I am done shipping outside North America (1 Viewer)

It is stressful to put $$$$ at risk for performance of both the USPS, and all the parties that the chips get handed off to. I refuse to backstop the risk. I just won't do it. The last deal was with a good dude, but getting agreement that once I shipped it the contents were FOB was like pulling teeth.
 
Dude,
Good talk the other day....
I buy and sell watches as well as poker chips and have been doing so for many years. I can't even remember the last time I was willing to ship anything of value overseas. I did right at the beginning when I first started, but it is just too difficult and too risky. US to Canada = Fine, US to anywhere else = Forget it

Roger that. Live and learn I guess!
 
It is stressful to put $$$$ at risk for performance of both the USPS, and all the parties that the chips get handed off to. I refuse to backstop the risk. I just won't do it. The last deal was with a good dude, but getting agreement that once I shipped it the contents were FOB was like pulling teeth.

Yeah I mean even if the other party agrees to taking full responsibility it is still awkward if the package is indeed lost. I also take pictures of all the packages I ship just to have in cases like this. It doesn't help find the package but its nice to be able to send a pic of the box to the buyer so they can see a box indeed was shipped to them and it isn't a scam.
 
I must have sent and received 60+ packages easily and i've never lost a single one.

But I always make a point of agreeing that I'm wearing the risk when someone ships to me.

That being said, I try to avoid buying from Canada. In my experience, it's the most expensive and worst postal service I've had to deal with. It's always very slow.

@Lemonzest how long ago were they sent? Things seem to be taking 4-6 weeks at the moment
 
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I must have sent and received 60+ packages easily and i've never lost a single one.

But I always make a point of agreeing that I'm wearing the risk when someone ships to me.

That being said, I try to avoid buying from Canada. In my experience, it's the most expensive and worst postal service I've had to deal with. It's always very slow.

@Lemonzest how long ago were they sent? Things seem to be taking 4-6 weeks at the moment

Shipped via air Nov. 13 which usually takes 2-3 weeks tops. I assumed they were lost but they just today were scanned into the UK so that gives me great hope again that they are not lost and only slow. I don't care if its slow just don't lose my stuff.

I don't know if Canada Post sucks or not. They are all I know and they seem pretty good to me. I am open to the possibility of Canada Post being crap though.
 
I’ve just sent of my first 2 packages to the US. God I hope they arrive, and in 1 piece.
 
Shipped via air Nov. 13 which usually takes 2-3 weeks tops. I assumed they were lost but they just today were scanned into the UK so that gives me great hope again that they are not lost and only slow. I don't care if its slow just don't lose my stuff.

I don't know if Canada Post sucks or not. They are all I know and they seem pretty good to me. I am open to the possibility of Canada Post being crap though.
Most national Post services are crap lol, and everything is moving slowly right now. But my gear labels took 6 weeks recently. And i've got a package from America that took 4 weeks to leave the country, and still isn't here.

Things are moving slowly domestically and internationally, so it's taking longer on both ends with all my packages right now, but they all get there in the end for me touch wood. Frustrating times.
 
I had to wait almost 2 months (08/17/20 --> 10/12/20) to get 100chips from Buffalo, NY to Iceland with USPS (Flat rate box).
Was my first and only time.
Don't know if it's quicker or slower now...
 
DHL lost 60 set-ups of Angel cards in my first order from Japan and then delivered 45 set-ups to the wrong address in my second order and couldn’t recover them.

Also, DHL lost my Alpha cards from Germany.
 
For outgoing packages, I always use USPS Priority Flat Rate Boxes or Priority Flat Rate Padded Envelopes, except for small bubble envelopes which are mailed USPS First Class (with tracking).

I've shipped several dozen packages CONUS over the years with zero issues, outgoing or incoming (easily 50+ inbound). Same for CAN and AUS, both ways -- no problems so far.

Europe has been a different experience, however. Two SFRBs to France disappeared (I ate the cost on those two), one to Finland disappeared (insurance covered it), and one package from Sweden took 6 months to finally arrive (seller had already shipped replacements after two months, which arrived in two weeks).

