133 replies to this topic

[Masonry00]

Use the china post tracking number on the usps site.

 

Thank you! It never occurred to me that a China Post tracking # would work on USPS. 

 

It worked fine but, of course, USPS doesn't have very granular tracking reports so there were still no new entries recorded since it went into the USPS system on Monday. It estimates I'll get it Monday.

[Masonry00]

Monday has come and gone, and the item did not arrive.

 

More troubling, the tracking info has not been updated for over a week. The last update said it cleared Customs in Los Angeles on Dec. 27, 2021. I'm in Washington which should be two to three days by truck.

Edited by Masonry00, 04 January 2022 - 07:44 AM.

[range88]

As the parcel now enters US domain, I suggest you phone USPS directly. The parcel's may waiting to be picked up due to shortage of lorry drivers.

Edited by range88, 04 January 2022 - 05:23 AM.

[Masonry00]

As the parcel now enters US domain, I suggest you phone USPS directly. The parcel's may waiting to be picked up due to shortage of lorry drivers.

Thank-you, I contacted USPS directly today. They will check into it and get back to me.

[ArsMachina]

My column arrived today.

Wonderful work as usual and expected!

 

Jochen

[Masonry00]

Local USPS guy checked into it and said it would be a lot of work to create a ticket and I should just wait and hope it starts moving again. It's been stuck in Los Angeles since before Christmas.

[range88]

Local USPS guy checked into it and said it would be a lot of work to create a ticket and I should just wait and hope it starts moving again. It's been stuck in Los Angeles since before Christmas.

The shipping industry is in a global mess I suppose.

And at the same time it's also much more expensive than before.

I mailed another box this weekend and the shipping charge shocked me even more.

Edited by range88, 09 January 2022 - 08:11 PM.

[starzonesteve]

Yes, I'm currently at 5 weeks since the last shipping update.

[Masonry00]

Yes, I'm currently at 5 weeks since the last shipping update.

 

Huh? 5 weeks with no movement? That's not how shipping is supposed to work! One week would be excessive.

 

Is yours hung up after clearing US customs?

[starzonesteve]

Huh? 5 weeks with no movement? That's not how shipping is supposed to work! One week would be excessive.

 

Is yours hung up after clearing US customs?

Last notation is from Shanghai. I don't see anything about the US. I wonder if it is stuck out at sea?

[ArsMachina]

It was the same with my column.

For weeks no updates and it looked as if it was still in Shanghai.

Then it appeared in my country and things moved quickly.

 

One does need a lot of patience these days ...

 

Jochen

[starzonesteve]

It was the same with my column.

For weeks no updates and it looked as if it was still in Shanghai.

Then it appeared in my country and things moved quickly.

 

One does need a lot of patience these days ...

 

Jochen

This helps calm me while I wait. thanks.

 

Steve

[Masonry00]

Last notation is from Shanghai. I don't see anything about the US. I wonder if it is stuck out at sea?

The tracking info for mine showed it bounced around and took a few weeks to get out of China but then got to the US in one day (as one would expect with air mail). But it's still stuck in LA after clearing US Customs on December 27th. It does seem like COVID or no COVID it should at least have moved somewhere in 2 1/2 weeks! I don't think USPS has enough room to store packages for over two weeks. 

 

In my 58 years I've never seen anything even approaching 1/4 this slow so I put in another request with USPS to find out what happened to my package.

[Moravianus]

Patience, it will come...

Maybe..

[range88]

I checked all the parcels again, half arrived and half still not.

With in the still not half, half have arrived at the destination country, half still in some unknown place.

[range88]

I have never experienced something like this, either.

I'll offer the premium shipping for extra cost next time.

Actually I sent a 5kg parcel a few days ago with SF Express, the charge has risen up to an astonishing 1570 rmb. I now expect near 2000 rmb with the the column, which is a heavier and bigger parcel.

But last day I also got a notice that the parcel was delayed.

[Moravianus]

I have just received a Christmas card mailed December 1 from Europe..problems are universal.

 

range88, how is the tripod stiffness with the braces ? I have Leofoto 404C with Discmount-6 and heavy 120 bino and I believe the weak point is attachment of the legs to the tripod head.

[ihf]

Hopefully it is just a delay! There is a lot of understaffing and empty shelves in US stores right now. Not all Amazon packages make it to the destination right now. But it also might be a particularly bad time to ship through Los Angeles:

https://twitter.com/...770722271760384

[Masonry00]

Hopefully it is just a delay! There is a lot of understaffing and empty shelves in US stores right now. Not all Amazon packages make it to the destination right now. But it also might be a particularly bad time to ship through Los Angeles:

https://twitter.com/...770722271760384

 

It's sad to see what's going on right now, for sure. But I don't see how my package could make it on a train out of town without the tracking number having been scanned. The last known entry is clearing customs. And @ArsMachina is in Germany and reports the last tracking in China still!

[range88]

It's sad to see what's going on right now, for sure. But I don't see how my package could make it on a train out of town without the tracking number having been scanned. The last known entry is clearing customs. And @ArsMachina is in Germany and reports the last tracking in China still!

I think ArsMachina has got his parcel. The German part moves quickly after it arrives. But I have another German parcel which has been stuck within Germany for 3 weeks...so I don't find pattern in this.

And the 1570 rmb SF Express parcel did arrive in the final destination within 10 days and will be ready to deliver tomorrow or the day after. So money really talks.

This thing has taken up too much of my time, I'll definitely try to avoid Post Office Service and offer the expensive option next, at least in these times.

Edited by range88, 18 January 2022 - 10:45 AM.

[ArsMachina]

I think ArsMachina has got his parcel.

Yes, I got my column and I do know of two other german owners who received them as well.

 

The shipping was extremely slow, it took almost 6 weeks.

And the customs and taxes were miscalculated in my case so I had to pay 70% of fees :-(

 

My first column was shipped with the "expensive" option, it arrived within a week and all was calculated correct.

But I expect that in actual times the expensive shipping will be also less smooth than a year ago...

 

Jochen

[Masonry00]

Good news! USPS tracking finally indicates movement of my geared riser! It appears to have left the Carson, CA facility on Jan. 18th. Oddly, I had checked the tracking info on the 19th and there were no new entries, This new entry from the 18th showed up today (Jan. 20th). 

[starzonesteve]

My parcel has finally made it into the United States! Movement appears to be at hand. 61 days and counting...

 

 

...and I just opened my front door to get the mail and there was the package sitting on my doorstep. I just now opened it and can say that it looks something like a mixture between a tank and a work of art. It is absolutely gorgeous. I am excited to place it in my tripod and begin experimenting with loads I will place upon it.

 

Many thanks to range88 for bringing this product into existence.

Edited by starzonesteve, 03 February 2022 - 06:30 PM.

[starzonesteve]

So... Question to range88: Are you still planning on bringing that tripod into existence?

[ArsMachina]

So... Question to range88: Are you still planning on bringing that tripod into existence?

I am also checking back this thread daily hoping for THE good news about the tripod :-)

 

Jochen