Concerns with Royal Mail/UK shipping - 15+ days to US?

Twinklette

Twinklette

Over*the*Rainbow
Feb 22, 2006
3,674
3
#1
I bought an item from the UK - a $$$$ one at that - it was shipped by airsure Royal Mail on 6/21. I have yet to receive it and am getting concerned. I was told it would take only 5 business days but it's taking way longer? Could it be held up in customs in the US for some reason?

Seller contacted Royal Mail and was told it could take up to 20 DAYS to reach me. My fear is that it's lost - any thoughts on this please?

I've bought many items from the UK and it never took this long....and airsure wasn't even used :sad:
 
#2
l have not sent many item's to the USA, but it has always taken at least 2 weeks, if not more, also could it be in customs ???
Hope it turns up soon though, try not to panic yet:smile:
 
#4
If you have the tracking number from the seller then simply plug the number into USPS website and it should tell you what is happening.

I have shipped over 2000 items to the US and only ever had to claim once for a loss (although the cynic in me tells me the buyer realised USPS hadn't updated the status online to delivered and realised they could snag a free bag - no evidence, just her actions made me suspicious).

Some states are much faster at dealing with incoming international mail than others. I have found NY, CA and PA are the faster ones with TX being by far the slowest.

And strange but true, non signed for items will arrive faster than signed for/delivery confirmation items even though the latter are supposed to receive priority handling.

Items are usually on a plane out of the UK within 2/3 days of being left with the PO, on a flight into NY and then all the delays are with USPS.

If your '5 business days' came from Paypal then that's a bit of a myth I'm afraid - I have asked them countless times to amend that to a more accurate estimate!

Hope that helps but let me know if I can assist further.
 
#5
I don't think Airsure makes any guarantees. International airmail is usually slow- you never know if there'll be any delays. Plus with July 4th coming up in the states, I'm sure there's a lot more people sending packages, which will slow down delivery generally.

That's why I don't order stuff if there's a holiday coming up. Mail to me usually takes 1 week, but if there's a holiday, there's a higher chance of my stuff getting lost and you never know when it'll arrive. I've had 3 packages lost during holidays before.

vernis-lover said:
If your '5 business days' came from Paypal then that's a bit of a myth I'm afraid - I have asked them countless times to amend that to a more accurate estimate!
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If it was sent by Express, it's actually possible. Some countries even have a service where they guarantee that your package arrive within a certain number of days or you get your money back.
 
#6
Airsure isn't an Express Service. There isn't an express service through UK Post Offices. For that level of service you need to book a courier (Fedex, DHL etc) and that's when you get your guaranteed delivery dates but never with a UK post office unless you are posting UK to UK.
 
#7
Wow I didn't know that's how it worked, that you could track from Royal Airsure to USPS - here's what it currently says when I plug the # in:

Your item arrived in the United States in ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS) at 10:00 PM on June 22, 2010. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

​
Does ISC mean "Customs"? If so then it's here in the states and I'm waiting for it to clear? The package does have to be signed for, so likely that's the issue - it's fully insured.

vernis-lover said:
If you have the tracking number from the seller then simply plug the number into USPS website and it should tell you what is happening.

I have shipped over 2000 items to the US and only ever had to claim once for a loss (although the cynic in me tells me the buyer realised USPS hadn't updated the status online to delivered and realised they could snag a free bag - no evidence, just her actions made me suspicious).

Some states are much faster at dealing with incoming international mail than others. I have found NY, CA and PA are the faster ones with TX being by far the slowest.

And strange but true, non signed for items will arrive faster than signed for/delivery confirmation items even though the latter are supposed to receive priority handling.

Items are usually on a plane out of the UK within 2/3 days of being left with the PO, on a flight into NY and then all the delays are with USPS.

If your '5 business days' came from Paypal then that's a bit of a myth I'm afraid - I have asked them countless times to amend that to a more accurate estimate!

Hope that helps but let me know if I can assist further.
Click to expand...
 
