Hi all,
i need help from anyone who understands the inner workings of the USPS, so this help request is aimed primarily at our American members.
OK, so here is the story: i have ordered an item from a well known internet auction site and the item and the last information i have is that it was processed:23 Mar 2020, 1:59am Through Regional Facility CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
now i know there are delays due to the virus etc and i have tried the USPS tracking service with the tracking number provided and all i get is that message.
I have tried to track the item here in the UK using royal mail and parcel force to no avail... they will only provide tracking information if they try to deliver the item and fail...wtf?
so is there department i can email than can tell me if the package is still in the USA or if it is in the UK or stuck on a cloud somewhere over the north atlantic?
i do have a phone number but it's for american use only...oh and i emailed the seller but there wasn't much he could do either.
so if anyone has an email address that i can send the tracking number to, then that would be appreciated.
thanks.
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USPS Help Needed
Klaus-Adler
Campaigns Administrator
Joined: June 08, 2015
KitMaker: 1,505 posts
Armorama: 840 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 03:49 AM UTC
GregCopplin
Joined: September 06, 2011
KitMaker: 212 posts
Armorama: 201 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 04:09 AM UTC
I’ve had th e same issue, went to order paint from Uk it went to Chicago. Royal Mail said it was in San Francisco USPS said it was at Chicago but then i got an update two weeks after the guy shipped it that it’s in Elk Ridge Illinois. I’m not sure if the tracking system is screwed up but i think the virus is the issue. I’d also say USPS hasn’t been helpful in trying to locate the package because they said it was international when i did the request to find it. Best of luck
davidne
Joined: February 18, 2013
KitMaker: 21 posts
Armorama: 16 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 04:38 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi all,
i need help from anyone who understands the inner workings of the USPS, so this help request is aimed primarily at our American members.
OK, so here is the story: i have ordered an item from a well known internet auction site and the item and the last information i have is that it was processed:23 Mar 2020, 1:59am Through Regional Facility CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
now i know there are delays due to the virus etc and i have tried the USPS tracking service with the tracking number provided and all i get is that message.
I have tried to track the item here in the UK using royal mail and parcel force to no avail... they will only provide tracking information if they try to deliver the item and fail...wtf?
so is there department i can email than can tell me if the package is still in the USA or if it is in the UK or stuck on a cloud somewhere over the north atlantic?
i do have a phone number but it's for american use only...oh and i emailed the seller but there wasn't much he could do either.
so if anyone has an email address that i can send the tracking number to, then that would be appreciated.
thanks.
Don't know if this might help but it is a link to their on-line e-mail form- https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/. They also posted the following notice on 23 March.
"Priority Mail Express International guarantee suspended to certain countries
Effective March 23, 2020
Due to airline travel restrictions and cancellations, the U.S. Postal Service has temporarily suspended the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined to China, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. These suspensions will be in effect until further notice. The Postal Service is taking all reasonable measures to minimize impact to our customers.
Postal items often fly on regular passenger flights, and there aren't as many flying now. Hope this info helps. Stay healthy!
phil2015
Joined: July 27, 2015
KitMaker: 502 posts
Armorama: 325 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 04:46 AM UTC
You've probably been through the menus on the USPS tracking site. Following the FAQs I couldn't find anything you don't have already I imagine. There is a page listing countries not where mail is not being shipped because of COVID, but the UK is not one of them.
I did find this page that looks like there is a way to send an email through a form, but I didn't chase any of the links, but again, I imagine you have found that already:
https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/
Every phone number I see on their website is a domestic toll free number.
Regards,
Phil
I did find this page that looks like there is a way to send an email through a form, but I didn't chase any of the links, but again, I imagine you have found that already:
https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/
Every phone number I see on their website is a domestic toll free number.
Regards,
Phil
barnslayer
Joined: July 29, 2002
KitMaker: 102 posts
Armorama: 102 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 05:06 AM UTC
Contact the people you bought the item from.
I'm pretty sure any parcel shipped via USPS has a tracking number. The party sending the item should have that info.
I'm pretty sure any parcel shipped via USPS has a tracking number. The party sending the item should have that info.
BunkerBuster
Joined: March 29, 2017
KitMaker: 157 posts
Armorama: 122 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 05:29 AM UTC
Was this item shipped through the Ebay global shipping service? It's a weird system, where the seller ships it to an Ebay partner, and they in turn do the international shipping part of it. So the package would actually have two different shipping tracking numbers. I've used it once and it seemed to work out fine.
ayovtshev
#490
Joined: September 22, 2016
KitMaker: 1,432 posts
Armorama: 1,390 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 05:33 AM UTC
David,
Although my feedback is not USPS related, still it has a lot in common with your problem.
