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USPS troubles - how about switching to DHL?


mke

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I have a package coming from the US - 2 weeks have passed and it has not even reached the airport. In April 2021, Priority Mail took 10 days from the starting PO to Japan.

This time USPS shipping partner is Stamps.com. Anybody else problems with Stamps.com shipments?

 

Anybody of you has a DHL account? How much would they charge for a less than 300g package? US to Japan

 

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As someone living in Canada, I don't like using courier services for international packages. They all charge what I consider to be excessively high "brokerage" fees for handling the paperwork at the border. And for moderate value purchases, the postal system seldom charges duty.

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7 minutes ago, pgomme said:

As someone living in Canada, I don't like using courier services for international packages. They all charge what I consider to be excessively high "brokerage" fees for handling the paperwork at the border. And for moderate value purchases, the postal system seldom charges duty.

This has been my experience (in the Caribbean) too. Recently I paid "duties", handling fees,  VAT, and one other charge, on a package that cost about $80 - shipping and taxes already included! DHL just charged me the taxes again, then added their own charges, and charged me the equivalent of $50.

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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I shipped a package from US to Singapore via US Postal Service a few months ago and it arrived in very reasonable time.   I shipped another package to the same address on May 26 and Tracking shows it cleared US Customs at end of May but is still "ready for dispatch".   5 weeks is outrageous for a package to sit in Chicago awaiting dispatch.  Today I will file the insurance claim.  I hope the investigation will at least get something moving.

 

I have had outstanding service between US and Asia with DHL.  They will pick up right at my house, and seem fully able to deliver packages between US and Japan or Singapore in either direction in three to five days.  I was super impressed with them.   

 

While US Postal Service has always been my preferred option, this experience is really changing my mind.

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I've had bad experiences with DHL, and don't trust them.

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2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

I've had bad experiences with DHL, and don't trust them.

Frankly in the last year all of the sevrices have been pathetic in my

experience. My worst was 2nd day delivery that took over two weeks.

But to be fair I have recieved some packages in a steller time frame, so

I suppose we are at their mercy. 

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with regards to shipping charges tokyo to la - i use a forwarding service so do get a discount on these prices 20x20x20cm 300g package - no troubles with usps, fedex or dhl so far - just the difference in shipping times.  usps up to a month but i always seem to get it in the end.  prices in usd

 

EMS
$24.51
FedEx International Priority
$40.61
DHL Express
$34.50
Parcel Post Seamail
$19.06
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> I paid "duties", handling fees,  VAT, and one other charge, on a package that cost about $80 - shipping and taxes already included! DHL just charged me the taxes again

In such a case reported, I would like to see the exact numbers.

 

My own experience with DHL is, while they are very expensive, everything was correct. The only time they added something was when I had to pay import taxes. Then they added what they called a handling fee for prepaying my taxes. I don't like that fee but this way, it is extremely fast. When I didn't had to pay taxes, there was nothing added.

 

@whichwatch

Is it sitting at the shipping partner or already with USPS? Mine is also waiting to be shipped via Chicago. "Arrived Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item, July 6, 2021 at 5:12 pm; ITASCA, IL 60143" In my case, the shipping partner is Stamps.com.

 

@Uncial

They could at least inform in their tracking system that the package is delayed and give a reason. I don't think that the delay US->Japan is due to vaccine shipping.

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I don't have a lot of experience with DHL or companies which use them.  But I do have one and it was pretty negative.  Don't know whether the fault was DHL or a certain seller on Amazon (or perhaps it might be a FORMER seller on Amazon, after my feedback -- at least I can only hope!) who used them, and claimed that DHL didn't provide tracking information when I asked for it.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Vaccine shipping has significantly ramped up over the last month and is set to increase before the end of this month. Space on planes and containers is tight I would think. I had a delayed shipment from FedEx and this was the reason they gave.

