My first experience with this Global Shipping rubbish is not shaping up well. I bought a telephone on ebay and delivery date was scheduled between 16 - 24 December. Up until today the tracking stopped at Dec. 4 when it was still in IL. Now it's finally been updated but this is what I see:
In transit - Exception-Awaiting additional delivery information from recipient
Dec-05-13, 15:03 PM, INDEPENDENCE, KY 41051
Now, NOBODY has contacted me to ask for more delivery information, nor has ANYBODY contacted me to indicate there was something wrong. I gave my full shipping address at time of purchase so don't know how I could've been more clear.
Has anyone ever encountered this? What are the chances my package is still sitting in KY, forever lost? Any advice on how to proceed? I've contacted the seller to see if they can shed the light on the situation. I don't even know who to contact in the US to see what the heck is going on.
I've bought items from ebay in the past but have never had these problems before!
Bridget
Shipping delays happen occasionally.
A few years ago, I sent a package from the east coast to the west coast. As it happens, there were tornados in between, which delayed the trucks. On top of that, it bounced among post offices in the LA area for an additional 5 days.
A few weeks ago, I ordered something that was shipped Priority (2-day) and took 8 days to arrive. The tracking was useless until after it was delivered.
if you can't find a contact on usps.com, you can talk with your local postmaster. They have access to more details than are available on the public web site.
So far, I've never had anything totally lost. One time a phone poster took about 6 months to arrive.
Good luck.
I see you are in Nova Scotia. Is it being tracked by the US Post office or some other carrier? There must be an 800 number you can call, even from NS to get more information.
Did you try looking up the tracking number on the Canada Post website? Once it leaves the originating country, little or no tracking information might be shown from that country's postal service.
Larry
On these shipments there is no trackable number until it leaves the Global Shipping warehouse. The way it works is the vendor ships it to Kentucky. It is then prepared for shippiing to Canada, customs forms filled out, taxes paid, etc. Then it is assigned a tracking number. So, if it hasn't left their warehouse, Bridget wouldn't yet have a trackable number...
Doing some Googling, it looks as though the actual shipper is:
Pitney Bowes Inc
1850 Airport Exch Boulevard
Erlanger, KY 41018
Phone: (859) 457-6805
or:
Pittney Bowes Customer Service/Ebay GSP number: 1-888-727-0781 - best number
email: pbisgspcs@pb.com
Dave
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on December 21, 2013, 07:16:15 PM
Did you try looking up the tracking number on the Canada Post website? Once it leaves the originating country, little or no tracking information might be shown from that country's postal service.
Larry
Thanks for the responses, guys - I appreciate it. And Dave, thanks for all that info - it's brilliant. I wouldn't mind it taking another week or two, but it freaked me out that it may be stuck on a shelf in KY while they were waiting for information from the recipient because the seller hadn't addressed it properly, and it not be deliverable. Argh. I'm going to contact Pitney Bowes and see if I can find out if the package is still there and what sort of info they need to complete delivery. I wouldn't mind waiting another month, just so long as they don't lose my beautiful phone LOL
Bridget
Quote from: Bridie on December 21, 2013, 08:25:38 PM
Thanks for the responses, guys - I appreciate it. And Dave, thanks for all that info - it's brilliant. I wouldn't mind it taking another week or two, but it freaked me out that it may be stuck on a shelf in KY while they were waiting for information from the recipient because the seller hadn't addressed it properly, and it not be deliverable. Argh. I'm going to contact Pitney Bowes and see if I can find out if the package is still there and what sort of info they need to complete delivery. I wouldn't mind waiting another month, just so long as they don't lose my beautiful phone LOL
Bridget
Hi Bridie:
I hoped it would help. While I don't like Global Shipping, I have found quite a few sellers who don't normally ship to Canada do use Global Shipping to ship here. I find it takes a bit longer, which stands for reason as it has to ship to Erlanger first, then here. Hope the information helps others, too. Took a while to find it, but now we have it!