Four strikes, out of 10 total packages to/from Europe. That's why I no longer ship there, unless the buyer is willing to absorb all losses.
 
I don’t think this can be overstated enough

The post office scanning equipment scans your label from the BOTTOM up.
So if you put things like phone numbers or fragile or writing under the address it reads this as part of the address and can mess things up pretty quick.
Its looking for zip codes and other familiar formatting and phone numbers can jack it up.
 
I can’t think of a single issue I’ve with an international package other than delay. Between car parts and hobby stuff, I’ve got to be over 50 packages sent or received.

Oh Sh%#!!! I just jinxed myself, didn’t I? :banghead:
 
I think the USPS sucks for domestic packages as well. I have a package in usps limbo and cant get any info on it. I placed a lost mail inquiry and a day later All I got was a request to do a survey to tell them how they did in resolving the problem...... what ridiculous joke. From now on I will only use ups/fedex. It’s not that much more.
USPS is garbage for anything other than letter envelopes. I swore off shipping through them many years ago. I have watched tracked packages sit for weeks in sorting facilities, returned for no reason, lost, damaged, etc. I've had packages arrive at my door while the USPS tracking said it was still at the drop off point. UPS and FedEx both have their own issues but at least they know where your package is.
 
For outgoing packages, I always use USPS Priority Flat Rate Boxes or Priority Flat Rate Padded Envelopes, except for small bubble envelopes which are mailed USPS First Class (with tracking).

I've shipped several dozen packages CONUS over the years with zero issues, outgoing or incoming (easily 50+ inbound). Same for CAN and AUS, both ways -- no problems so far.

Europe has been a different experience, however. Two SFRBs to France disappeared (I ate the cost on those two), one to Finland disappeared (insurance covered it), and one package from Sweden took 6 months to finally arrive (seller had already shipped replacements after two months, which arrived in two weeks).

Four strikes, out of 10 total packages to/from Europe. That's why I no longer ship there, unless the buyer is willing to absorb all losses.

One of the boxes I lost a year or so ago was also to France. Luckily it was just one rack of chips.
 
How long can a plane fly? What goes up must come down, right?! :unsure:

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Experiences vary. I've had so many packages damaged by UPS and FedEx -- an incredibly higher percentage than those damaged by USPS.

In most cases, I can't replace damaged chips -- so shipping via UPS and especially FedEx is not an option.
 
Well hopefully, it starts moving at some point in the near future...
Yes, also you should continue tracking on Royal Mail, USPS might not get updates anymore. Again, that's just my experience.
 
I sent a padded envelope from Norway to the US on Dec. 4th. It arrived at the buyer on the 22nd, but the tracking still only says The shipment has been sent from origin country.
I sent something like a medium flat rate box to Malaysia on 8th of December. It arrived the 15th (!!) but the tracking still says The shipment is forwarded from transit country.
I sent a smaller box to Australia on the 8th of December. It left Amsterdam (?!) the 31st of December (!!), that's the last update.
Finally I had a medium flat rate to Canada also shipped on the 8th of December. It allegedly left Amsterdam (?!) the 17th. Yesterday it arrived in Canada but still not at destination yet.

I think it's an especially bad period with Covid + xmas as it has never taken this long before.
 
I sent a padded envelope from Norway to the US on Dec. 4th. It arrived at the buyer on the 22nd, but the tracking still only says The shipment has been sent from origin country.
I sent something like a medium flat rate box to Malaysia on 8th of December. It arrived the 15th (!!) but the tracking still says The shipment is forwarded from transit country.
I sent a smaller box to Australia on the 8th of December. It left Amsterdam (?!) the 31st of December (!!), that's the last update.
Finally I had a medium flat rate to Canada also shipped on the 8th of December. It allegedly left Amsterdam (?!) the 17th. Yesterday it arrived in Canada but still not at destination yet.

I think it's an especially bad period with Covid + xmas as it has never taken this long before.
I am certainly not panicking - yet :p. As you say, it's an extremely busy time of year, unprecedented times and USPS in meltdown.
 

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