Last year I ordered twice some resin AM from SKP/Czech Republic.Usual time for delivery to Bulgaria was between 5-7 days after order.
On March 15th 2020 I ordered again some AM from them, goods were shipped from SKP 2 days later.
Then it took 21 days for the shipment to reach status "Send Item Abroad"(which means goods await loading on board).That was 10 days ago...and they're still somewhere, but not here.
There is a sort of "black hole"-even for tracked shipments- when a shipment leaves country of origin(is exported from a customs POW) until it reaches country of destination(is imported from same POW).
"Black hole"s duration depends on how long it takes for the shipment to be loaded,flown and unloaded, which in turn depends on how long it takes to top up a standard air-cargo container for the destination in question and how often free air-cargo room("belly-space") is available.With normal airtraffic, and between major destinations- like USA-UK, this takes a blink of an eye.
Airtraffic currently is down to the lowest level ever experienced-I read a week ago that Lufthansa has grounded 95% of its fleet- thus "belly-space" is correspondingly down.
Then we have the pandemia, that gives medical equipment/goods priority for free "belly-space" allocation.
Therefore- don't worry about your shipment, it will arrive some day, but with a major delay.
HTH, take care!
Although my feedback is not USPS related, still it has a lot in common with your problem.
Last year I ordered twice some resin AM from SKP/Czech Republic.Usual time for delivery to Bulgaria was between 5-7 days after order.
On March 15th 2020 I ordered again some AM from them, goods were shipped from SKP 2 days later.
Then it took 21 days for the shipment to reach status "Send Item Abroad"(which means goods await loading on board).That was 10 days ago...and they're still somewhere, but not here.
There is a sort of "black hole"-even for tracked shipments- when a shipment leaves country of origin(is exported from a customs POW) until it reaches country of destination(is imported from same POW).
"Black hole"s duration depends on how long it takes for the shipment to be loaded,flown and unloaded, which in turn depends on how long it takes to top up a standard air-cargo container for the destination in question and how often free air-cargo room("belly-space") is available.With normal airtraffic, and between major destinations- like USA-UK, this takes a blink of an eye.
Airtraffic currently is down to the lowest level ever experienced-I read a week ago that Lufthansa has grounded 95% of its fleet- thus "belly-space" is correspondingly down.
Then we have the pandemia, that gives medical equipment/goods priority for free "belly-space" allocation.
Therefore- don't worry about your shipment, it will arrive some day, but with a major delay.
HTH, take care!
RobinNilsson
TOS Moderator
Joined: November 29, 2006
KitMaker: 6,693 posts
Armorama: 5,562 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 05:40 AM UTC
For what it's worth:
I was waiting for a package from the US to Sweden.
It travelled around a bit in the US and then it came to Miami and seemed to be stuck at the international facility down there. Not visible on the Swedish side ("the tracking number is unknown").Nothing on the US side to say that it had left the country and then suddenly it turned up here in Sweden.
The conclusion I drew from this is that the USPS system doesn't show the fact that a package has left the country until USPS get a confirmation from the receiving country that it has arrived.
Even if a country is not listed as cut-off it could still be large delays due to the fact that fewer flights are in the air so there are less planes to carry air freight.
I was waiting for a package from the US to Sweden.
It travelled around a bit in the US and then it came to Miami and seemed to be stuck at the international facility down there. Not visible on the Swedish side ("the tracking number is unknown").Nothing on the US side to say that it had left the country and then suddenly it turned up here in Sweden.
The conclusion I drew from this is that the USPS system doesn't show the fact that a package has left the country until USPS get a confirmation from the receiving country that it has arrived.
Even if a country is not listed as cut-off it could still be large delays due to the fact that fewer flights are in the air so there are less planes to carry air freight.
jekrott
Joined: March 25, 2006
KitMaker: 485 posts
Armorama: 353 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 06:09 AM UTC
I'm still waiting for things to show as well.Been waiting at least 1 month for 1 item,not sure on another 1.And another item has been in 1 facility for a week and a half.and hasn't left yet.Its going ti be a waiting game for a while
Scarred
Joined: March 11, 2016
KitMaker: 1,792 posts
Armorama: 1,186 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 06:11 AM UTC
I am assuming you went thru Ebay, so if you contact them they are pretty good about tracking it down. But with the number of flights a fraction of what they were delays will be inevitable. I ordered something thru eBay from China a few days before they stopped everything so my order hasn't shipped. Contacted the seller and he told me what had happened and offered me a refund. But since I couldn't find better prices I told him to ship when he can. My shipping window is between next week and June 1st. But I'm patient.
