74 DCs To Go - READJUSTED FOR 2004.

[Ian_Levine]

The USPS rocks!

 

Yeah - right !!!!!!!

Yesterday's parcel from Joe Nacca turned up after seven weeks, and after me replacing 11 of the 26 comics in it. The Lonestar parcel still hasn't turned up after seven weeks. The Star Spangled War Stories 5 turned up today at Quicksilver Comics after eight weeks. The All American 91 is lost and the Leading 47 is lost.

And back in the summer, Jef Hinds' parcel finally materialised after six and a half weeks.

 

Yeah - the USPS really rocks.

[FlyingDonut]

The USPS rocks!

 

Yeah - right !!!!!!!

Yesterday's parcel from Joe Nacca turned up after seven weeks, and after me replacing 11 of the 26 comics in it. The Lonestar parcel still hasn't turned up after seven weeks. The Star Spangled War Stories 5 turned up today at Quicksilver Comics after eight weeks. The All American 91 is lost and the Leading 47 is lost.

And back in the summer, Jef Hinds' parcel finally materialised after six and a half weeks.

 

Yeah - the USPS really rocks.

 

It does, if you're willing to use the right kind of shipping. Insist on GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL. Everything else goes surface, and takes forever. Especially over the holidays!

[Ian_Levine]

Insist on GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL. Everything else goes surface, and takes forever. Especially over the holidays!

 

Then why is it called air mail ???

[Darthdiesel]

Please post any insurance or tracking information for us to reference ourselves. I'll be man enough to offer an apology if you are correct in that it did not leave the US in a timely manner.

 

Here you go.......

Posted 19th November by air mail.

customs #cp144172276us

insurance # vv858065625us

 

Item: VV85 8065 625U S Date/Time Mailed: 11/19/2003 08:04

Destination ZIP Code: City: State: (all info for destination was blank)

 

Origin ZIP Code: 14534 City: PITTSFORD State: NY

 

Weight: lb: 4 oz: 8 Postage: $47.60

Special Services Associated Labels Amount

INSURED VV85 8065 625U S $15.60

 

So package was insured for somewhere around $1400-$1500, mailed via airmail parcel post on 11/19/2003 and since it does not have any delivery confirmation, disappears off the tracking screen until you say you received it earlier this week. Today would make it 7 weeks exactly from the day it was sent. I would still say it is inconclusive as to WHERE the package has been spending most of its time. I have no reason not to believe your story considering the pattern of late shipments that you've been receiving - meanwhile I've been having the opposite experience in sending to my British customers, using all different rates from surface to Express - and no they do not always get there in the time stated on the USPS website but they also are not delayed as long as you claim your shipments to be.

 

I apologize if I came off harsh before. 7 weeks, which is excessive, but seems to be par for the course for you, can be due to Holiday traffic but I still would insist that due to the value of the package, I believe it sat in customs while they took this apart and probably scrutinized the contents. Why they would tell you otherwise, I don't know. Next time, since you are paying so much anyway, use Global EXPRESS - it has tracking, it comes with $100 insurance and you can actually add to it if necessary. If anything, you will see that it leaves the USA the following day from the tracking records.

 

This is what you had available to have Joe use:

 

Service Speed* Price

 

Global Express Mail (EMS) 3 - 5 Days $38.75

 

Airmail Parcel Post 4 - 10 Days $32.00

 

Economy (Surface) Parcel Post 4 - 6 Weeks $23.00

 

I have a mailing of 2 CGC books to the UK and I'm was paid to use USPS Global Priority rate (good for any regular dimension package under 4 lbs and comes with a G.P.M. tracking number traceable by Parcelforce but not USPS) - I'll let you guys know how long that takes.

 

If you are having this many problems with USPS and you seem to be buying from established dealers who probably have shipping opotions available to them (most small businesses get price breaks from UPS and FED-EX), and you are the type of customer, as it seems, who pays the commensurate shipping amount for the merchandise value, have your sellers use a different service and compare. If it really is that much better, then don't look back.

 

Good luck in your quest Ian and I hope you no longer experience these shipping fiascoes. My other advice would be, since you already know that it is taking 2 month average to get to you, that you hold off on "replacing" expensive items as it seems to exacerbate your irritability with the service

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian_Levine]

I believe it sat in customs while they took this apart and probably scrutinized the contents. Why they would tell you otherwise, I don't know.

 

This parcel was unopened and untouched.

You can ALWAYS tell when a parcel has been opened by customs. They re-seal it and put customs tape over the original seals.

This box was utterly untouched.

[Darthdiesel]

I don't know what to say Ian - maybe it was just "detained" there...maybe they set it aside,planning to scan it for biohazards or check for anything "ticking" and it passed inspection and they didn't feel the need to open it... whatever, the case may be, get tracking next time for your own peace of mind. Even the tracking record won't show how long it is "detained" in customs. You can only infer as the record will show the date accepted in the US, the date it leaves from an US airport -mail facility, the day it is accepted on British soil and then a long gap until the day it is reported delivered by Parcelforce or UK post to the USPS to enter into their system. Once it is on the plane to the country abroad, it is out of the USPS's direct sphere of control.

