth more than saaay $40, I ask for the cheapest with insurance If that includes tracking and priority that is okay "as long as it gets there in one piece" but to REQUEST and pay for those alleged premo services tends to be a scam by the service provider (either gov't or private ) !! 

And if they ask air or surface I always say surface 'cause everything long distance goes on a plane these days ! 


If the priority service has a time limit and it lands in the serv. provider outlet after that date, they will be refunding the money paid them for the service.










doug c


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

'Tis hear. 

The parcel was in my PO box this morning. 

Rechecking the tracking details showed it leaving the USA on the 15th and arriving in Australia on the 31st. 
Must some pretty decent sort of aviation fuel that can keep a plane aloft for 16 days.


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

2 weeks 2 days for a shipment. 
Maybe your package stopped for a vacation along the way.,,,,,,,,,,,


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Actually Mark it arrived in Australia on the 31st. Then it had to get to my local PO. 3 more days. Total 3 weeks for a Priority Air Mail package.


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