phil2015
Joined: July 27, 2015
KitMaker: 502 posts
Armorama: 325 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 06:20 AM UTC
Not really helping but a funny story. Even when our postal service is "working normally" odd things happen. I couple of years ago I bought something from someone in Texas on ebay that was going to be here in a couple of days. After about 4 days I remembered and wondered where it was. It made it here (Chicago suburbs) in 2 days, but then the postal service decided it needed to see the post office in Atlanta and Los Angeles before being delivered to me....
mogdude
Joined: June 18, 2012
KitMaker: 459 posts
Armorama: 195 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 06:55 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi all,
i need help from anyone who understands the inner workings of the USPS, so this help request is aimed primarily at our American members.
OK, so here is the story: i have ordered an item from a well known internet auction site and the item and the last information i have is that it was processed:23 Mar 2020, 1:59am Through Regional Facility CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
Maybe not germain to your situation but I get that a LOT when trying to track thru the ebay tracking system esp from china I get that msg for weeks sometimes like its still stuck in the postal system in china and then it shows up in my mailbox
now i know there are delays due to the virus etc and i have tried the USPS tracking service with the tracking number provided and all i get is that message.
I have tried to track the item here in the UK using royal mail and parcel force to no avail... they will only provide tracking information if they try to deliver the item and fail...wtf?
so is there department i can email than can tell me if the package is still in the USA or if it is in the UK or stuck on a cloud somewhere over the north atlantic?
i do have a phone number but it's for american use only...oh and i emailed the seller but there wasn't much he could do either.
so if anyone has an email address that i can send the tracking number to, then that would be appreciated.
thanks.
Kevlar06
Joined: March 15, 2009
KitMaker: 3,670 posts
Armorama: 2,052 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 07:55 AM UTC
Having shipped an international package through the USPS system just recently, and done it a couple of times before, your package is sitting at the Chicago Regional Postal facility, and it may sit there a while more. It takes time to process an overseas package. Between US customs and Your national customs service, not to mention waiting for a flight as someone mentioned above. If Chicago is the final US destination, before departing the US, it may take a while. Your tracking number is working, it’s just showing where the package is sitting. When it “breaks free” of that facility, it’ll probably make it to you shortly after. It’s not unusual to see a package waiting at an international departure point for a week or more, and during these times of fewer flights, it will probably take even longer. “Processed through” just means it’s made it to the next point in the line— what you want to look for is the word “departed”.
VR, Russ
VR, Russ
b2nhvi
Joined: June 17, 2016
KitMaker: 1,124 posts
Armorama: 1,014 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 10:00 AM UTC
As was mentioned, it's probably stuck in customs. I've had stuff sent to the US from Japan sit at the LA International facility waiting for customs to do their thing. Toss in the covid crap, lack of flights. What is the scheduled due date? After that , file claims with Ebay and Paypal. Should at least get your money back.
joepanzer
Joined: January 21, 2004
KitMaker: 803 posts
Armorama: 740 posts
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2020 - 12:57 PM UTC
It's not just the USPS.
When I ordered some items (that would all come from the US) 2 weeks ago, the estimated delivery was May 5-16
When I ordered some items (that would all come from the US) 2 weeks ago, the estimated delivery was May 5-16
Klaus-Adler
Campaigns AdministratorJoined: June 08, 2015
KitMaker: 1,505 posts
Armorama: 840 posts
Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2020 - 07:21 AM UTC
Hi guys,
well i have tried to fill in that online email form and no matter how much info i put in, it keeps telling me i haven't filled in certain fields even when there is info there...?
i'm guessing that it's case of the flights being grounded and it's stuck some place and isn't going to move any time soon.
i could do with an actual email address that leads to contact with a real person and not this automated crap that just goes round and round in circles.
i also believe in the postal "black hole" theory too, it certainly seems to be happening over here in the UK with Royal Fail, i mean Mail.
well i have tried to fill in that online email form and no matter how much info i put in, it keeps telling me i haven't filled in certain fields even when there is info there...?
i'm guessing that it's case of the flights being grounded and it's stuck some place and isn't going to move any time soon.
i could do with an actual email address that leads to contact with a real person and not this automated crap that just goes round and round in circles.
i also believe in the postal "black hole" theory too, it certainly seems to be happening over here in the UK with Royal Fail, i mean Mail.
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