Dave
As far as I'm aware, Pitney Bowes makes franking machines (they put stamps on envelopes or labels that are paid for by topping up the machine's account), so it won't be themselves shipping it, just arranging the postage payment...
Quote from: twocvbloke on December 21, 2013, 09:02:02 PM
As far as I'm aware, Pitney Bowes makes franking machines (they put stamps on envelopes or labels that are paid for by topping up the machine's account), so it won't be themselves shipping it, just arranging the postage payment...
No, they are Ebay's global shippers in addition to their normal business.
Some info on some of their global shipping services:
http://www.pb.com/services/Mailing-and-Shipping/International-Mail-Services/index.shtml
More on the Global Shipping program from Ebay naming Pitney Boes as their shipper:
http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html
Dave
Okay. So I heard back from the seller saying she wished I'd reached out to her earlier (I guess she didn't read the part where I said I wasn't aware there was a problem til yesterday!!!!). She sent me a FedEx slip showing the parcel was delivered and signed for.....yes, it was.....in KENTUCKY!!! Yes, my parcel was delivered to an address in Kentucky.
I double-checked my PayPal receipt and she definitely had my correct address. She must've gotten two of her buyers mixed up. I sure hope we can resolve this without any unpleasantness. It took two weeks to go from IL to KY so god only knows how long it will take now to get back to IL and then to me. Yikes.
I used to buy vintage sewing patterns through ebay all the time and have never ever had this much difficulty. Grrrrrrrrr.
Ack, after a few emails and much nail-biting, we've got it figured out. On Dec 20 it wasn't delivered to KY, it was delivered back to IL from KY. It's enroute to me here in Halifax. I think the holdup in KY was caused by me asking the seller if she could send it to a different suite # in the same building and it somehow changed the suite # of the KY address instead of my Halifax address....and the "recipient" on the delivery slip wasn't the final destination recipient, it was just the recipient back in IL on the next leg of the journey.
Good grief, what a palava. ::) Now that I know the process it won't be such a big deal and I'll know just to calm down and breathe into a paper bag until my parcel arrives ;D Or do some meditation or yoga or something.
Reminds me of when my friend in the Lone Star State sent me a box of edible goodies one year, and for some reason, the USPS dropped the 9 off the house number (29), and being an oddball (pardon the pun) street that we lived on, all of the houses were odd-numbered, so the house number they sent it as didn't exist, so I had to wait for the package to get into the UK to notify ParcelForce of the error, the paperwork in the pouch my freind attached was correct, but the USPS's own printed label, nope...
It was a good job I caught the error in time, otherwise a load of nice american candy (and proper Oreos) would have been destroyed... :(
Yikes, yes it's a good job you caught it. Can you not get Oreos in the UK? When I moved back to Canada from Ireland I couldn't get HobNobs for the longest time, or McVities Digestives. We used to make peanut butter & jam "sandwiches" with the digestives, after a night of cider and Guinness drinking and curry chips eating. Ewwwww :D
Yeah, we have things that are named and look like Oreos, but they're not the same as the real deal from Nabisco... :(
I don't usually have Hobnobs or Digestives myself (won't go into details why!!), but I do like the chocolate ones, mostly cos I'm a chocoholic... :D
Quote from: Bridie on December 22, 2013, 12:15:11 PM
Ack, after a few emails and much nail-biting, we've got it figured out. On Dec 20 it wasn't delivered to KY, it was delivered back to IL from KY. It's enroute to me here in Halifax. I think the holdup in KY was caused by me asking the seller if she could send it to a different suite # in the same building and it somehow changed the suite # of the KY address instead of my Halifax address....and the "recipient" on the delivery slip wasn't the final destination recipient, it was just the recipient back in IL on the next leg of the journey.
Hi Bridie:
I am glad you managed to get it all sorted out. Alas, these things can happen. While Global Shipping can be a pain, there are uses for it. I have used it a few times where the seller won't ship direct to Canada, but they will ship via G.S. It takes a few days longer, and it is a bit of a pain as you don't get a tracking number until the item hits Kentucky and they have sent the parcel on.
