Pen In The Mail- How Long Do I Wait For The Postal Service To Get Its Act Together?

[KellyMcJ]

So let me start off by saying that this is in no way the seller's fault.

 

I purchased a vintage Pelikan on eBay a few weeks ago from a seller in Serbia that I know and have bought from before. As expected he shipped the pen in the next couple days.

 

Tracking states that two weeks ago it left Serbia. Now, USPS.com seems to have no clue what to do with a Serbian tracking number, although eBay is able to track it. This does leave a question mark as to the accuracy of the available tracking. I contacted the seller asking him to look into the tracking on his side, and he told me that the package left Serbia and was en route to the US roughly two weeks ago. He asked me to let him know when it arrives in the states.

 

No tracking update so far, and no package. I've had this happen before, and when it's a US tracking number I contact USPS and give them the tracking number, and usually they find the package (it often happens that one falls off a conveyor or something and they just need to be alerted to the fact that it's somewhere on the mail room floor) but as the US customs depot is a HUGE place and USPS doesn't seem to know what to do with a Serbian tracking number, I'm at a loss. Obviously, they get scanned at some point because in the past, eBay has been able to track them, but when I go to USPS they say "Tracking not available for Serbia" which is, of course, super unhelpful.

 

It is of course also possible that it was stolen out of the mail, although I'm really hoping for "mail room floor" and that it will turn up.

 

How long should I wait and what should my next steps be? Like I said, this is in no way the seller's fault and thus far, they've been nothing but reputable. If this were a cheap Chinese pen I'd cut my losses and move on because it wouldn't be worth the hassle for buyer or seller to go after it, however even at a good price a vintage Pelikan going missing leaves me (and/or the seller) out a considerable chunk of change.

[sandy101]

There's no harm in contacting th epostal service now, and asking them what's happened. As I have found out, it is the sender, not the recipient who will have to make a claim - so start by contactin ghte postal aservice and ask them what's going on and keep the details, as you may have to ask the seller in Serbia to make a claim - because they paid the postage to the carrier, so they are covered by whatever insurance exists.

[KellyMcJ]

There's no harm in contacting th epostal service now, and asking them what's happened. As I have found out, it is the sender, not the recipient who will have to make a claim - so start by contactin ghte postal aservice and ask them what's going on and keep the details, as you may have to ask the seller in Serbia to make a claim - because they paid the postage to the carrier, so they are covered by whatever insurance exists.

 

I can try contacting USPS but I'm not sure what help they will be. Still, it can't hurt to try. I don't speak Serbian so contacting Post Serbia would be a little trying.

 

A friend just told me that packages from that area of the world take forever, and that he had one take two months!!! That hasn't been my experience but I've only bought one thing from Serbia and it took about 8 days.

[mitto]

As others have advised please ask the seller to keep tracking and informing you accordingly. Hope the parcel artives safe and sound.

[Glenn Atkins]

The USPS has really sucked rocks lately. Call your local PO. Keep hitting redial until they answer.

 

Glenn

[Cordovian]

The USPS has really sucked rocks lately. Call your local PO. Keep hitting redial until they answer.

 

Glenn

There's different noun I would have used that rhymes with rocks...but this is a public forum.

 

Customs in Chicago is fairly decent about getting packages processed quickly, the New York branch...not so much. I had a watch stuck there for four weeks. Honestly, I don't really think USPS had any control over that. However, they did leave said package, which was signature required, on the porch of a house down the street. I was luck the person was honest and brought it to me. That was not the first time they have done that and complaints do no good. I now get all deliveries sent to my office where service is quite a bit better.

[KellyMcJ]

There's different noun I would have used that rhymes with rocks...but this is a public forum.

 

Customs in Chicago is fairly decent about getting packages processed quickly, the New York branch...not so much. I had a watch stuck there for four weeks. Honestly, I don't really think USPS had any control over that. However, they did leave said package, which was signature required, on the porch of a house down the street. I was luck the person was honest and brought it to me. That was not the first time they have done that and complaints do no good. I now get all deliveries sent to my office where service is quite a bit better.

Oh wow. Well it would be going through NY customs, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Such a nice pen.............with a great nib.....

Redundant 'advice' deleted.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[KellyMcJ]

Tracking finally updated, it's in the states. I should have it this weekend, I hope. Coming via California for some reason.

 

Now, what to ink it with?

[mitto]

Congrats on the good news. Can't answer your latest question unless you get the pen in your hand and tell us how does the nib write? Dry or wet? What is the tip size and what shape grind it is? Oblique or stub etc etc?

[Chrissy]

Tracking finally updated, it's in the states. I should have it this weekend, I hope. Coming via California for some reason.

 

Now, what to ink it with?

 

This is good news. Please post pictures of it when you receive it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It is semi-flex, so will be a wet writer. For line variation any medium ink will do just fine.

If you want shading, you will have to use a dry Pelikan ink, or perhaps a R&K and your best paper, because it will be wet. Wet often swallows up shading. A good Blue-Black ink could be nice or an IG ink.

 

I have a number of pens and a little gray index card box. You need to find out which US index card is best. I remember an thread on that a while back....but not being in the US....wasn't going to pay US post for an upgrade.....and I forgot, which was which, when I was last in the states...so didn't get any.

 

A good index card with which ink is in which pen helps take a look at it. And a paper folder with your various papers for a line of what ever ink with what ever nib/width/flex can be helpful to buying more of that paper, or seeing how the ink dances.