#8
Looks like it's likely awaiting clearance or en route from NY to your state and hasn't been scanned as arrived in your state yet. I'd give it until the end of next week and then maybe try ringing USPS if it still hasn't arrived.
 
#9
vernis-lover said:
Airsure isn't an Express Service. There isn't an express service through UK Post Offices. For that level of service you need to book a courier (Fedex, DHL etc) and that's when you get your guaranteed delivery dates but never with a UK post office unless you are posting UK to UK.
Click to expand...
I never said Airsure was an express service- read the first line.

But Royal Mail does have an express service, it's called EMS/ParcelForce.

A courier isn't always required for fast delivery, even though they're the safest option. A lot of postal services offer it. Some even have date-certain services depending on the country.

Twinklette said:
Wow I didn't know that's how it worked, that you could track from Royal Airsure to USPS - here's what it currently says when I plug the # in:

Your item arrived in the United States in ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS) at 10:00 PM on June 22, 2010. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

Does ISC mean "Customs"? If so then it's here in the states and I'm waiting for it to clear? The package does have to be signed for, so likely that's the issue - it's fully insured.
Click to expand...
I think that just means it's in the country. If it's in customs, the tracking will say so. You could always call USPS and ask.
 
#10
I do so apologise Fenix but I do think you may have misinterpreted the point I was making, or perhaps I wasn't clear enough. When a seller indicates to paypal that they have shipped the item via Airsure, paypal email the buyer and given an indication of delivery timescale. That is what I was referring to as the buyer's seller has already indicated they had used Airsure - the 5 days that paypal mention is very misleading. A 5 day (or less) service is obviously available UK to US but you pay for it!

I have never come across EMS via the Post Office - would have thought they would have mentioned it to me given the number of parcels I send through them.

I do know that if you want to Parcelforce/DHL/Fedex something from the UK to the US then you'll be looking at 3 to 4 times the Airsure cost for doing so in order to secure the guaranteed delivery times.
 
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#11
vernis-lover said:
I do so apologise Fenix but I do think you may have misinterpreted the point I was making, or perhaps I wasn't clear enough. When a seller indicates to paypal that they have shipped the item via Airsure, paypal email the buyer and given an indication of delivery timescale. That is what I was referring to as the buyer's seller has already indicated they had used Airsure - the 5 days that paypal mention is very misleading. A 5 day (or less) service is obviously available UK to US but you pay for it!

I have never come across EMS via the Post Office - would have thought they would have mentioned it to me given the number of parcels I send through them.

I do know that if you want to Parcelforce/DHL/Fedex something from the UK to the US then you'll be looking at 3 to 4 times the Airsure cost for doing so in order to secure the guaranteed delivery times.
Click to expand...
No worries. EMS is under different names in different countries so that could be why. I know in the US it's called Express Mail International.
 
#12
ISC = customs in NYC where it's currently held up. Not much I can do USPS said, it doesn't get tracked now until it reaches my destination.

I just read nightmare stories online about ISC - how packages get lost, stolen and never arrive. I hope that doesn't happen with mine.
 
#13
I don't think you can then get EMS from the Post Office in the UK (not under that name anyway). You'd be looking at a courier company for that level of service (of which Parcelforce is one of course). As I understand it, you can purchase Global Priority through US Post Offices and this is a courier service in the UK.

The services from the Post Office for international mail are straightforward airmail, Airsure (delivery confirmation), International Signed For (signature confirmation).

Tracking is limited and sketchy and absolutely non-existant for some countries. It's not the best service in the world.
 
#14
Twinklette said:
ISC = customs in NYC where it's currently held up. Not much I can do USPS said, it doesn't get tracked now until it reaches my destination.

I just read nightmare stories online about ISC - how packages get lost, stolen and never arrive. I hope that doesn't happen with mine.
Click to expand...

Whilst not impossible, I can only reassure you of my experiences - 2000 parcels to the US and only one claim for a loss (and that wasn't an Airsure parcel). I am sure it will turn up.
 
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