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The reason I've started this topic is that I'm still waiting for 3 separate parcels from different areas of the US that were sent out before Christmas, and I'm obviously worried. The longest delay so far has been 2 months a few years ago. But, I'd like to hear of other people's experiences with this, and, I'd also really like to know WHY and HOW things get so delayed, what is happening to the packages???

There are HUGE delays recently on packages sent from US to Europe. I just got a guy in Germany receiving his package (sent via priority mail on December 11th, received in Germany on January 28th).

I believe this is due the strict policy of EU countries to process all incoming US packages through customs. I guess a LOT of European people are buying from USA due the low dollar and the local businesses are raising hell...

I also suspect the unusually cold weather in the northern hemisphere contributes to postal delays.

The USPS has been total crap lately.

I live in Canada and packages being sent via airmail to or from the US have been taking an average of 3 weeks to arrive. In fact, there have been several times over the last couple of months that items have been shipped to me on the same day from the US and Europe by airmail and the packages from Europe arrive before those from the US.

It's ridiculous.

From what I've seen normal service has been resumed after the holliday season - the last package from the US took a standard one week to arrive (to Poland). In December it was more like two weeks. But I've NEVER experienced a package roaming for a month or more on its way to me. And I'm talking about the standart First Class Airmail service.

The few I've sent to Europe in the past 2-3 weeks have all arrived on schedule TMK. This includes 1 to Poland and 2 to Sweden among others.

daniel- is my package one you are still waiting on?

No, not worried about that one

Ok customs explains some of it, sometimes, but there are still things that don't make sense; earlier this month I ordered a parcel from Canada and it arrived after about a week - which is normal - now how can post sent after Christmas be arriving within the usual time while the ones sent out earlier are STILL delayed somewhere, it doesn't make sense. I wish someone in the postal service could clarify it, shouldn't the delays lead to a pile up that affects everything until it's cleared up, but instead it leads to some sort of pile up of packages sent during a certain period of time. How on earth?

When will a song be written about the alternate realities of the postal service and the stress it places on the vinyl collectors?

There was a prolbem with one of my orders too, it's been over 35 days since one CD was shipped and it hasn't arrived yet.

Never order anything between December 10th and January 10th, that's a rule I try to live by. We had the last issue of Candlemass Chronicles ready by December 12th but we held the release 'til January because we knew otherwise half the copies we sent out would be heavily delayed and some of them mysteriously lost.

Socks sometimes disappear when you do the laundry, parcels disappear in the mail during Christmas. It's just the way things are.

It's simple. For example some of my orders between 18-21 of December shipped out (left USA) after New Year's day. There are tons of packages were waiting to shipped out so the guys from US Post Office cannot select "by day". I guess they are picking up any package which could fit in their standard schedules.

Problems here as well. Packages from the US take eternity to arrive (2 - 3 months). I think everything passes customs these days. All in all, nowadays I experience the biggest postal problems I ever had. Inevitable nasty side-effect from buying too much records; like some curse.

The new USPS slogan is :

"More for shipping, slower at your door!!!"

I believe this to be true. I was recently sent something from only 4 states away priority mail, which should have taken 2-3 days tops. Took 10 days to arrive.

Nebuchadnezzar wrote:The new USPS slogan is :

"More for shipping, slower at your door!!!"

But then again I got new stylus from US in 4 days to Finland. (Yeah I know, it's not a big packet full of 12"s...)