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Can a package be lost prior to entering customs?

A

adler9

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 25, 2017
Messages
27
I have an item that was shipped out by me a while ago to a different country. I am able to track the item using both my country's and the destination country's postal services. According to my country's postal service website, the item quickly left the originating country and arrived in the destination country. Over 2 weeks ago. Then no updates after that. (i.e. does not say that it entered customs, or is being inspected by customs, etc). So after it arrived in the destination country, no updates which I find odd, but not too concerning because, sometimes international shipping tracking stops once item leaves the originating country.

What's concerning is, the destination country's postal system shows that the item left the originating country but it never arrived there. So the status according to their system is that the item left the original country 3 weeks ago. The recipient inquired their postal service in person about this discrepancy, and was told that this item never reached the destination country. Since it was never scanned by their system. They are adamant that the package never entered their country. And yes the package is trackable using both country's systems. So I am wondering where this item can be???? Does anybody know what happens when a package gets handed over from one postal service to another? Like where it is stored, when it is handed over to customs, etc. All I can think of is, maybe it got handed over to customs but is lost in there.
 
I have had a similar situation with an item sent to me internationally. It showed as delivered on the senders oustal system as soon as it reached customs here. I didn't realise that at the time and assumed delivered meant they were claiming it had been delivered to me! It sat in customs for a while (maybe a week or two from memory, oncectheyd contacted me about payment of duties etc) and then I think it popped up on tracking here once it cleared customs.

I'm not sure if all countries are the same though?
 
It depends. I've had stones that I bought not show up for nearly 2 months. Its certainly country by country and sometimes once it hits customs it can take a very long time for various reasons.
 
Similar thing happened to me when I returned a stone to Multicolour. The stone left the states (USPS registered mail) and then was gone. I was told by the post office that once it left the country- they stopped tracking it. I don't know how accurate that is, but I could not get a resolution form the USPS. A $500 lesson learned.
 
LisaRN said:
Similar thing happened to me when I returned a stone to Multicolour. The stone left the states (USPS registered mail) and then was gone. I was told by the post office that once it left the country- they stopped tracking it. I don't know how accurate that is, but I could not get a resolution form the USPS. A $500 lesson learned.
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Oh no, that is horrible. Mine are two rings and a stone and I paid over $4000 for stones alone. No insurance bc the top insurance amont available through my postal systen is some ridiculous $ like $100. Still says the package arrived in destination country on my end, whereas it never did according to the destination country 's records.
 
It would help to know which country you are talking about because postal systems are all so different.

Tracking is often not updated once it arrives in the destination country (or once it leaves the country of origin). Sometimes parcels can be held in customs for a few weeks with no updates, especially if it has a high value and you have to pay import fees on it. Try not to worry too much yet - in my experience delays are common but the parcel almost always makes it to its destination in the end!
 
Katesimone said:
It would help to know which country you are talking about because postal systems are all so different.

Tracking is often not updated once it arrives in the destination country (or once it leaves the country of origin). Sometimes parcels can be held in customs for a few weeks with no updates, especially if it has a high value and you have to pay import fees on it. Try not to worry too much yet - in my experience delays are common but the parcel almost always makes it to its destination in the end!
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It was sent to France.....tracking website for my national post says it landed at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. But French post says it never did, and that it is still en route to France. How can it be arrived, scanned in at the airport according to one system, yet French post says it was never scanned into their system and they never got a hold of it. Maybe some customs inspector is enjoying the rings now, haha.
 
By the way, how do people send expensive loose stones or jewellery internationally without private third party insurance through the vendor? I never could figure out what is the best way to return or send things out to be set to lets say, Thailand, China, or to France or other EU countries. Registered or regular airmail allows some useless low value maximum for insurance. The last time I tried, FedEx did not let me insure the full amount - I was asked to declare the true value but the package was not able to be insured for that amount. In the event of loss, they said the insurance will cover up to $500? Or $1000?? Either way, not nearly close to the value of the item. Basically useless. Have not tried UPS because I find UPS to be even less trustworthy than FedEx for other things.
 
