We have discussed here the importance of the tracking numbers. Here a nice example of a tracking number. I shipped the item to ... Mauritius! No need to add, of course I have no idea the buyer got the item or not ..... ENJOY!
@38e_avenue wrote:We have discussed here the importance of the tracking numbers. Here a nice example of a tracking number. I shipped the item to ... Mauritius! No need to add, of course I have no idea the buyer got the item or not ..... ENJOY!
The countries this works for is extremely random, but soooo awesome when it does. Now if only the UK, majority of EU and Australia could get on that page....
-Lotz
-Lotz
I'm using APC for a lot of my overseas shipments, basically is USPS IPA (loosely disguised). I see this type of tracking fairly often in the Covid period.
The packages wander around the US visiting many USPS ISC (international Service Centers) trying to get on a flight out of the US, this is why you see Jamaica NY, then Chicago, then Miami with sometimes Nashville, Atlanta and San Francisco sometimes with repeats.
When the package finally gets on a flight it is often makes a first stop in an abnormal country followed by more abnormal countries before finally getting on a flight to the actual destination.
Usually what is happening is that at some point it's loaded into a (aircraft) shipping container or pallet and as the container moves around the tracking will follow until they finally find an aircraft they can load it on and get it started moving to the final destination.
All my APC shipments start out in Jamaica NY, pre-Covid they would depart from JFK in NY but with the capacity issues they will often take the tour of ISC's until they fly out but now they are on flights to locations that were not the normal.
I recall one in January that was going to Australia, normally these would leave the US via San Francisco and go direct to Oz but I've seen some end up in Miami, fly to Europe ( London usually) then hop skip and jump their way to Tokyo before heading to Australia (this was during the period that USPS was no longer accepting (normal) packages for Australia).
@38e_avenue wrote:I have a rule (yeah, sometimes I break it): DO NOT CHECK YOU TRACKING NUMBERS, EVER!
Do ONLY, (ONLY!) if the buyer contacts you with that famous "where is my item" question.
Seriously!
I support that rule.....BUT!!!!!!!!
I've been involved in logistics and international shipping (both import and export) for over 40 years and at one time considered getting into the business. Because of that I'm still in the habit of getting an undestanding of how freight moves around the world. One thing that was obvious was that the direct movement of goods that regular people expect is NOT the way it works.
Back in the day I was importing from Europe, 2 or 3 shipments per week from the UK to Toronto. Most would fly on British Airways flights direct from Heathrow to Toronto but there were times when in order to reduce the costs shipments would travel London, Oslo, New York, Toronto or other much longer (but still cheaper) routes (the length of the route rarely affected the actual transit time.
In the shipping business it's ALL about "capacity utilization" just as it is with passenger traffic by air.
