International shipping question, need help asap!

[Ghost]

note: this Amazon account uses my real info, it's not a stealth account.

So I shipped this book out a week ago to England from the USA via USPS First Class International. Using the online postage feature on Amazon, I printed out and paid for the postage and customs info to attach to the package. The package was just 9 ounces and since it was the weekend all I did was drop it off in one of those big blue mailboxes to be picked up.

Now I'm hearing from some people that they still won't ship the package even though it has customs info and everything on there already, since it wasn't handed to a post office clerk in person. Also as of right now there still isn't any tracking information available when you look up the DC#. Should I be worried about this? What should I do??

[MrMondo]

I have done exactly what you did with no problem. On the other hand, my post office knows me pretty well, and a clerk at a different post office once lectured me on how I could never leave those packages in the mailbox. I guess the lesson is, you're OK as long as the clerk who processed your package wasn't in a sh*tty mood that day.

It's a BIG drawback with international mail that, unless you use the most expensive option, it can't be tracked. Even with Express International, the standards are laughable.

Good luck!

[Ghost]

Thanks! But why do they even bother giving you a DC# for 1st Class International if the package can't be tracked in the first place, though? Do they at least let you know when it reaches its destination?

[Ghost]

Apparently the package still hasn't arrived, as the tracking # still won't show delivery. It has only been about 16 days so far though. Just how long do 1st class mail shipments from the USA to England typically take anyway? I didn't think it would be pushing 3 weeks even though Amazon seems to find that "normal" in their shipping guidelines.

[Ghost]

Okay I remembered that I made this thread and just wanted to update this incase the answer might help anyone. They never did post tracking info on the USPS website for my package after all, but I contacted the buyer and he said that it arrived promptly anyway. So I guess the moral of the story is never trust the "tracking" offered for International First Class. It turns out that the shipments with Amazon-printed postage can just be dropped in a blue collection bin if they're under 13 ounces though.

[ovidiu]

USPS doesn't offer real tracking. Delivery confirmation, certified mail, and signature confirmation are more useful for confirming delivery. Overseas is especially tricky, since it's the international postal system that's handling the package. Even when using Express Mail Int'l, delivery confirmation is all you get overseas.