[Darthdiesel]

Here are some of my international records on Express (most of them have been archived) :

 

Date shppd Del. Conf # Delivered Date

1/15/2003 EC100154185US 01/20/03 UK

3/25/2003 EU253295537US 04/01/03 UK

4/24/2003 EU253295523US 04/28/03 UK

6/10/2003 EU761409230US 06/27/03 BELGIUM - to Chromium

6/28/2003 EU253295506US 07/01/03 UK

 

11/11/2003 EU253295483US 11/20/03 SWEDEN (this is still in system)

read from bottom up...

Event Date Time Location

DELIVERED ABROAD 11/20/2003 13:08 SWEDEN

AT FOREIGN DELIVERY UNIT 11/20/2003 01:58 SWEDEN

OUT OF FOREIGN CUSTOMS 11/19/2003 16:36 (none)

INTO FOREIGN CUSTOMS 11/19/2003 08:00 (none)

INTO FOREIGN CUSTOMS 11/18/2003 18:00 (none)

ARRIVED ABROAD 11/17/2003 18:08 GERMANY

INTERNATIONAL DISPATCH READY 11/13/2003 11:04 KENNEDY AMC, UNITED STATES

ACCEPT OR PICKUP 11/12/2003 10:30 WASHINGTON DC 20026

 

 

I know - it's going to Sweden so why is Germany in the record? Maybe that is the current protocol for all European incoming parcels? Chromium had the same isseu when I shipped express to him back in June of 2003.

 

All I'm saying is there are unconfirmable factors involved here which should be taken into account before making the USPS the scapegoat, which is the easy thing to do.

[JohnBull]

I still would insist that due to the value of the package, I believe it sat in customs while they took this apart and probably scrutinized the contents.

 

Why does the value matter to the customs people ? Does this mean that if you want to export drugs/guns from the US, you should send uninsured or with a really low declared value ?

[Darthdiesel]

importing high dollar value items means that the addresee should/will be paying hefty VAT or customs import duties - probably want to check and make sure they get every penny. Plenty of buyers ask US sellers to "fudge" the information on the customs forms in order to avoid paying these taxes. below a minimum threshhold value declared, customs will not detain the books.

 

Guns can be easily detected and drugs usually are sniffed out by trained dogs, but thanks for the sarcasm anyway...

[JohnBull]

Irony dear boy. Anyway, I was just trying to protect our poor customs boys who aren't here to defend themselves. There is a certain anomaly here though if customs won't detain the books below a certain value. You'd think they'd be checking the low value items to see if they really are genuine and not an attempt to import more expensive goods without paying VAT. If the postal service is reliable, you can probably afford not to insure goods in order to sneak them all in tax free and if you only lost one package in 10, you'd be ahead of the game.

[Ian_Levine]

You'd think they'd be checking the low value items to see if they really are genuine and not an attempt to import more expensive goods without paying VAT.

 

 

There is no VAT on comic books.

[Silver]

Ian

 

There were 4 mini DC comics put in cereal boxes in 1993 I think they were a Wonder Woman, Superman, JLA and one other. They were in like some kind of cinnamon bun cereal. Do you have all four of those, and are they scarce at all?

[osborn_fr]

I know - it's going to Sweden so why is Germany in the record?

FYI, all the package i made sent insured went to Germany first, then to France. Duties fees are applied in this country i think.

 

[JohnBull]

You'd think they'd be checking the low value items to see if they really are genuine and not an attempt to import more expensive goods without paying VAT.

 

 

There is no VAT on comic books.

 

Since when does the word items translate as comic books ? People do send other things as well sometimes.

[Ian_Levine]

There were 4 mini DC comics put in cereal boxes in 1993 I think they were a Wonder Woman, Superman, JLA and one other. They were in like some kind of cinnamon bun cereal. Do you have all four of those, and are they scarce at all?

 

I don't have them all and I'm working on getting a set right now, so until I do, I'd rather keep quiet.

[Silver]

I have a complete set and may have some doubles, which ones do you still need?

 

 

[Ian_Levine]

I have a complete set and may have some doubles, which ones do you still need?

 

 

I need the JLA and the Flash from the set of Kelloggs Cinammon Mini-Buns.

 

Have you any other oddities, including nything I might not know about

[Silver]

Flash, that's the 4th one! I have stuff in boxes stashed away that even I have forgetten about, but I did run across my 4 Kellogs Mini Buns comics recently because I stashed them in a old JRR Tolkien book to flatten them out! I can't tell you how many boxes of Kellog's Mini Buns I had to consume to get all four! I don't think I ate cinnamon flavored anything for years after that.

 

I will look and see if I can find the doubles that I know I had. So far, I just found the one complete set. I was curious, because, I didn't see them on your list, so I thought you might have a full set already, and wondered what you thought about thier scarcity. They are pretty cool little comics.

[Ian_Levine]

I was curious, because, I didn't see them on your list, so I thought you might have a full set already, and wondered what you thought about thier scarcity. They are pretty cool little comics.

 

They most definitely are on my list, in the promotional and giveaway section.

[Silver]

KELLOGGS CINAMMON MINI BUNS SUPER HEROES - 3, 4

 

Your right, there they are