Ilya2005 10 Posted July 25, 2014 I live in the US and am a buyer here on BoB. I thought I'd give you a "head's up" on how the packages you send us are processed once they arrive here so you can tell your buyers why there may be a holdup: When you send an airmail/registered package to the US with a tracking number, it almost always arrives within 48 hours. And, you can track the package on the US Post Office website (http://www.usps.com) with ease once you have mailed that package with the tracking number. That's great! However, the enormous bureaucracy of the US government, the US Postal Service and US Customs drop the ball once the package is here on US soil. It sits at the ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) office in suburban New York City for a week OR MORE before being dispatched to your customer's addresses. They simply sit on the item for a week, at least, before deigning to do their duty to deliver the package. No amount of e-mailing, phone-calling nor begging for help does any good. The old Soviet-style bureaucracy has found a new home in the US. So, if you sell to a buyer here in the US, and he/she e-mails you about time of delivery, you can say honestly that the delays are most likely because the package is stuck at the ICE unit in suburban New York City. :notrust: Ilya2005 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Not1CentMore 10 Posted July 25, 2014 The old Soviet-style bureaucracy has found a new home in the US. Every Alphabet Soup Government Agency... from the White House to the outhouse. Ruthie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnBenn 12 Posted July 25, 2014 I sent something to Ruthie,above, it took about 3 months. I sent a registered letter to someone else, it took more than a month. Now I know, why. Does this happen to Standard International mail sent to S.A too? Because I normally wait for a month on those too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SADiamondsrus 10 Posted July 26, 2014 Could even be worse than that, 3 of my packages to US, took 4 months to reach their local post offices! EISH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ilya2005 10 Posted July 27, 2014 Could even be worse than that, 3 of my packages to US, took 4 months to reach their local post offices! EISH Sorry to hear that. Did you send them Airmail with tracking number? I usually pay my sellers in SA about R150.00 to R200.00 for that Airmail service with tracking number and have had virtually no problems. SAPO seems to be a pretty efficient outfit and get packages out in good time. Again, my problems begin once the package has landed in the US. I wish I had a solution to the s-l-o-w service once it hits the States, but, I don't. You might tell your customers to pay for that tracking service because it does show where the holdup is...and, it ISN'T in SA! Ilya2005 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NooNooBug 10 Posted July 28, 2014 Have posted parcels all over the world and have had few issues. Once they leave SA Borders it can be slow at the receiving country. If the item is small I will usually advise small package as it seems to have less red tape. I only post with tracking numbers, so registering small packages is necessary. Small packages are a tad quicker than ordinary parcels but that all depends on the Customs etc. I usually say 3 to 6 weeks but have had anything from 10 days to 6 weeks. If you opt not to use airmail well that is 2 to 4 months and my experience has been 3 weeks to 3 months, even to remote corners of the globe ! I don't think US are any different to other countries, customs all seem to like to "hold" parcels a while longer than we would like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SADiamondsrus 10 Posted July 28, 2014 Yes, airmail, and it took forever to get to destination. Also the global tracking system didnt help much either Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cali Craft and Gems 14 Posted July 28, 2014 Are there any limitations to "what" you can send from SA to USA? The reason I'm asking is that my young cousin relocated to Winnetka, Illinois about two weeks ago and we are planning to send her a nice gift for Christmas - possibly a piece of jewellery she was eyeing when she was in our shop. I would send it Airmail with a tracking number but want some guidance as to what to put on the envelope as contents, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrmouse 12 Posted July 28, 2014 Are there any limitations to "what" you can send from SA to USA? The reason I'm asking is that my young cousin relocated to Winnetka, Illinois about two weeks ago and we are planning to send her a nice gift for Christmas - possibly a piece of jewellery she was eyeing when she was in our shop. I would send it Airmail with a tracking number but want some guidance as to what to put on the envelope as contents, etc. Put on the package :: Replacement parts ,No Commercial Value , and insure for Minimum amount , ive never lost a part yet !!!!,if youre scared they scan it to see contents add a few ringpulls to the envelope , makes it almost impossible to identify , i send warranty parts to USA and France regularly , France takes 5 days airmail , and USA normally around 10-14 days up to 30 days to the west coast .never had a query in 22 years from customs . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SADiamondsrus 10 Posted July 30, 2014 And pray Customs dont open the parcel.......... SA customs opens ALL mine... does not matter if its document or not. Suppose USA is not that strict. I would declare gift with a $10 value......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Timeless Board Games 10 Posted August 11, 2014 (edited) How does a registered parcel compare to using a courier? (Regarding international) Edited August 11, 2014 by Timeless Board Games Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloemgroup 10 Posted February 19, 2015 SADiamondsrus: Totally agree, gift statement on the package should help, at least sometime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bloemgroup 10 Posted February 19, 2015 How does a registered parcel compare to using a courier? (Regarding international) Courir company will do CUSTOM declaration for you, they will charge you, but you do not need care about anything Share this post Link to post Share on other sites