A WARNING to US sellers shipping internationally

I was recently engaged in a trade which required me to send a package to Canada. Since the item was small, I decided to use a Priority Mail Flat Rate Small box, since it was supposed to be $12 for a tracked package internationally in 6-10 days.

What it TURNED out to be was a small box that doesn't get properly tracked, can't be tracked by Canada post, and is sitting God knows where right now. It claims it was processed at a sort facility in Los Angeles, CA, but then again, it's apparently been there for 10 days now.

Now, this is the first time USPS has really pissed me off like this, but I'm going to suggest that you consider UPS in the future. It only would have been $8 more, and I'm willing to bet it'd be there by now (since they actually DO guarantee their delivery dates). Good luck, everyone!

EDIT/UPDATE:
So, I called USPS, got on hold for 20 minutes, and got an answer:

SOME shipments get what are called "COURTESY SCANS". They occur only when a worker has to only exert 1% more effort to scan your package, and are a luck-of-the-draw thing. Larger shipments (I.E. Large Flat Rate Boxes) are more likely to get them than small packages.

This was the source of my confusion, and might answer someone else's question as well.

Priority mail is not tracked. There is no $13 tracked shipping. USPS still has the least expensive tracked shipping option available @ $25 to Canada or $27.55 anywhere else on the globe via Express mail which usually arrives in 5-7 days.

Priority mail can take up to 30 days or more for international delivery with most arriving around 15 days. If it has not been 30 days yet I would not be too concerned. I ship everything I can in small envelopes as they tend to make it through customs quicker than boxes. It has been my experience that first class and priority mail are roughly the same for delivery time so don't pay the extra unless you need to use a box.

DTR said:

Priority mail is not tracked. There is no $13 tracked shipping. USPS still has the least expensive tracked shipping option available @ $25 to Canada or $27.55 anywhere else on the globe via Express mail which usually arrives in 5-7 days.

Priority mail can take up to 30 days or more for international delivery with most arriving around 15 days. If it has not been 30 days yet I would not be too concerned. I ship everything I can in small envelopes as they tend to make it through customs quicker than boxes. It has been my experience that first class and priority mail are roughly the same for delivery time so don't pay the extra unless you need to use a box.

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The concerning part is that I sent something not too long ago via Priority mail to Canada, and it was tracked the whole way, even it's stops in Canada. I guess you could say I'm extra upset since this is keeping my hands off a new 1W 445. Mostly, I just want members to be aware not to expect them to live up to their estimated dates or claims.

DTR said:

Priority mail is not tracked. There is no $13 tracked shipping. USPS still has the least expensive tracked shipping option available @ $25 to Canada or $27.55 anywhere else on the globe via Express mail which usually arrives in 5-7 days.

Priority mail can take up to 30 days or more for international delivery with most arriving around 15 days. If it has not been 30 days yet I would not be too concerned. I ship everything I can in small envelopes as they tend to make it through customs quicker than boxes. It has been my experience that first class and priority mail are roughly the same for delivery time so don't pay the extra unless you need to use a box.

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How do you ship express mail for $27.55 anywhere on the globe?
I just shipped a host to Fiddy today that I machined for him.
They charged me $38 for an express mail flat rate envelope to Australia.... :thinking:

Flat rate USPS Priority mail option has always been without ANY tracking.

Sellers should know that.

I hope this helps future generations of sellers, and buyers of course.

I am in canada. I am pretty sure that USPS priority and express both have full tracking to and within canada. its first class that doesn't track. it will show pick up and when it left to leave the US but after that you don't get any tracking info (for first class). if you ship UPS ground to canada the recipient will have to pay a brokerage fee based on the declared value. google for a price list "ups brokerage fees to canada". this may piss off the recipient if they don't know about it. with USPS we pay $5-8 brokerage fee usually but often they don't charge at all.

rocket689 said:

How do you ship express mail for $27.55 anywhere on the globe?
I just shipped a host to Fiddy today that I machined for him.
They charged me $38 for an express mail flat rate envelope to Australia.... :thinking:

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Wow I just saw that. A $10 hike. That is some crap. Now I have to change all my listings.:scowl:

plexus said:

I am in canada. I am pretty sure that USPS priority and express both have full tracking to and within canada. its first class that doesn't track..

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Only Express is tracked for international mail.
EDIT incorrect apparently.

No, it is not only Express, it is Priority Mail as well.

But,

There is a difference between FLAT rate Priority , and Priority Mail intl.

That difference is Price, and Tracking.

I hope this helps to someone interested in intl shipping from US.

Brenner said:

No, it is not only Express, it is Priority Mail as well.

But,

There is a difference between FLAT rate Priority , and Priority Mail intl.

That difference is Price, and Tracking.

I hope this helps to someone interested in intl shipping from US.

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If this is right I will be ecstatic but I have always been told there is no way to get tracking on a priority mail package of any kind.

Edit. Nevermind I just checked for 8 ounces in a priority package is $34.50. $3.50 less than express and I can get that in a flat rate envelope which I can squeeze several pounds of stuff in and it will get there much faster. So that is not a really great option even if it is tracked.

So, I called USPS, got on hold for 20 minutes, and got an answer:

SOME shipments get what are called "COURTESY SCANS". They occur only when a worker has to only exert 1% more effort to scan your package, and are a luck-of-the-draw thing. Larger shipments (I.E. Large Flat Rate Boxes) are more likely to get them than small packages.

This was the source of my confusion, and might answer someone else's question as well.

I've been using Priority International w/ tracking and insurance for years now, never had a single package lost or untracked. The tracking isn't always updated often once it leaves the country though. You can't use FLAT RATE though, so you pay more. Also usually you have to use the destination country's carrier tracking once it reaches them because they don't pass the info back to USPS.

The real question now is why would you use priority mail. It is $35 vs $38. So for $3 you double the shipping time and limit yourself as to how much you can send in each package.:thinking:

Here is the thing that really gets me going. I can order an item from DX for $2 and get free tracked shipping all the way to my door but If I wanted to send that same item back to them tracked I am looking to pay $35 for just the postage. How does that work out.

Here is the price for a 1 ounce package.

^^^I've always wondered the same thing.

How is free shipping at all possible on items that are $.29 for example?

Often when ordering slightly more expensive items, but still under $20, I have gotten tracking as well. Which makes no sense to me.

Also, how is it, that it costs $22 for say shipping from o-like to US via EMS, but the reverse is ~$35. (At least as of the last time I ordered and shipped back to them.)

InfinitusEquitas said:

^^^I've always wondered the same thing.

How is free shipping at all possible on items that are $.29 for example?

Often when ordering slightly more expensive items, but still under $20, I have gotten tracking as well. Which makes no sense to me.

Also, how is it, that it costs $22 for say shipping from o-like to US via EMS, but the reverse is ~$35. (At least as of the last time I ordered and shipped back to them.)

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That's something I wonder too. Does Hong Kong post/Singapore Post do so much more business than we do that they can charge that much less? I mean it's probable, but still. You'd think they'd capitalize on that.

The Chinese government has got to be subsidizing it in an attempt to undermine other countries exports. Seriously I bought a $2 jet torch lighter from them and it was tracked all the way here. It costs $1.60 to send a couple ounce package across the US tracked and I am assuming that the postal service charges Hong Kong post something for the shipping once it is in our system not to mention the cost in their system and the flight over.:thinking:

This $10 hike is going to hurt a lot of business that send out lots of small international packages and cost many jobs.

How about using a first-class + insurance and/or signature and/or delivery confirmation combo? They keep track if it gets delivered then, yeah?