So I ordered something from the US last week, and paid $25 for USPS international shipping. It was only a small item (a pair of these), and I know when I pay that amount for international shipping from the UK it would normally be there within a week. So I looked up the tracking info for it today and discovered it hasn't even left the US yet, it seems like it's just bumbling around from airport to airport! I don't normally buy from the US and when I do I usually pay for courier shipping from the likes of UPS, so I don't know if this sort of service is normal. If it is, it seems like an extremely inefficient way of getting a small package from point A to point B, and might go some way to explain why their postage costs are so high!
That's pretty typical. Quickest I've had in the last couple of years is 4 working days, longest is 7 weeks. It'll get held up in Customs more than likely for a few days while they raise charges.
Southampton PA, Southampton NY, Southampton NC, Southampton VA... They'll find the right one eventually. USPS gives extra points on their competency test for stuff. If you are an ethnic female veteran with a disability, it's like you don't have to take the test at all.
You've not nothing to worry about yet. It can take up to three weeks for a post card to arrive. As above, it's just the US "Royal Mail" - so don't expect much!
That's pretty much how it is with all US government systems and contracts. One of my coworkers has quite an impressive e-mail signature that his company requires. Service disabled-, veteran-, minority-, woman-owned business. It's basically a game: 1. Start a business. 2. Hire a few specific people in key positions. 3. If your business is too large to compete for a small-business set-aside contract, the get a smaller to company to bid as prime and set your company up as a "sub-contractor." 4. Tick as many of the boxes as you can. 5. Profit.
Serves you right for buying more audio stuff. (also I've had really mixed things with getting stuff from the states, seems like luck of the draw)
Yeah that's the normal postage there takes a life time to get here you'd been better getting it from Timbuktu it would have been quicker lol
Looks like UPS handles the flight to the UK. So it went ground to the USPS international mail center in Miami (probably closest), was inspected by customs, handed off to UPS, who flew it to their domestic hub in Louisville and then flown to Philadelphia, which appears to be an international hub, where it left the US. With any luck, it should already be in the UK waiting to be poked at by customs.
Not quite, seems to have found its way to Germany though... Where will it head next? Does anyone know?
Yet another UPS hub to be sure (They undoubtedly have direct service to London, if you pay top dollar). UPS are masters at only delivering things exactly when they are contracted to, even if it means slow playing a delivery. UPS ground is guaranteed 5 days from anywhere in the US to any major center in Canada and I've never received a package earlier (or later, barring weather delays) than that, even from distance disparities as much as Miami, Florida (4700km) and Portland, Washington state (1200km).
In a word, yes. I buy flashlight parts, knives etc from US members on the CandlePowerForums Marketplace, and I've been kept waiting as long as 3 months for small packets in the past couple of years. USPS international is hopeless, it's better to try and get the seller to use FedEx International Priority or Express. It's more expensive, but it's a lot quicker too. My last Element Case order for my Sector Pro 6 case was with me in 3 days from California and cost $15 on shipping, less than the £20 which a UK-NI shipment from England cost in the same week, and that one was 3 days late. Now common sense tells you that Element Case have set a flat rate for international orders over a certain value... The service to get that parcel to me probably cost them more than the $15 it cost me, but I was a happier customer with them than I was with that English trader who charged me £20 and took 6 days to get something here. It pays to get orders to your customers on time/as quickly as possible.
We could make this into a game - everyone buys an inexpensive item (say >$10) from the US with USPS postage and see who gets the most diverts. Winner takes all!
mental note, avoid USPS, I had some aviation fittings delivered from the USA last week, ordered on the Monday (also we're few hours behind ?) they arrived on the Tuesday via UPS express, ok shipping did cost me $154 but was required for a job.
