Thanks for that. For those of us not shipping international all the time, it is pretty Byzantine beyond simply looking at a tracking number. With our ranching operation we handle a good deal of domestic freight shipping and I can tell you that tracking numbers often don't tell the real story.
Fotoimpex shipping delays
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At least your items were coming from the other side of the world.
I have been waiting 18 days for items to come from a supplier in Great Britton to the Republic of Ireland. A stone's throw across the water. Pre Brexit delivery was 3-4 days. The hold up, not covid but Brexit and the GB supplier, among other things,not having the correct paperwork.
At least your items were coming from the other side of the world.
I have been waiting 18 days for items to come from a supplier in Great Britton to the Republic of Ireland. A stone's throw across the water. Pre Brexit delivery was 3-4 days. The hold up, not covid but Brexit and the GB supplier, among other things,not having the correct paperwork.
It seems you could just walk over and back to get it much faster. I can feel the pain.
I routinely order photo books from a publisher in Germany. They typically get to me in California incredibly quickly - often 2-3 days, even recently, and with free shipping! But I have a book being shipped to me now that has been sitting at a UPS location in The Netherlands for several days and it's not clear when it's going to get moving again. Covid has really buggered up shipping, and not just internationally. I've had packages take 2+ weeks or longer to get to me from other parts of the US.
A bit off-topic: Strange thing is that shipments to Finland are coming through at normal pace. I haven't noticed any lag at all. I ordered a lens from UK and I got it in under week.
Maybe santa is doing packages at his freetime ..
Maybe santa is doing packages at his freetime ..
An awful lot of parcels is very badly delayed, with the state of Covid in Europe, and the number of staff either self isolating following contact tracing or ill with the virus pretty much every thing is delayed, I order film from the UK, normally arrive with in 2 or at most 3 days, last order took a month to arrive, it is just the sad times we are currently living in, I doubt it is lost, it will turn up but things all over here a bad, delays with everything, plus all the border controlls Ect, You have problems over yoiur side of the pont, so just be patient, I am living with the European problems, inb the tiny Island where I live, just 9miles by 5 miles we had well over a thousand cases just before Christmas, but a lock down, right though the holidays, has bought the cases down, Patience is a virtue
I'm still waiting for my order, which has now been at DHL's Frankfurt airport location for seven weeks and one day. Perhaps FOTOIMPEX might look into the status of all orders it shipped to the U.S. There's no mechanism for individuals here to contact DHL with questions on stalled shipments. Only business customers get a DHL "contact us" option.
OK, now everyone can give me grief for not contacting FOTOIMPEX privately with that suggestion.
My order is in exactly the same situation. Posted from Fotoimpex on 20th November, still in Frankfurt from what I can see
It is hard for me to understand/predict the current trade route slow downs. No doubt people in the know have an idea. I've received items from Japan that get here normal time. Germany to US using DHL seems to be a troubled route.
According to this site, DHL (in Germany at least) is doing much worse than its competitors of the face of it (is there some structural reason DHL should have a harder time?)
https://www.trackingmore.com/de-to-...o-get-a-package-from-germany-to-united-states
https://www.trackingmore.com/dhl-ge...o-get-a-package-from-germany-to-united-states
https://www.trackingmore.com/de-to-...o-get-a-package-from-germany-to-united-states
https://www.trackingmore.com/dhl-ge...o-get-a-package-from-germany-to-united-states
For example, there are few people flying between Australia and the US, so the number of flights were cut back. That produced slowing down all the mail between the too. Hence any large objects would get set aside. In my case they would not bother to load the package later, they just let it collect dust and on flew the letters.
Yes, that would be the kind of situation I was wondering about.
I ordered a lens hood, I'm guessing 25 grams, this was coming from Netherlands to USA. Sent by post. I'm pretty sure it came by sea, fill a container and put it on a boat. Took 4 or 5 weeks to arrive in perfect shape.
I've been getting very good transit times from Japan to the USA on eBay purchases shipped FedEx. I presume this is because FedEx has long had its own fleet of transport aircraft in support of their (expensive) overnight service, and are either flying more frequently or have reapportioned space for less urgent shipping. I wouldn't expect overnight volumes to have increased noticeably with lockdowns etc. -- they might even have decreased, as many businesses were closed for months at a time. Regardless, at reasonable shipping cost, I've gotten items from Japan in a matter of days on more than one occasion recently.
I presume UPS and DHL have similar (if smaller) dedicated air freight fleets, while it would generally be postal shipment that travels on passenger flights (which as noted are deeply down in volume). I have noted long delays in postal shipped items coming to me from Europe, Russia, and the Ukraine.
