The eternal limbo of a missing shipment. Help appreciated

[The_Captain]

Hey gang,

 

I'm quite frustrated about a parcel which I shipped over a month ago and it seems to have gone lost in the eternal shipment limbo.

 

I shipped the parcel as registered mail from Germany to California with Deutsche Post on 27 January and it is nowhere to be found. DP updated their tracking info on 2 February stating that the parcel was scanned at JFK Airport. Then there was nothing until 13 February when it was scanned there again and then another time on 15 February. Nothing seems to have moved or changed ever since. I started an international search request, but haven't received an answer from DP, yet.

However, what I am most concerned about is USPS, which is supposed to handle the shipment within the US. According to DP, USPS has received and scanned the parcel several times already. Unfortunately USPS hasn't updated any sort of tracking info. I wrote USPS about the situation and was told that they have no records of the parcel ever arriving in the US.

I also contacted customs at JFK and asked if the parcel might be with them or if they have any idea where it might be, but they never got a hold of the parcel either. However, they did tell me that USPS has been loosing and delaying a lot more shipments as of lately.

 

I am afraid that the parcel might be lost by now, but I'm not willing to give up hope just yet. I have no idea what else I could do, but have witnessed some utterly resourceful brilliance on our boards and thought I might give this a shot.....

 

Has anyone been in a similar situation or might know if I have any options here? Is there anything I can still do or someone I can contact? Do we have boardies that work at JFK customs or USPS?

 

Every bit of help is highly appreciated! Thank you all, George

 

[MadGenius]

For what it's worth, tracking on international parcels is dicey. I sent a package from the US to the UK and it had zero scans after it was processed by my local post office. It arrived at its destination without incidence a couple weeks later, but I wouldn't have know it based on the tracking.

 

I would check with the recipient after a week or two to make sure it arrived. Chances are it will, but you can't rely on tracking to let you know.

 

Good luck!

[kav]

How is the buyer handling all this?

I don't think there's any solution to a lost international shipment. As far as I am aware you cannot insure such items-insured mail goes a different route and is locked up-even if it's minimal insurance-and rarely gets lost.

The fact that the tracking shows it has been shipped around then went off the radar means it was either misplaced, fell behind a rack somewhere, or was stolen.

sorry to hear about this.

[The_Captain]

For what it's worth, tracking on international parcels is dicey. I sent a package from the US to the UK and it had zero scans after it was processed by my local post office. It arrived at its destination without incidence a couple weeks later, but I wouldn't have know it based on the tracking.

 

I would check with the recipient after a week or two to make sure it arrived. Chances are it will, but you can't rely on tracking to let you know.

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you, but it's already been over a month and the parcel hasn't arrived, yet.

[The_Captain]

How is the buyer handling all this?

I don't think there's any solution to a lost international shipment. As far as I am aware you cannot insure such items-insured mail goes a different route and is locked up-even if it's minimal insurance-and rarely gets lost.

The fact that the tracking shows it has been shipped around then went off the radar means it was either misplaced, fell behind a rack somewhere, or was stolen.

sorry to hear about this.

 

This is part of a trade and thankfully, the other person is being very patient and understanding.

 

The shipment is also insured, which is why I haven't given up, yet. I am hoping that it can't have just fallen off a rack or something. What does seem weird is that it was scanned 3 times within 2 weeks at the very same place. Even if it got lost at some point, it must have been recovered. No update on it ever since though and USPS is keeping quiet.

[kav]

if it's insured you'll be ok. just a bit of a hassle.

heck maybe you'll get the insurance then the book will turn up and you'll be ahead of the game...

[telerites]

Hi George

 

Sorry to hear this. I can't really offer any help other than I had one package shipped to me from the UK that took nearly six weeks to arrive. I think it was trapped in customs for no good reason other than being misplaced but it did eventually turn up.

 

I hope it gets worked out and shows up.

 

Also hope other than this, all is well.

 

 

 

 

[01TheDude]

when I started reading your OP, I had visions of your package on a beach sitting next to Wilson

[01TheDude]

talking about shipping internationally-- has anyone here sent anything to Taiwan? Is that problematic at all?

[CKB]

Sounds to me like it is held up in customs. I assume it had a decent value attached to it? I wouldn't be too worried until a couple months had passed.

[999ghosts]

While it's no fun I wouldn't worry to much yet. I've send stuff to the US that took well over a month. I don't get it why it sometimes does or what is so hard to deliver a packet (it's not rocket science) but sometimes it seems to take longer then normal

 

I once had a packet with tracking, but once outside of Belgium no digital records where possible (with the technology of today, puzzling) so I had to file a tracking request and they informed that it could take weeks to months before getting an answer. I guess they want you to give up on it and back the money. While I did start the procedure the packet got to the other end a couple of days after I did the request. I think it took 6 weeks. I guessed they used a raft on that one.

[The_Captain]

Hi George

 

Sorry to hear this. I can't really offer any help other than I had one package shipped to me from the UK that took nearly six weeks to arrive. I think it was trapped in customs for no good reason other than being misplaced but it did eventually turn up.

 

I hope it gets worked out and shows up.

 

Also hope other than this, all is well.

 

 

 

 

Heya Jeff

 

Glad to see you. Thanks for the encouraging words.

[The_Captain]

Sounds to me like it is held up in customs. I assume it had a decent value attached to it? I wouldn't be too worried until a couple months had passed.

 

Customs claim they've no record of it and as far as I know, the amount a parcel is insured for is only visible to the company that ships it initially

[The_Captain]

While it's no fun I wouldn't worry to much yet. I've send stuff to the US that took well over a month. I don't get it why it sometimes does or what is so hard to deliver a packet (it's not rocket science) but sometimes it seems to take longer then normal

 

I once had a packet with tracking, but once outside of Belgium no digital records where possible (with the technology of today, puzzling) so I had to file a tracking request and they informed that it could take weeks to months before getting an answer. I guess they want you to give up on it and back the money. While I did start the procedure the packet got to the other end a couple of days after I did the request. I think it took 6 weeks. I guessed they used a raft on that one.

 

I've never had a parcel lost or missing before which is why I might be overly anxious about this.... The fact that many packages go missing for weeks and months an then eventually turn up is encouraging, although the other party won't be patient forever....