[KellyMcJ]

So it's been a while!!!!

 

My birdie flitted around California for about a week and a half...finally I got fed up and contacted USPS customer service yesterday.

 

Today, the pen arrived, thankfully unharmed!!!! I think I'm in love.. (Also, I love this Chiku-Rin ink a lot more than I thought I would! More than Syo-ro even, and I thought it would be the other way around.)

 

http://i.imgur.com/bLm0Acx.jpg

[Bo Bo Olson]

How's it compare to your Wahl-Eversharp?

My, and I think most 140s are semi-flex (I've heard someone say he has a 140 that is more than semi-flex....but as far as I can recall, he was the only one.

My first semi-flex was a 140 OB....

As soon as I tested the nib at a flea market on my thumb nail, I suddenly knew what all the fuss was about.

Then I inked it.

 

Well, I will admit it took me some three months to lighten my Hand....but semi-flex was sturdy enough for the Ham Fisted like me.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[KellyMcJ]

How's it compare to your Wahl-Eversharp?

My, and I think most 140s are semi-flex (I've heard someone say he has a 140 that is more than semi-flex....but as far as I can recall, he was the only one.

My first semi-flex was a 140 OB....

As soon as I tested the nib at a flea market on my thumb nail, I suddenly knew what all the fuss was about.

Then I inked it.

 

Well, I will admit it took me some three months to lighten my Hand....but semi-flex was sturdy enough for the Ham Fisted like me.

Right now it's as wet as the Wahl was before the feed became saturated and settled down. We shall see. They're close, I need more time with it to judge.

[sandy101]

You might like to take a look at Diamine's Safari green ink. It's a lighter green ink that shades wonderfully

[Sasha Royale]

Unless the sender pays additional service charges, USPS does not track foreign "tracking" numbers. The world is simply too big. So, tracking usually extends to the national border of the originating postal service. At one time, we could estimate domestic delivery of mail, that originates outside the USA, at three to four days. Along with reduced manpower in the USPS, there is something for incoming international mail, called "quarantine". I have not been able to ascertain the varying standards and protocol for international mail quarantine. Certainly, a tracking number of a piece of mail, that is not moving, will not be scanned as leaving a location.

 

By the way, "leaving Serbia" would not impart much information, as Serbia is not exactly a "hub" for international mail. We can only speculate the routing from Serbia to JFK or Miami Intl. or (if it goes the easterly route, SFO). All in all, four weeks isn't so bad. My carton of Reforms from Germany took four weeks.

 

It's not my place to make excuses. The level of service you demand does exist. Few are willing to shoulder the cost. For $8 or $10, your fountain pen traveled halfway around the world, through

( ? ) countries, to your front door. So, in 2017, the time frame is four or five weeks, including three weeks of anxiety. Seems to me that it works.

 

When an Ebay seller goes online and obtains a tracking number, and reports it to Ebay, Ebay designates the item as "shipped". Gluing a number to the outside of a package is NOT the same as mailing it. Domestic, small package, mail takes about three days + or - .

[Mech-for-i]

I guess we know why all these national mail service(s) are going down and seeing less and less use .. be honest and frank .. they just do not do their job well, and not properly so

Edited August 17, 2017 by Mech-for-i

[KellyMcJ]

I guess we know why all these national mail service(s) are going down and seeing less and less use .. be honest and frank .. they just do not do their job well, and not properly so

USPS is usually spot on, and as soon as I alerted them to the issue I had my pen THE NEXT DAY.

 

I dread the day they are gone and I'm forced to use UPS and FEDEX for everything.

[Barkingpig]

As annoyed as I have been when tracking a package that sits in a USPS facility & is NOT tracked for as long as ten days, making me worry that it has fallen off a table, cart, mail bag, or whatever imaginable place of repose it might find, swept into a corner, under something, hidden from sight or any other possibility for MY package's failure to advance on it's journey to ME, I believe sometimes, it works quite WELL.

 

Monday, I sent off two packages to members here; one a hardback book, THE HISTORY OF INK & because I knew my friend would be interested to receive it, paid Priority shipping, which indicated 2 day delivery. The other package was very small, containing some samples of inks & as I had offered them, I didn't specify shipping preference; when the cost was 2/3 less for the smaller packet than the larger, (heavier book, traveling a shorter distance) the additional day's delivery seemed acceptable.

 

The "PM 2-Day" package suggested arrival Yesterday

 

The "First-Class Parcel Service" packet, traveling a further distance showed "Expected delivery" today, a day later & with 66% less cost of shipping, seemed understandable.

 

Yet BOTH packages were delivered the SAME DAY, one "right on time," & the other, for minimal cost, a DAY EARLY!

 

SO, I realise this may never happen again, surely does not explain many of the unusual behaviors for past & probably future shipments, but THIS TIME, it deserves a mention!

 

Just as the efficiency & gracious attention the LONE agent @ the USPS counter does, when she agreeably furnishes MY choice of commemorative stamps, instead of the stamped, postal meter generated, sticker that normally is affixed to the package. My delivery persons are same, each exhibiting equal courtesy & efficiency, despite whatever weather condition they find for their day's work. Despite their Postmaster's explanation to me that they are "working with a system that is BROKEN," they each seem to work harder to prove that their efforts will produce a positive result, within that "Broken," system.