[sailornep5]

I arranged a trade with another person through a forum who lives in Belgium (I live in the US). It took four months until my package finally arrived from her...and she has yet to receive mine! I contacted USPS and they said that it is probably stuck in Belgian customs and that there is nothing I can do but wait and hope it arrives. I shipped it Global Priority Mail and they said unfortunately they cannot track it at all, even though I have a receipt of purchase that includes that customs form number and label number. :( So what do I do now? I know I got mine after four months, so there is still a possibility that she'll get hers, but how long should I make her wait? And if it doesn't come, do I send her stuff back?

[brtracy]

you can use the custom form number CP###### as your tracking number to track it on USPS. I did that with my international shipments... It does update the website once it clear custom.

But I learned my lession, always pay little more and get EMS when shipping international

If you have insurance, file one with USPS

[Fenix]

You should be able to put in your mail number on the Belgian mail web site, try that and see if anything comes up.

[lara0112]

so, you do have a tracking number, right? in that case give it to the other person, and they can call their post office to find out. I don't know about Belgium but in Germany tracking numbers starting with L... from US cannot be traced.

and 4 months in customs? wow! and it took your bag also 4 months? what did it do - a trip around world? as for returning it - I am not sure how to deal with this as it isn't a sale. since you can prove that you sent the other item, I don't think so, if anything you can claim from the post office and then give her the money! that is if they lost the bag. but really, you upheld your end of the bargain, can prove it and it is the customs in her country... if you return this bag it will probably also take 4 months..

[verty]

Sometimes it takes up to 6 months for us to recieve a letter here [Bermuda] from a different country. Our mail system is terrible slow... I'd give it a little while longer. Try not to worry too much!

[sailornep5]

My customs form # starts with a LC....and like Lara0112, I don't think it's trackable (at least that's what the USPS person told me over the phone). GPM at the time did not have tracking services (now it does). I asked if I could file a claim, but they said that since it's not trackable there is nothing I could do but sit and wait. :(

I did give the other member my information so she could try to contact Belgian Post...hopefully they are able to locate it. I can't believe it takes so long! I even got Global Priority (even though it was more expensive than airmail) because the sign said it would take 5-7 business days. Now it's over 4 months and ticking. I sent out an Airmail package to Spain a couple days earlier, and the girl received it in three days! I'm definitely using EMS or trackable Global International from now on.

[LV Rawks]

Hopefully it will turn up. I sold something to another member that she claims she never got. Not only was I out the item, I was out the money too . From now on I will only ship to the US and Canada.