Ordered some stuff from Canada (hockey equipment, if you must know).  Expedited shipping.  Item hits the ISC facility in New York Saturday night and I get this:



That is the last tracking notification posted.  Nothing Sunday, Monday or today.  Called USPS, spent forever getting to a human being, transferred to International dept, and she tells me she has the same info, might be waiting for customs, who knows.  She doesn't know if it will leave today, tomorrow, whenever.  She says I should have originator contact Canada Post and have them submit an inquiry, but that hey have something like 30-45 days to answer an inquiry so it might not do me any good.

Much internet googling also turns up plenty of folks asking same...and several folks say that their stuff magically arrived on time anyways with no further updates past the ISC scan...because USPS and they are lazy as hell about scanning packages sometimes.

I had received a near identical shipment from this company right after Christmas.  Processed through ISC in 3 hours then next tracking notice said it was out the door.  Unfortunately they made a mistake in the order so I returned it, and this is the the correct order.  But this time...seemingly stuck in ISC New York, and nobody in USPS can tell me what is going on, or when it might be released, or if it is en route without a previous scan or what.

Fuck USPS.  Anybody offer and help/info/previous experience receiving international shipments where this has happened?

Also, original planned delivery date was set for this Thursday, the 5th.  So it still might show up I suppose, but I am a little freaked that there isn't any tracking status beyond Saturday at ISC.

Shipping from Canada is always a pain in the ass.  Always.

I've had a bunch of stuff shipped from Canada and never had this issue before.

It is the not knowing and having USPS basically tell me they have no idea what is the status that pisses me off.

I'm actually waiting on a package (a very expensive package) from the Netherlands, it made it through customs, and the last tracking update shows it departing Elk Grove, IL on the 31st at 1 AM. No updates since.

Everything I've ever ordered from Canada has been slllllooooooowwwwwww.  I've pretty much quit doing it.

Yeah, mine is over a grand.  When you have over a thousand dollars in gear sitting somewhere and the post office can't/won't tell you if it is waiting for customs to clear it or some jagoff postal worker lost it or what, you get a little miffed.

We probably have potheads to thank.  When I googled the notification verbatim to see if others had asked, almost all the results came back on pothead forums or steroid forums.  Probably customs sees a shit ton of drug packages shipping into the US on the daily.

Considering just a few days ago the airport was shut down do to weather, I don't see you getting your package this week.  ISC is at JFK.

It's a hit and miss at customs.  I've sent and received dozens of things, sometimes they snag up and there is some sort of delay.


Hardly USPS's fault.   This is industry wide.  Not sure why you bitch at USPS for this when it's not in their control.

The terrible tracking.  Not knowing if it is held up at customs or what.  Customer service rep in International doesn't even know.  And enough folks out there stating that often their scans stop entirely at ICS, leaving even more doubt where it is.

I bet the weather has something to do with it.

Good point.  Maybe they're backlogged.  3 days is still an awful long time, but who knows.  I just hate not knowing.

This.



Last international package I got was from Taiwan, spent about 5 days in customs in LA with no new tracking updates during that time.



 

Package I got a week ago took 5 days to process through ISC.

Patience dude.

Yep, mine's worth ~$1200.  To add even more shit to my situation, we just moved from TX to OH and it was shipped to our TX address. We do have mail forwarding set up, but fuck I really need this package.

Even in a perfect world without weather issues one always expects a one to two day loss at the border. You can be pissed at USPS if you want, but none of the other shipping companies would be any different. I would suggest using FedEX for Canadian shipments into and out of the country though as they are fairly common on both sides of the border, so you don't have to switch carriers usually.



 

Yeah, I would have preferred that, but was not an option presented to me.

And again, on Christmas eve the exact same package cleared ISC in 3 hours.  So I guess that got me a little freaked that now that has turned into 3 days and running with no info on when that might end.  Nothing else I can do I suppose, except bitch and moan on ARFCOM.

Custom made goalie pads.

Edited title to spread the hate to customs as well.

Customs take between a few hours and a few weeks.  It just is what it is and is nothing new.    If you plan on ordering international get use to it as it is a crap shoot.  

do you have summer ice  if not  enjoy it next winter

I had around 20 lbs (eighteen pounds exactly if I remember right) of welding wire worth ~$8,000 USD sit in a holding area in Alberta over a weekend once. I was able to talk to a chick who was sitting like FIVE FEET from it, but was unable to release or do anything with it. She worked for an expediting company and worked in the same area, but without FedEx's release could not do anything with it. I had a hot shot driver waiting and the package in visual sight, but could not get a single FedEx employee to go and release the package for any amount of money. Shipping in and out of Canada can be smooth or it can be fucking frustrating.



The very easiest way if it is carry on size is to put someone on a plane with whatever you need.



 

Yeah, I play year round.

Yeah, if this turns out to be one of those multi-week/month customs night ares I def would have just bought a fuckin plane ticket to Quebec and flown the shit back myself.

What sucks extra is I need to sell my current set of gear, and I have interest, but I can't until I get the new set in, because I have games, playoffs in a couple weeks and a travel tournament next month.

So I have to keep using my current set.

I order a lot of computer parts, sometimes from overseas, I find NY customs takes FOREVER when it comes in from the west coast its a day and done.





I have had stuff just sitting in customs in NYC for weeks before they finally process it.. they are just slow.

 

Just chatted with one of the company reps from the pad manufacturer.  He's in St. Louis...he said it is normal for them to arrive 5-7 biz days after they hit customs when he gets his gear shipped to him.  So while it is disappointing that I have to wait, crossing my fingers it is only that, and that they don't vanish into the customs black hole for weeks on end.

Awesome news.  Looks like my best case scenario happened.  Lazy fookin post office workers didn't bother to scan it once it cleared customs.  Out of the blue, the tracking system notified me early this morning that it hit my local post office this morning.  Should be out for delivery today!

I know, all your give a fuck meters are at an all-time high.

Glad yours has found its way. Mine still hasn't updated tracking since Jan 31...

ETA: just checked tracking again and it's in TX scheduled to be delivered to an empty house today. To hell with actually forwarding my mail, right?

Sorry dude.  That'd drive me mental.

Called the PO in TX and they say as long as forwarding is setup (we got the confirmation letter here yesterday) that the package will make it here just fine.

Worth the wait.