So far, though, it has always gotten the item here! I am glad, though I was able to find the contact info for them - hopefully it will save someone grief some day!
Dave
Bridie,
Hopefully, it will get there just fine.
I recently received an item from an ePay seller, mistakenly. I had made a purchase from them, and they had shipped another seller's item to me, as well. Oops, it happens.
I looked at the shipping labels, which gave me the buyer's info, re-packaged it, sent it along, along with an enclosed note, and message to the buyer via ePay, explaining that their item was enroute.
The comical thing about the transaction is that the item only had to travel across town (Phoenix) from seller to buyer. Instead, it took a rather circuitous route through KS.
Keep on with the Guinness and cider, and jam sandwiches! Go mbeannaí Dia dhuit!
Best regards!
I sent a package Parcel Post from Oklahoma to Calif and it first went to the wrong post office in Calif and then to Florida, to Missouri, back to Florida and then back to Calif. Somehow it finally arrived at the correct location in Calif 11 days later.
Happy Holidays to everyone!!
Gary
I am waiting for a package at the moment which, according to the USPS tracking page, has left the regional sorting facility twice in the past four days, but never reached my local post office.
Larry
I'm just glad that to date, I've only ever had the one issue with the USPS's, ahem, "service", I'm waiting for another package from my friend that sent the goodies (this time it's vac parts and a '53 WE500), and most of the time it goes well, aside from when it gets stuck somewhere like UK customs and I don't see tracking updates for a week... ???
I remember when my friend ordered some clothing, and it was originally located just a couple of states away from Texas, but for some reason the package went on a tour of New York and a few other states before actually arriving where he lives, if only packages could earn the recipients airmiles due to the distances travelled... ;D
Well, over a month now and my parcel still hasn't arrived. The last known date location was December 20th at Chicago IL. Since then it seems to have vanished and nobody seems able to tell me anything. I'll give it another week and that's it, I start getting ugly. >:( >:( I can understand now why some sellers won't ship to Canada. If I were a seller I certainly wouldn't want to deal with this crap and worried customers.
Have you checked the Canada Post website using the same tracking number which showed the package in Chicago? Once it leaves the USA, the USPS tracking might not show much about it.
Larry
No, unfortunately neither of the tracking numbers are valid for Canada Post tracking.
Quote from: Bridie on January 07, 2014, 12:09:49 PM
No, unfortunately neither of the tracking numbers are valid for Canada Post tracking.
The tracking number for the shipping to Canada should be valid for the Canada Post site. It probably ends in "US". If the Canada Post site shows that it has no information for the number, something has gone wrong. I believe that the information is supposed to be sent to the destination country before the package arrives there.
At any rate, if your item does not show up within a certain amount of time, ebay is supposed to issue you a refund. You will have the pleasure of a long conversation with a clueless customer support person in the Philippines.
Larry
I had the tracking number for FedEx which was a 12-digit number, and the Global Tracking Number which began with UPAAA. Those are the only two numbers I have :(
Quote from: Bridie on January 07, 2014, 12:25:50 PM
I had the tracking number for FedEx which was a 12-digit number, and the Global Tracking Number which began with UPAAA. Those are the only two numbers I have :(
Was the package sent to Canada by USPS or FedEx?
Larry
Well well well. Called FedEx again and spoke with a couple of other people and got more detail, and have been in contact with Pitney Bowes. Apparently it WAS misaddressed by the seller, due to a miscommunication. Neither one of us understood the Global Shipping Program. She got a shipping address for me from ebay for the Pitney Bowes address, at a Suite #200. I thought it was going to be addressed to my address, so when I messaged her and asked if I could change my suite address from 1225 to 1325 to ensure someone would be there to sign for it, she changed it -- on the shipping address she got from ebay (the Pitney Bowes address). That suite # at that address doesn't exist, so it sat there at the FedEx KY depot for two weeks while they sent a mail card to me at the address that didn't exist (because they didn't have a phone number) and then sent it back to the sender. The problem is, the sender never received it back. Someone named Sharon signed for it, but the sender says she never received it.