@adler
its difficult for many reasons. UPS does (in my experience and their terms and conditions) not insure gemstones and jewellery. So in case of loss its your problem. Same with many other shipment providers. I did not sent with Fedex as next office is not in the near surroundings. Did recieve many shipments through them though. We normally use the normal mail service as we have the possibility to insure the package with a hidden insurance which is not visible on the package. So advantage is, that it is not detectable from the outside if there are precious goods inside, but disadvantage is that it needs time to get to the target as it is normal mail service. No express available in this model. Next disadvantage is that it is not trackable in every country. So it comes to the same results as you wrote, that it has arrived in the destination country (or their customs) and nothing further. In the last years we did not loose any package, which is good. Time is always an issue in both directions. I waited this year around 3,5 month for a shipment to arrive from thailand, but also one shipment from us needed 2,5 month to arrive to canada (which normally needs around 1-2 weeks). They normally stick in customs or mail agencies for whatever reasons and no one can tell you why.
 
Any external shipment except for Canada is a huge risk these days, in my opinion. Basically after it leaves the US there is no way to track it.
I wonder if Canadians have better experience with international shipments?
 
A lost package shipped to Italy got there six months later. Same deal with falling off the USPS tracking after it left the US. The guy had been refunded by the seller, and was honest enough to say when it got there finally. Where could it have been all that time? Be a little patient.
 
@Missbeaucoup
that is a big mistery, meaby a small black whole ;)
My last (late) package from thailand (which needed 3,5 month to get to me) looked very dirty and one edge was torn off. So I assume, it laid somewhere or was forgotten until it was found again and brought back to the normal circle of shipping. I shipped to many countries all over the world, and they did always arrived, but sometimes same destination very different runtime until they arrive. So somtetimes patience is the key. But understandable the customer (and me) gets nervous when it takes far more than it should..... so communication with the seller and the customer is very important to clear out situation.
 
What does the vendor say? He ought to have the most experience with his own country?
 
I find that the USPS tracking for Registered Mail is horrible, and almost always wrong, at least what the consumer can get from the USPS website. If you go to the post office in the US, they have better information, but it often makes no sense, and will show the package at the same location for days.

I have sent out thousands of stones in the mail, and to date have only had one get lost in the mail, and that was to from the US to Canada. It got as far as customs and was 'lost' there. It was sent just first class mail, not registered.

Often the packages will get stuck in customs for a long time, sometimes weeks, the USPS website tracking will often not show this.
 
PrecisionGem said:
I find that the USPS tracking for Registered Mail is horrible, and almost always wrong, at least what the consumer can get from the USPS website. If you go to the post office in the US, they have better information, but it often makes no sense, and will show the package at the same location for days.

I have sent out thousands of stones in the mail, and to date have only had one get lost in the mail, and that was to from the US to Canada. It got as far as customs and was 'lost' there. It was sent just first class mail, not registered.

Often the packages will get stuck in customs for a long time, sometimes weeks, the USPS website tracking will often not show this.
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When it got "lost" in customs, were you able to get more information from customs or the postal system? It's crazy how customs officials are not held accountable for a lot of things and have so much power.
 
The only package I've had get lost was from China (to Canada). The vendor refunded my money as it was an Amazon purchase. USPS tracks to the border and then Canada Post tracking using the same tracking number sometimes works (it's hit or miss - sometimes USPS keeps tracking door to door, sometimes Canada post takes over, sometimes tracking just drops off and it's delivered on approximate timeline).

I find it's the return shipping that is stressful. If lost en route to you the vendor takes the hit. On the way back it's on you. I ship FedEx but worry quite a bit. Nothing has been lost so far but I only ship to the US.
 
I am going to stop sending out stones or even returning internationally in the future. Unless there's some small GPS tracking device that stays active for few months that can be hidden in the package, haha.
 
arglthesheep said:
@Gene
which postal service do you use for insured shipping?
thanks...
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I ship everything with the USPS. Registered mail outside of the US only allows insurance to $40 to most places, but it seems that Registered mail is also pretty secure. Inside the US, I think you can insure to $50,000. Collecting on an lost package is another issue however, and there is a pretty long waiting period before the post office will consider the package actually lost.
 
I bought one montana sapphire from Helena. The Stone shipped through USPS First Class but it didn't reach to me in India after almost one month.The tracking number stopped showing track after 16/07/2017. Advice me on this plz.sad :((
 
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