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Thread: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

  1. #1
    Daniel Stone's Avatar
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    MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    just had to put a shout-out to any of you potentially shipping into France(in my case, Nice) from the USA:

    be ready(potentially) for your parcel to be held hostage for a while! I sent a package(Manfrotto geared head I sold via ebay) to the buyer in France.... well here's a screenshot for you to see of the USPS update email I just received:

    absolute madness!


    this was sent EXPRESS Mail, since Priority to France has given me fits many times before.... Bullpuckey....
    I requested a refund from USPS, but they said that since it was "out of our hands"... I thought I(and the buyer) were paying for EXPEDITED services...

    stupid VAT, stupid customs.... Just x-ray the parcel and be on your way and deliver the darned package!

    sorry, had to get this off my chest

    -Dan

  2. #2

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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    This is pretty much the case with many EC countries. Delay combined with (with the Danish authorities anyway) opened packages (almost all packages I receive are opened and resealed), incorrectly assessed Customs duties and VAT.

    As a frequent buyer of equipment more than 100 years old, I should be charged the 5% VAT rather than 25%. They never do this and it takes quite a few emails and keeping them busy for hours, in order to get the release. The last item came down to a charge of $1 VAT - PLUS the standard admin fee of $23!

  3. #3
    multiplex
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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    13 years ago i had merchandise i photographed for a record company "lost" for nearly 6 months.
    it was sent priority mail from RI to DC ... and was supposed to be 3 business days.

  4. #4
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    Canada,
    Delivered CANADA May 22, 2013 2:28 pm
    Attempted Delivery - Item being held, addressee being notified CANADA May 22, 2013 9:29 am
    Attempted Delivery - Item being held, addressee being notified CANADA May 21, 2013 4:09 pm
    Attempted Delivery - Item being held, addressee being notified CANADA May 21, 2013 2:34 pm
    Addressee not available - Addressee advised to pick up the item CANADA May 21, 2013 12:03 pm
    Arrival at Post Office CANADA May 21, 2013 9:07 am
    Arrival at Post Office CANADA May 21, 2013 7:09 am
    Customs clearance processing complete CANADA May 15, 2013 3:59 pm
    Processed Through Sort Facility CANADA May 13, 2013 2:50 pm
    Customs Clearance CANADA May 13, 2013 2:50 pm
    Processed Through Sort Facility ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) May 10, 2013 9:02 am
    Arrived at Sort Facility ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) May 10, 2013 8:49 am
    Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility CHICAGO, IL 60688 May 10, 2013 2:09 am
    Dispatched to Sort Facility CHICAGO, IL 60647 May 9, 2013 2:16 pm
    Acceptance CHICAGO, IL 60647 May 9, 2013 12:39 pm
    Electronic Shipping Info Received May 8, 2013
    Tin Can

  5. #5

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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    And this is why people don't like shipping internationally....

  6. #6

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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    Quote Originally Posted by Otto Seaman View Post
    And this is why people don't like shipping internationally....
    .. for example, as far as I understand, never send anything to Canada from the US.
    But I can tell you the true reason of those delays for clearing the customs entering Canada: it's because Canada is officially bi-lingual and contaminated in its Eastern part by some horrible French traditions, including French madness (the worse of all French traditions together with camembert and gros rouge).
    Hence you may safely ship to Canada, but to Victoria, BC, only; and nowhere else located East of this westernmost city of Canada (except, may be, Prince Rupert, BC or Whitehorse, YT : both are good, rock-solid American cities free of all bad French influence)

  7. #7

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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    Quote Originally Posted by Emmanuel BIGLER View Post
    .. for example, as far as I understand, never send anything to Canada from the US.
    But I can tell you the true reason of those delays for clearing the customs entering Canada: it's because Canada is officially bi-lingual and contaminated in its Eastern part by some horrible French traditions, including French madness (the worse of all French traditions together with camembert and gros rouge).
    Hence you may safely ship to Canada, but to Victoria, BC, only; and nowhere else located East of this westernmost city of Canada (except, may be, Prince Rupert, BC or Whitehorse, YT : both are good, rock-solid American cities free of all bad French influence)
    I guess you are being sarcastic or ironic or whatever it is called. Whatever.

    But returning to shipments from the US to Canada..... I have routinely received MANY shipments from the US, China, South Africa etc, to Montreal Quebec. NEVER had a problem.... (shipment from China often being fastest is seems.) All brought in via regular mail. If you bring in by UPS etc you may end up in customs. Figure it out.

    So I am calling BS on these supposedly bad events, based on MY experience.

    I bet there are thousands of daily transactions going across the border without a hitch, but we don't know about those do we. Only the complains that are then taken as gospel. It's BS.

    My advice for shipment to Canada:

    SHip regular Parcel mail, don't worry about express mail and UPS and FedEX etc. REGULAR mail, relax and you will have your shipment from the US in 4-10 days max.

    DONE.

  8. #8

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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    I wouldn't stress too much. I sent a small package of two photographs to Sicily and it took 4 weeks.

  9. #9
    Daniel Stone's Avatar
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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    I only raised my issue in this circumstance because the buyer seemed annoyed(duh... I would be too!)

    Personally, this is kinda like the whole Barry Cochran Deardorff situation: stated delivery times are "stated", but not upheld...
    I sent an Express Mail parcel to Hong Kong this past week, it was there in 3 days, and delivered in 5 because of a weekend ...go figure. And it had an insured value (9X) what this other parcel(one in question) to France had. (9) times...

  10. #10
    8x10, 5x7, 4x5, et al Leigh's Avatar
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    Re: MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

    The French are crazy???

    Who'da believed that???

    - Leigh
    If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.

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