So I guess I should just cut my losses and get a refund from ebay. I'm sad though that I missed out on that phone. It really was lovely and it was a good price.
Global Shipping Program. Meh, never again. This has left a bad taste in my mouth. I have a massive headache and may just have to have a couple of glasses of wine when I get home. >:(
Quick update: The AE40 found its way back to the seller, who tried sending it to me again. I got a tracking # from Canada Post the other day and received notification last night that it made it to Halifax. It should be in my hands on Monday! Now, fingers crossed it didn't get broken along the way...
AE40? What was the Pitney Bowes stuff about? I thought it was office equipment of some sort. Not that an AE40 isn't valid office equipment....in the 1940's and 50's!
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 18, 2014, 09:30:59 PM
AE40? What was the Pitney Bowes stuff about? I thought it was office equipment of some sort. Not that an AE40 isn't valid office equipment....in the 1940's and 50's!
Terry
Pitney Bowes is the Ebay Global Shipping contractor. The seller in the US ships the item to their ERLANGER, KY 41018 facility, where they do the customs clearance, handle the forwarding to Canada. It is basically a freight forwarding facility owned by Pitney Bowes...
http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html (http://pages.ebay.com/shipping/globalshipping/buyer-tnc.html)
I have actually had good luck with the service, and many US sellers will send it that way when they won't send it direct, as they don't have to deal with the customs documents and taxes. However, what happened to Bridie is that the seller sent Pitney Bowes the wrong address for her so it got forwarded to the wrong address. Went in a circle...
Dave
Pitney Bowes seems to be the customs agent under the Global Shipping Program on ebay now. The item is sent to their KY address where it's processed and the customs forms are filled out, then they send it forward to the buyer. I hadn't bought from ebay in a long time, so the entire process was new to me. So glad the phone is finally here ;D
Quote from: Bridie on January 18, 2014, 09:53:55 PM
So glad the phone is finally here
Pictures, please. After all we've been through, that phone is an old friend to us all . . . ;)
I hadn't heard anything about this likely because I have done so little on ebaY lately as well as that I have virtually anything that was sold from the USA shipped to my US address and I bring it home myself. Nice to have that option!
What does this service do to shipping prices from the US to Canada?
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on January 19, 2014, 12:54:15 PM
I hadn't heard anything about this likely because I have done so little on ebaY lately as well as that I have virtually anything that was sold from the USA shipped to my US address and I bring it home myself. Nice to have that option!
What does this service do to shipping prices from the US to Canada?
Terry
Well, I could give specific examples, but generally you pay a small amount to the program (percentage of final bid), plus the ship[ping charge, and then they select the cheaper shipping methods, sometimes Canpar, sometimes Fedex, most often Post, and appear to keep to mid range shipping, i.e. express vs. Priority. So it is a bit lower than priority rates...
An example from something I bought recently:
Item Bid:
US $49.99International Shipping :
US $15.13Import charges:
US $10.73Import charges include GST and Pitney Bowes' charges.
Dave
So I guess the program eliminates the chance that the item might be delivered without any taxes or duties at all? Sort of like us returning (driving) to Canada in the Nexus lane versus a regular lane. If we are over our exemption amount in the nexus lane we will eventually be billed to or credit card. So we usually would take a regular lane as they are just as likely to say "close enough" and send us on our way.
Nexus is a trusted traveller program that pre-approves you through an extensive background check including fingerprints in exchange for money and the ability to use quicker lanes at the border.
Terry
It's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!! And it's lovely! Needs some work but I knew that when I bought it. Will post photos in a little while.
Quote from: Bridie on January 20, 2014, 11:10:47 AM
It's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!!! And it's lovely! Needs some work but I knew that when I bought it. Will post photos in a little while.
I'm happy for you Bridget :)
I've posted photos of the lovely AE40 here (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10999.msg117723#msg117723). Since this Drama-Trauma was caused by the buyer and seller (not understanding how the Global Shipping Program works) and not the Global Shipping Program itself, I'm going to give ebay another go eventually when I'm ready to buy more items.