I presume UPS and DHL have similar (if smaller) dedicated air freight fleets, while it would generally be postal shipment that travels on passenger flights (which as noted are deeply down in volume). I have noted long delays in postal shipped items coming to me from Europe, Russia, and the Ukraine.
DHL in a case I just got with them even state themselves that their tracking information is false.
The same time they intend to use such tracking information against the customer.
(And this is not even related to the current situation.)
That I got from corresponding in writing. On the phone it is even worse. All I talked to gave each contrary answers, stating that their collegues all got it wrong.
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I've noticed that about tracking. I guess the tracking is happening only at certain stages. It isn't showing everything. For example a shipment from Hamburg on the northern end of the country will show up as leaving the distribution centre there. The next point showing up in tracking is arrival at the destination distribution centre, followed by having been loaded into the delivery van.
I'm sure that the lorry from Hamburg has made some stops under way. The parcel may have been transfered to another lorry.
If tracking is showing Frankfurt Airport it might well be sitting somewhere else and will show up again only after leaving US customs and being received by the first parcel handling station.
Japanese postal EMS service has been more detailed. I believe it showed arrival at the airport in Japan and departure from there.
I also had the case that tracking simply ceased to be updated and the parcel eventually show up at my door. According to tracking it will be underway for eternity.
I think that this is what happened with my order from Fotoimpex. I was notified that it had shipped, and then it sat in an overseas mail facility for several weeks before finally showing up. I don't blame Fotoimpex for the delay, since they did their part and shipped immediately. The delay was caused by DHL. I did contact Fotoimpex while I was waiting, but their replies ended up in my spam folder, so I only saw their reply a few days later because I checked my spam folder before emptying it.
No passenger planes flying = slow but steady sea cargo. I'm sure there's more time loading and unloading containers that are less than one thing. Walmart can probably get something from Shenzhen to the shelves of every Walmart in the US in 3 weeks. But that's all they do. I've had good luck with DHL and FedEx out of Japan and Hong Kong. Europe seems different.
Thus a good call by Adox to try to formulate new products as dust free powders. Powders are easier and much cheaper to ship than liquids.
MattKing
Moderator
One of the largest container ports in North America is essentially just down the street from us here. The port has a public communication office in the community, and pre-Covid ran all sorts of interesting information sessions and a few tours.
A good chunk of those US Walmarts probably get stuff through us.
As does much of the stuff from Japan.
Our most recent tour was on a really grey day.
The small stacked boxes at the bottom right here are actually 52 foot long containers.
And that staircase is the access for the crane operators:
A good chunk of those US Walmarts probably get stuff through us.
As does much of the stuff from Japan.
Our most recent tour was on a really grey day.
The small stacked boxes at the bottom right here are actually 52 foot long containers.
And that staircase is the access for the crane operators:
Attachments
Just shipped a 122 lb. package from San Francisco to Anahola, HI via FedEx, should be interesting. Also going to rural address that doesn’t pop up in the FedEx system so has to be entered manually. The Address comes up just fine in Apple Maps just fine, but Not in Google Maps. If the package arrives at the correct destination without incident I'm definitely buying a lotto ticket.
Shipping stuff these days seems to be a bit of a crap shoot.
Roger
Shipping stuff these days seems to be a bit of a crap shoot.
Roger
As promised we've asked our colleague at Fotoimpex who is the international shipment expert. All members who have reported current shipment problems with their Fotoimpex order and DHL shipment to the USA have got a detailed reply via conversation. Please have a look at it.
Thanks, best regards and please stay safe and healthy!
ADOX - Innovation in Analog Photography.
Thanks, best regards and please stay safe and healthy!
ADOX - Innovation in Analog Photography.
After reading that PM reply, my major gripe with DHL is that its tracking information is misleading. Due to COVID-19's effects on the air transportation system, shipments which show up as sitting in Frankfurt are instead on a ship at sea. Delivery to the U.S. is estimated at 25-30 days, and much longer to our western states. If DHL simply advised recipients of what is actually happening, I suspect most would be understanding and patient.
Many thanks to FOTOIMPEX for following up. The merchant in this case is just as much a victim of DHL's poor communication as are its customers.
MattKing
Moderator
Perhaps the thread title could be updated, as Fotoimpex clearly has answered!
Perhaps: "Fotoimpex shipping delays"?
Perhaps: "Fotoimpex shipping delays"?
Fotoimpex did their job great so I think the title is now misleading.
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