Package Lost in US Customs


I bought something from Highend Audio PC in Switzerland back in March. It took along time for them to receive it from SOTM because of the COVID situation. I have no problem with that. It was finally shipped to me on 4=28-20. According to the tracking info, https://service.post.ch/ekp-web/ui/list/detail/5jJ4zla5ONlRI9XQTdrr6bPPNDO94nMjIHQFXjP3pxo the package is still in New Jersey. I went to my local post office for help and they told me that the package is in US Customs and out of their jurisdiction. Nothing they can do. I've corresponded with Phil at Highend Audio PC via chat several times. He is less than helpful. He  keeps referring me to Claudia who doesn't respond to my emails. What are my options. Please help.
 
yoby
Unfortunately you will just have to wait it out.  The package is not officially lost, it's just delayed in customs, therefore, the vendor's hands are tied. 
I had the same situation with USPS on a Canada purchase.  It sat in Chicago for a month after clearing customs. It did finally get delivered.  USPS is in a world of hurt and backed up on international shipments. It will show up. 
Hey, it could be worse, I ordered something on April 19 and it’s not expected until June 15. 
I was in the same situation with UPS with a Germany purchase.  It sat in New York Customs for two months. It did finally get delivered. At the current time, I've been told by friends that work for the USPS that they are having many problems and back up time of delivery.
HI,
Nowdays everything takes more than normal time to clear through the customs.
Vendor cannot be of any help here.
Its best to ask for expedited shipment than normal these days.
As tracking shows that it is in US, it is.
In brief: you get what you pay for: cheap-as-you-go post office versus private courier. 

In detail: This thread just reinforced the argument to use FEDEX and its peers instead of relying on any national postal service routing into USPS in clearing customs .

IMO, it’s worth the additional costs to use the FEDEX types. The private courier shippers have their own fast customs clearing ops;   whereas the predantic union-driven Posties continue to languish at glacier speed,  now degraded to continental drift during COVID-19.
Thank you for all for the encouraging posts. These days it's easy to feel overwhelmed with helplessness.
USPS is usually very good, but with Covid they are slow right now. Fedex & UPS are rough on gear and I have had issues with both in terms of destroying heavy gear in shipment. Never with usps. I suppose slow is better than destroyed 😁. 
"Hey, it could be worse, I ordered something on April 19 and it’s not expected until June 15. "

Gee Geoff, I hope that it's not toilet paper.
No, which is fortunate since I can’t hold it indefinitely like you can.
I responded to a post recently regarding FedEx and a similar problem. Luckily, I was able to go to the hub and retrieve it. The funny thing is FedEx didn’t have any records of me picking up the 110lb package, and called me over a month later advising me that they were going to start looking for the item. All the delivery services are in a state of chaos right now. Hopefully your package will show up sooner than later, but chances are it will show up. Keep hope alive.
It can take a while - just be patient - it'll eventually show up - Ordered some tubes on March 7th they showed up last Friday.  Once I ordered 12 turntable Copper mats from Germany the took 14 weeks to get here all via DHL - its shipped in containers and US Customs are the delay factor.

Good Listening

Peter


yoby, I’ve had items sit in customs for over a month, before releasing it to USPS. I have ordered medical itiems. First one went regular mail and sat in customs for 2 weeks. The second item from the same company, paid 50 dollars for better speedier delivery, it arrived in one week total. It will show up, good luck on the when.
@millercarbon

I think Bill Gates had a few other cars to drive while he was waiting for his Porsche 959
and the money to buy it! Awesome car for its time. I order some special headlights for my 944 track car. They were shipped from Poland and only took six months to get them. They were in customs forever!!
Go to the Customs office you think has it and ask nicely
if you can have it cleared.

In days past they used to have a sign that read:

" Your lack of proper planning does not constitute
  an emergency on our part." 

Forewarned is forearmed.

Good luck.
Does this mean the carbon fibre fender extender I ordered from Spain for my motorcycle  won't be here for a year? 
No it means US customs is a mess. I ordered HCQ from the UK. When it got stuck in customs a couple weeks the shipper sent me another order at no charge. The second shipment was delivered the day the first one cleared customs. Three shipments of fO.q tape from Japan, one cleared fast, one slow, one disappeared nobody knows where it went. 
Everyone complains about delays at US Customs International Sorting Center (ISC) during the best of times. Nowadays it’s 10x worse. Private carriers sometimes expedite but it all depends. You could pay for DHL Express but they might hand off to USPS at some point. It’s a labyrinth.

I recently bought something from China the same day as something from Canada. Shipping from China cost me $0 and the package arrived via USPS before my other package even left Canada! Despite Canada Post saying outbound packages to USA are delayed 5-7 days, my package has spent 3 weeks in Canada so far and hasn’t even made it to the ISC yet. They’ve totally stopped shipping to something like 100 countries. 
Recently I bought something from France that transited across the USA twice before landing on my doorstep. The systems are over burdened and performing poorly right now. Be grateful it arrives at all and in good condition!
Unfortunately I would have to agree with the above post on the state of shipping between Canada and the USA.
I have had 3 instances of inter Canada/USA shipping become a total nightmare over the last couple months.

On the other hand two orders from much further afield, Hong Kong and China arrived FASTER than I anticipated.

Not quite sure where the real problem lies with Canada/USA deliveries but I am avoiding it right now.
Good news. My package arrived today, undamaged. Thank you everyone again for all of your encouraging posts. Good listening!
My advice, be patient with ISC USPS New York, very, very  patient! My tale of woe; I ordered a Revox PR-99 in early January, from Techtrader in Switzerland. Sat in Switzerland for nearly a month. Then sits in ISC USPS NY for nearly 2 months. Lots of phone calls and emails with USPS, got nowhere. On Monday, still at the USPS customs center, miraculously on Tuesday it is delivered! Pleased to report in perfect condition, looks and sounds perfect to me. Worth the wait I would say.