Current Mail / Postage situation due to Covid-19

[ConcreteMascara]

Does someone knows what the situation with mail from Europe to the US?
A package I sent in December arrived in USJFKA in the 30 of December and it is still to be delivered to the destination. No changes in the tracking after that and now I have a dude asking me about it... As if I'm not in the other side of the damn Atlantic.

I think it's very possible that the package left JFK and hasn't been re-scanned but is in route. That happens to me with tracked international stuff I am receiving and sending fairly regularly. Once a package crosses the ocean the tracking used by one country isn't always used by the receiving one.

My latest international experiences have been: 1) a huge box of records from France arrived in 6 days much to my surprise and the seller's surprise; 2) I've been waiting for 20 days for 2 12"s from Germany; 3) one 12" took two and half months from Germany; 4) and media mail here in the US remains around the 1 week mark for arrival.

I'm still surprised by how slow post from Germany has been since they started shipping to the US again. I guess I should pay more attention to which carriers are faster but I can say stuff from Hardwax takes forever where stuff from Void Vinyl shows up in two weeks or less. The shipping costs are normally similar but there must be a carrier difference. Shit I've bought over discogs from Germany is always a toss-up.

[deviated_septum]

Does someone knows what the situation with mail from Europe to the US?
A package I sent in December arrived in USJFKA in the 30 of December and it is still to be delivered to the destination. No changes in the tracking after that and now I have a dude asking me about it... As if I'm not in the other side of the damn Atlantic.

I think it's very possible that the package left JFK and hasn't been re-scanned but is in route. That happens to me with tracked international stuff I am receiving and sending fairly regularly. Once a package crosses the ocean the tracking used by one country isn't always used by the receiving one.

This is very possible, especially for small registered packages. Recently had a single-tape trade package coming from Slovenia arrive at the international exchange office in NYC on Dec 17 (after leaving Slovenia on Nov 17) that didn't update tracking until it was in my mailbox in Seattle on January 23. I think there was a short time where all non-express/priority mail was still coming on boat if it was routed through Germany, which always seems to take far more time to process stateside than if it had arrived by air.

[NerveGas]

Does someone knows what the situation with mail from Europe to the US?
A package I sent in December arrived in USJFKA in the 30 of December and it is still to be delivered to the destination. No changes in the tracking after that and now I have a dude asking me about it... As if I'm not in the other side of the damn Atlantic.

I think it's very possible that the package left JFK and hasn't been re-scanned but is in route. That happens to me with tracked international stuff I am receiving and sending fairly regularly. Once a package crosses the ocean the tracking used by one country isn't always used by the receiving one.

My latest international experiences have been: 1) a huge box of records from France arrived in 6 days much to my surprise and the seller's surprise; 2) I've been waiting for 20 days for 2 12"s from Germany; 3) one 12" took two and half months from Germany; 4) and media mail here in the US remains around the 1 week mark for arrival.

I'm still surprised by how slow post from Germany has been since they started shipping to the US again. I guess I should pay more attention to which carriers are faster but I can say stuff from Hardwax takes forever where stuff from Void Vinyl shows up in two weeks or less. The shipping costs are normally similar but there must be a carrier difference. Shit I've bought over discogs from Germany is always a toss-up.

Lucky you’ve been getting media mail in a week. Seems like it usually takes about 2 weeks or more for me. I’m not complaining as I have plenty of new releases piling up. But does seem like as far as USPS domestic mail is concerned Media Mail is the most affected. Guess it makes sense given the price. If I buy anything remotely pricey these days I always shell out for priority. Not worth the stress. Especially when there’s always the odd chance Media Mail takes a month or so. Which I believe I stated in previous posts has happened to me a few times.

Recently purchased some stuff from Sweden. First international purchase since maybe April. We will see how it works out. Happy to wait as long as it shows up.

[online prowler]

My covid recommendations based on own experiences and what I am being asked most at Where frost reign.

