Has anyone had problems with packages going to Germany?

[silverpinups]

According to Canada Post tracking info I've had a package stuck in German customs since Oct.29, 2019.

I've also checked Deutsche Post for updates and it shows the same info.

Has anyone encountered any problems with packages going to Germany?

[marnotom!]

German customs has a reputation for stopping, assessing and charging all qualifying postal imports for taxes and duties due.

Items that require these charges to be paid are held at the customs office until the buyer pays the charges or refuses the package.

You may want to see if the tracking information on the Deutsche Post website yields a bit more information on the shipment's status.

[luckylegend]

100%

Canada post tracking never shows if a delivery was attempted in a foreign country.

If you go on the other country’s tracking they could even tell you the amount charged and the location of the item!

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@silverpinups 

You may want to message your customer and ask them to pop in to their nearest postal depot and check status of their package. From my past experience with higher value shipments to Germany, they are not really good as far as it goes with notifying customers that there is a package available for pickup. (Spoken to 2 German customers that stated they never received any sort of notice even though tracking showed it was.)

-Lotz

[reallynicestamps]

OTOH-- It is usually not a good idea to tell the customer there is a problem. It is usually better to wait until he complains.

An item held at Customs is not a delivered item.

A sketchey customer can claim INR, get a refund, then toddle down to Customs and pick up his refunded purchase for only the cost of duty and taxes.

I am old and grouchy.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@reallynicestamps 

I'm proactive. How i was raised. And carry that sentiment going forward. My customers appreciate that.  I used to send customers to other stores when we didn't have something in stock when I worked in retail. Management wasn't always thrilled but customers returned. Sure beats " Not my department.", now the standard response.

-Lotz

[silverpinups]

@reallynicestamps 

"It is usually not a good idea to tell the customer there is a problem. It is usually better to wait until he complains".

I fully agree.... There no sense stirring up a hornets nest. For all I know the buyer has the package already....

[luckylegend]

If it gets returned because buyer didn’t pay customs he doesn’t get a refund

Been there! The buyer lost the case and eventually picked up his package

[luckylegend]

I am the same way!
It’s so rare nowadays.

To be honest, sometimes It’s not the best quality though

[luckylegend]

I would still check though what happened to it... because it might be customs but also they can seize it...

[hlmacdon]

As noted, German customs assesses packages very, very often these days which leads to a higher rate of abandoned packages. Always ensure your shipment includes an invoice and contact information for the buyer. If an invoice isn't present they'll ask the buyer for one at which point some buyers simply choose to abandon it and claim it wasn't delivered. If one isn't provided your package is going to sit there until they return it as non-deliverable, assuming the given shipping service is setup for RTS. As more European countries move towards assessing a much higher percentage of packages this is something you'll want to watch out for. Sellers in China have had major issues with Swedish buyers rejecting packages since they changed their assessment process.

[silverpinups]

According to the Tracking Number the package was successfully delivered on Nov.19/19.

That is definitely a long customs delay as I mailed it on Oct.25/19.

I sent a package a few weeks earlier using Tracked Packet-International to France and it was delivered in 3 days!

[hlmacdon]

Glad it worked out. Seeing the same thing with USPS not getting tracking information back from Ze Germans, but the German side shows all the tracking details along with deliver scans...eventually.

[marnotom!]

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@silverpinups wrote:

According to the Tracking Number the package was successfully delivered on Nov.19/19.

That is definitely a long customs delay as I mailed it on Oct.25/19.

I sent a package a few weeks earlier using Tracked Packet-International to France and it was delivered in 3 days!

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My understanding is that in Germany, the recipient of the package has to pick up the item themselves from the Zollamt (customs office).  I suspect the delay was due to either the buyer being slow to be notified of its arrival, or the buyer being slow to pick up the item.

[silverpinups]

The German Postal Service can be problematic... I shipped a package on Nov.12/19 using Tracked Packet-International to Italy and it was successfully delivered on Nov.22/19 (10 days, beginning to end). 

[marnotom!]

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@silverpinups wrote:

The German Postal Service can be problematic... I shipped a package on Nov.12/19 using Tracked Packet-International to Italy and it was successfully delivered on Nov.22/19 (10 days, beginning to end). 

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Not trying to pick a fight here, but I'm not following your thinking.   While customs and the postal system do work hand in glove much of the time, I don't understand how a customs delay equates with the postal service being problematic.

[silverpinups]

I consider extended delays at Customs a problem (there is a lack of efficiency here) for me as a seller especially when I can send a package to France and have it delivered in 3 days, ship to Italy and have it delivered in 10 days or ship to the UK and have it delivered in 5 days.....  

Having a standard package (of low declared value) shipped using Tracked Packet-International (which is a very fast service) to Germany that takes 35 days to get delivered is unacceptable.   

[reallynicestamps]

I am constantly amazed how quick shipments to and from Europe are compared to USA/Canada shipping.
I suppose it has something to do with Air Mail, but I rarely see feedback from an American customer in less than two weeks . (I don't use tracking so I have to use FB to measure delivery times. )

[silverpinups]

Yes, I am also amazed at how fast shipping (using Tracked Packet-International) to European countries takes compared to the USA. Shipping to Canada (Expedited) is also very fast for the most part. 

Tracked Packet-USA usually takes 10-12 days which isn't really slow..... unless your comparing it to various European locations.