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Yeah, I figured as much (really, in this day and age, a shipping company DOESN'T provide tracking?).  Apparently, after looking at the seller's FB page, I'm lucky I got the CD at ALL....   Their wall was filled with complaints about how the item hadn't arrived, or they sent a DVD that wasn't Region 1 format, etc., etc.... :o 

Well, I got the seller back, but good -- because after my very negative feedback the seller offered me a partial refund if I "amended" what I posted.  And I "amended" it all right.  Told the world about the bribery attempt, heh heh.  And pocketed the refund and the joke's on them because with the refund (plus some rewards points I already had) I paid a whole whopping 68¢ for a $13.99 US CD....  And of course the "amendment" was even MORE negative than the first one had been....  

My mother would be SOOOO proud! :thumbup:

Hmmm.  Just now looked on Amazon and the CD (new) is now a LOT more that $13.99 price I "paid" (that seller wasn't listed as a source).  I could have gotten a slightly cheaper copy at the time from a seller in Germany, but chose the US seller as figuring I'd get it faster, and not have to deal with waiting for it to get out of US Customs, since the bad seller was in Pennsylvania.  And then it turned out I could have DRIVEN there and back easily, because the place was an hour away.  I strongly suspect that the PA seller just turned around and ordered the cheaper one from the seller in Germany.  I got better service from the Japanese eBay seller I ordered my grey Pilot Decimo from at about the same time: better price than through Pilot-USA, good communication, was able to track the pen through Japan Post, and then, after it got through Customs, through USPS tracking.  And came two days after the CD AND my (then) mailman Dave came to the door because I had to sign for it.  The CD?  Came in the mail with the rest of the stuff stopped over Thanksgiving.... And left on the porch on top of the stack (I had specifically requested it be placed inside the storm door, due to the time of year, and then contacted the seller directly in case Amazon hadn't passed the message along).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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DHL is a German company.  It is part of the German postal service.  Although separate, if you like the Deutsche Post, you will like DHL.  

 

I find it is almost always the most expensive solution.

 

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Jinhao 9019 "EF" nib running Birmingham Railroad Spike

Stipula Adagio "F" nib running Birmingham Violet Sea Snail

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> I find it is almost always the most expensive solution.

 

🤔

My package, $50 with USPS, would be $112 with Fedex, UPS $107 and DHL with $81. Of course, I don't know of hidden charges. They can change the ranking.

(With business accounts, it seems as if the rates can go down by 20-30%.)

 

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22 hours ago, mke said:

 

@whichwatch

Is it sitting at the shipping partner or already with USPS? Mine is also waiting to be shipped via Chicago. "Arrived Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item, July 6, 2021 at 5:12 pm; ITASCA, IL 60143" In my case, the shipping partner is Stamps.com.

 

 

 

 

The package was originally mailed via USPS at my local Post Office.  It has apparently been in their possession the entire time.  All they can tell me is it cleared Customs (5 weeks ago) and is “awaiting dispatch”.  This is why I filed a claim - to force an investigation.  

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I have only received packages through DHL. Had three or four orders from Cult Pens in the United Kingdom. Fastest was 3 days: slowest was four days. All my packages qualified for free shipping. Never paid any additional fees or taxes on orders from $150.00 to almost $500.00.

 

Always had pleasant delivery experiences.

Oh yes, and very good packing too!

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

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@whichwatch

Thanks. In my case, it was posted at the local PO. They shipped it with a shipping partner to Chicago where it is apparently sitting now in the depots of the shipping partner at Itasca. Typically, the next step would be the transfer back to USPS and then departure by airplane.

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1 hour ago, Gloucesterman said:

I have only received packages through DHL. Had three or four orders from Cult Pens in the United Kingdom. Fastest was 3 days: slowest was four days. All my packages qualified for free shipping. Never paid any additional fees or taxes on orders from $150.00 to almost $500.00.

+1 same experience

 

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On 7/12/2021 at 11:19 AM, Ron Z said:

I've had bad experiences with DHL, and don't trust them.

Ron, specifically why don't you trust DHL?

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