The logistics and transport system is heavily burdened worldwide and in some places it has collapsed. From Norway today, there are 22 countries that it is impossible to send registered packages to. Out of 196 countries in the world, I can send mail to 86. In addition to strained delivery options, the online retail business has experienced phenomenal increase. I haven't checked the numbers in a while, but last I made a dig we were talking about 25% in Norway alone. I expect it to be the same in other countries. Furthermore, the pandemic has caused plane cancellations and forced mail to be redirected by wheels across countries and continents. The exploding market and continuing alterations of cross-country travel restrictions has again caused a shortage of delivery vehicles. This is the reality of the current shipping situation now.

If you are concerned about secure delivery of your mail I recommend taking the extra cost and opt for registered and insured mail.

In cases where you do not have registered and is expecting standard letters that cannot be tracked, I recommend contacting your domicile post agent or check their web page re updates on the post and corona situation, delays, etc. Every agent have this information displayed and is updating as the situation progress. In some situations you might have to search a bit to locate information. If it is not readily displayed in your post agents web page - use an online search engine. In instances like this, seller/sender cannot provide you with any information as the letter was not shipped as registered letter or package. A little research will save you time and a lot questions. For sellers/senders in these instances I recommend to keep all your postal receipts. You might need to document orders are shipped at a later date.

Delays are to be expected. In worst cases I see across the line that post estimated to have a transit of a week, may take a month. So be patient and do your research re your local delivery situation. Some countries are blocked on the receiver end and shipping list. Sender should have the overview here, but it if you are ordering online it is also your own responsibility at the moment to know if you can receive goods. Should you be unlucky the order is not lost, but it will be heavily delayed until borders re-open.

[NerveGas]

If you are concerned about secure delivery of your mail I recommend taking the extra cost and opt for registered and insured mail.

This is pretty much what it comes down to. And understanding that stress on postal systems is massive and causing delays. Most people here seem to be mature and understanding of this. Had a domestic order from someone recently who was very distraught that their order had taken nearly two weeks to arrive. No insurance. Wasn’t shipped priority. I believe first class or media. Sure that’s out of the ordinary based on pre-Covid conditions, but an understandable amount of time to wait given the circumstances. Not an emergency or cause to do anything except wait and be patient.

[Urban Noise]

Thank you guys for all the input!

Does someone knows what the situation with mail from Europe to the US?
A package I sent in December arrived in USJFKA in the 30 of December and it is still to be delivered to the destination. No changes in the tracking after that and now I have a dude asking me about it... As if I'm not in the other side of the damn Atlantic.

I think it's very possible that the package left JFK and hasn't been re-scanned but is in route. That happens to me with tracked international stuff I am receiving and sending fairly regularly. Once a package crosses the ocean the tracking used by one country isn't always used by the receiving one.

This is very possible, especially for small registered packages. Recently had a single-tape trade package coming from Slovenia arrive at the international exchange office in NYC on Dec 17 (after leaving Slovenia on Nov 17) that didn't update tracking until it was in my mailbox in Seattle on January 23. I think there was a short time where all non-express/priority mail was still coming on boat if it was routed through Germany, which always seems to take far more time to process stateside than if it had arrived by air.

Basically it can take a lot of time since it arrived in the US to being delivered. That's my experience with sending mail to the US, but looks like some people still think it must arrive in two weeks these days.
The package left Portugal on 7 of December, was scanned in the US on 30 December. Nothing that unusual for what I get from your feedback.

Sent a normal, unregistered pack the same day, to the US, arrived on 14 January, no problem what so ever.

[tiny_tove]

Things improved a bit now in Italy at level of offices. We can book again dates to send which was the main reason while I suspended any activities.

There are issues with delivery services (especially TNT) but the post is quite ok,
Last bathc of shirts I sent arrived to the states in 5 days!

Problem now is that for every non UE country we have to fill lots of paperwork and the post clerks have to ebeter everything by hand, this includes uk, scandinavia, etc.

prices went up again