US Customs ate my package

[Bob A]

Good day, all.

I ordered Dmitry's book in September, and it was shipped around the beginning of October from Moscow. It entered US Customs on 10 October, and has not been seen or heard from since,

I've made a number of inquiries, but the Postal Service says they have no influence on Customs, and were unable to provide me with a contact number. US Customs website is useless for this purpose; I've not been able to find a way to proceed.

I've had other packages delayed for weeks in Customs, and still have hope that the book would appear. However, it's not guaranteed. If anyone has information or suggestions that would be of assistance, I'd love to know what it might be.

Thanks.

[mahratt]

Unfortunately, as soon as the parcel arrived in the United States, the Russian Post answers me that now it is possible to track information about the parcel only through the US postal service ... And in the US Postal Service, there is no information about the parcel ...

I now have a similar problem in the UK ... There, too, the parcel with my book was detained at customs for some reason ... At the same time, forum participants from Australia, Poland, Spain, France and several other European countries, and yet, By the way, one participant from the USA has already received parcels with books ...

[RAMBA]

I can confirm my copy arrived no issues to Australia. If customs authorities are detaining books we have a big problem in the world.

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by RAMBA

I can confirm my copy arrived no issues to Australia. If customs authorities are detaining books we have a big problem in the world.

Thanks Tom. Russian Post pointed out to me that in the UK, customs delayed the book because: "Customs declaration is missing or incorrect"...
But the customs declaration for the book in London was issued in the same way as for you, and for other participants who have already received the books ...
But in the case of the parcel to Robert, I have no information at all why the parcel has been in the US customs for so long...

[Bob A]

Originally Posted by RAMBA

I can confirm my copy arrived no issues to Australia. If customs authorities are detaining books we have a big problem in the world.

We unquestionably have big problems in the world.

That said, I suspect ineptitude rather than socio-political interference. As someone mentioned to me elsewhere today, "Half the people you saw today are below average."

[RAMBA]

Originally Posted by Bob A

We unquestionably have big problems in the world.

That said, I suspect ineptitude rather than socio-political interference. As someone mentioned to me elsewhere today, "Half the people you saw today are below average."

Yes I have just had an experience of ineptitude in a large dose.

[ariel]

I ordered this book from the publisher and it got stuck with the US Customs for a whole month(!). Then, just as suddenly it appeared on my front porch.
Hope yours is in the same temporal limbo.

I also informed Mahratt that I bought his book and per his promise I also was entitled to its English translation.
That was month ago and I am still waiting for any response. Likely, US Customs are not the only ones to screw things up.

[Philip]

Are you sure the delay, in this case, is with US Customs and not the US postal system itself? In my experience, there have been frequent delays with parcels arriving from Europe or Israel, which enter the US in New York. Study of tracking records show that the hoidups are generally at a postal facility identified in the tracking history as "New York ISC" At times it is a real choke point, parcels get stuck there for a week or two. Sometimes there is no further tracking entry but after another couple, or three weeks the parcel lands on my doorstep! It's completely unpredictable. Last spring, a book I ordered from Italy never arrived, it entered the NY ISC which turned out to be a black hole which swallowed it forever. (fortunately the seller refunded my money)

In contrast, I have had parcels come to me via the San Francisco ISC and the processing is fast.

I have little or no faith in the US Postal Service when it comes to parcel delivery. Or tracking reliability These clowns can't run as tight a ship as the courier services but hey, what do you expect at rates that are so much lower? You can't expect a steak for the price of a wiener.

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by Philip

Are you sure the delay, in this case, is with US Customs and not the US postal system itself?

Hi Philip.

I know for sure that my package for Robert is now located in the US Customs.
These data are reported to me by both the Russian Post and EMS service in the United States of America.
The latest information from October 11, about my package with the book:

10/10/2019 21:52 Arrived at destination import office John F. Kennedy Apt/New York
11/10/2019 03:37 Presented to import customs John F. Kennedy Apt/New York

I am pleased only with the fact that I do not create financial problems for Robert I warn all buyers of my book that I ask you to send me money only after my book is in their hands.

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by ariel

I also informed Mahratt that I bought his book and per his promise I also was entitled to its English translation.
That was month ago and I am still waiting for any response. Likely, US Customs are not the only ones to screw things up.

Dear Ariel

My bad English is probably to blame. I did not promise anything to anyone and did not give any obligations.
I show courtesy to those forum participants who do not know Russian (This is a completely free bonus). I hope you understand the difference between “promise (obligation)” and “show courtesy”? If now you again did not understand my poor English, special for you, I am ready to repeat this phrase in Russian.
After all, you read and speak Russian well? After all, you spent a significant part of your life in the USSR. You regularly write on Russian forums and judging by the topic "Crimean Tatars knives in the 18th century", you perfectly understand spoken Russian.
It is for this reason that you do not need a translation of the book into English.
So I allowed myself in this situation not to towards you and did not send you a translation of the book.

