Quote:
Originally Posted by steve B
International shipping can be a mystery.
I'd been told - now several years ago- that for many countries the mail time depended on the envelope making the flight. Not all flights did mail, and many only carried mail once a week or even less often for odd places.
So things would usually take some time. I was buying stuff from the UK, and it was usually a week, maybe a bit longer.
Then one time I ordered, right about this time of year. Figured on two weeks since the mails were full. The next day the postman knocks. ???? I'm not expecting anything. It's the package from the UK! Not sent express or anything, made it next day. He didn't believe me until I pointed out the date on the post office label.
I had a package going to the UK take only 3 days, a big surprise as well.
On the other side, there's customs and culture.
One of the bike guys was in Holland. Every shipment he sent anyone got a month or longer delay in US customs. Apparently they really inspected the Holland shipments for drugs.
Another one was buying a bike from a guy in Italy. Deal done, paid, and I wait......Nothing. After about 6 months I see him selling a pair of special wheels for the same sort of bike through a guy in NJ who would handle stuff for him. Basically buying a crate full of stuff and the seller would include a bunch of other stuff for him to ship so there would be less shipping time. So I was a bit worried figuring he'd forgotten and parted the thing out. Asked and the response was "don't worry, that's a spare pair of wheels for the bike. He's shipping it soon, they just don't have the same sort of hurry to business we have" Week later it shows up. Packed really well, and with a couple bonus parts for the delay (Not expensive but useful)
I wonder how international Ebay deals with that? I'm led to understand it's a fairly common thing in Europe for things to be a bit relaxed.
Steve B
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If you think bike parts get looked at close from Holland, bring back a suitcase full of bags of coffee.
My favorite coffee is the Albert Heijn store brand pods. They fit my Senseo coffee maker. So whenever I go over I bring a whole suitcase full back because it is way cheaper than ordering them online.
Only had customs search me once but when the guy seen a whole bag of bags of coffee he thought he hit the drug smuggling mule of the year. After a hour of closely inspecting every bag and having my stuff scattered out over the entire table he was highly disappointed. Probably would have took a lot less time if I wasn't calling him, his Mom, sister, and everybody that knew him really nasty names. PS they really hate being only called Barny Fife and not their name.