[Philip]

Originally Posted by mahratt

Hi Philip.

I know for sure that my package for Robert is now located in the US Customs.

It may very well be true. However, the tracking system depends on the handlers of the mail (whether they may be working for customs or the post), scanning the parcel into the system as it moves en route. If it is scanned at the point at which it exits customs and then continues on its delivery path with the post, then that bit of info should appear on the tracking history. And so forth, as it is is transferred from one point to another on its journey to its final destination. But it has to be scanned before its movement can be recorded in the system.

What I can state from experience (I have been in the antiques business for years and do a lot of shipping) with the US post is that sometimes, shipments addressed to me have no tracking entries after the New York ISC, often for a week or more, until it finally and unexpectedly is delivered to me. Online, the impression is that it is "forever" stuck in that NY processing center because there is no subsequent entry of data. Ideally, tracking entries typically appear for each intermediary stop, for example from NY to my home in CA. But in some annoying cases, it is like a "black hole" of data and there is no idea of where the thing is until it finally shows up--and it could be the following month. And in a few instances, when I check the tracking info online after delivery, there is no record of it being delivered at all! (for shipments going via international priority or express mail, a signature is required of the person receiving it so thus the delivery is recorded electronically in the tracking system, either via the hand-held device carried by the postman, or if the delivery card with bar-code is signed manually and scanned when the mail is picked up in person at the station.

The only point I am making is that the performance of the postal network can be unpredictable because of inherent inefficiencies in the postal system as a whole. Postal tracking is not infallible, there is a human element involved. And US Customs is not necessarily the default root of delays in the mail. Due to the volume of mail, not all packages warrant the same scrutiny. It is perhaps understandable that customs inspectors want a hard look at a parcel containing, say, a revolver or a set of ivory billiard balls, but here we are talking about a currently-published book, which according to tariff regulations enters duty-free if written and published abroad.

[mahratt]

Philip
Thank you so much for such detailed information.

[ariel]

Mahratt:

Here is your post of October 6 in the Swap Forum


“In addition, to everyone who purchases my book, I send an e-mail translation of the book in English in Word format.”

Sounds like a promise to me.

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by ariel

Mahratt:

Here is your post of October 6 in the Swap Forum


“In addition, to everyone who purchases my book, I send an e-mail translation of the book in English in Word format.”

Sounds like a promise to me.

Ariel

Well now you know that this is just my little courtesy for those forum members who, unlike you, do not know Russian.
Especially for you, I made an addition in my topic on the Swap forum.

[ariel]

Nothing like that was mentioned originally. Sounds like a broken promise to me.

You mention that this “courtesy” is free.
Well, if the price is right , I am willing to pay.
How much do you want?

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by ariel

Nothing like that was mentioned originally. Sounds like a broken promise to me.

You mention that this “courtesy” is free.
Well, if the price is right , I am willing to pay.
How much do you want?

I see you don't understand my bad English well. That's why I'm going to write to you both in English and in Russian, which you know very well. I don't sell English translations. I give courtesy to those participants of the forum who do not know Russian, sending them a translation of the book. I hope you understand now. And one more thing. Not all questions can be solved with money.

Я вижу Вы плохо понимаете мой плохой английский. Поэтому напишу Вам и на английском языке и на русском языке, который Вы точно хорошо знаете. Я не продаю перевод книги на английский язык. Я оказываю любезность тем участникам форума, которые не знают русский язык, отправляя им перевод книги. Надеюсь теперь Вы поняли. И ещё один момент. Не все вопросы можно решить при помощи денег.

[ariel]

Duplicate. Sorry, the button on my iPad overreacted:-)

[ariel]

Got it: you just do not want me under any circumstances to have English translation of your book. Why, is of course your decision and your problem. But that’s OK.
Thanks for the messages.

[mahratt]

You can understand it the way you want it. Although I've explained the reason more than once. Including in your native Russian

[OsobistGB]

I had no problem with the delivery of the book!!!
It was sent on 23/03/2019 from S.Petersburg and on 01/04/2019 I received it at my home in Denmark.Apparently stress comes more in some countries and agencies

[Bob A]

To all those who have been sitting on the edge of their chairs wondering if I'd ever see this book, you can relax now.

It arrived in Customs October 10, was released to the USPS on November 15, was attempted to be delivered November 16(!) and picked up from my post office this afternoon.

A lovely book; the gorgeous illustrations make me eager to read the text in translation. I'm like a starving man standing outside a fine restaurant, staring through the windows at all the delicious food.

Thank you, Dmitry!

[kai]

I'm glad it worked out, Bob!

Sometimes you need to be really patient with the carriers and, more likely, customs and other authorities.

Regards,
Kai