Sinopaleus Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 During the winter months November to December of 2011, I purchased some fossils from Morocco and the package arrived to ISC New York on December 9th, 10:22 pm. Today is February 29th, 2012, and the fossils have still not budged from the customs. I have not received a note from customs about the cause of delay yet either. Both Malek (M. Youssef) and I have been stressing like crazy to find out why it is not moving. The ISC New York Customs will not help with tracing the package, and the USPS service could not offer much help as well... It's been 2 and a half months since it arrived to customs... Can anyone offer any advice as to what we should do now? SP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 File an insurance claim for the lost parcel of merchandise... that ought to get things moving. Good Luck finding your fossils Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 An insurance claim would be the best thing if it was insured (I'm assuming it wasn't...?) Things get lost in customs all the time and will usually show up randomly at your door the second you think it's totally gone. I recently had a package go missing in customs for about two months. Just as I was about to give up on it, it showed up. The package wasn't even opened and inspected, it's just like it got sat in a corner somewhere at customs, forgot about and someone finally found it a month later and went ahead and passed it along. Hope it works out for you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Most international shipments that are signed for do have a minimum threshold of insurance that is included. The amount varies by agency and $50-100 are typical amounts that I recall from previous experience shipping overseas. Even if no additional premium was paid, the motivation not to pay any claim will hopefully have the fossils turn up in short order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I too have had to wait, came to the insurance point, then it arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I see... I'll try the insurance thing and hopefully it will show up. Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govinn Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Do you guys run into these delays with fossils coming from Morocco or just about any foreign country? I am about to make another trade overseas and would like to know what to expect... I have made two trades before with no delays. I'm wondering if it is a trend that is just starting... History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. ~Sir Winston Churchill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have two other packages coming from Belgium and Italy and they have not yet arrived... it's been one month for Belgium and 2 weeks for Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Youssef Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I am sending 6 to 10 packages monthly to USA , and always make it there in 12 days Maximum , i just dont know why they are holding Henry s package there without giving a reason , i had a similar situation about two years ago , a package was untraceable for over two months , we thought it was lost , i claimed the shipping company for somekind of refund , then in a sudden the buyer got his package , it s like our friend said , it must be put in a corner and got forgotten , let s hope the claim will move it . Malek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have a package coming from China that has been 6 weeks so far. Nothing major two fossils low value. Usually China or Hong Kong takes about 3 weeks for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Be careful buying from China. If it's real, customs might intercept it and it might get turned over to China. This happened to a Chinese dealer here in the states. As far as other countries go, Morocco is the only one I've ever dealt with that took forever to get here...about 3 months. Everything else seems to be pretty quick, particularly European countries. www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Only once did I have a nail-biter: a nice feather in Baltic amber which took seven weeks to arrive. I consider myself very fortunate, overall! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Only once did I have a nail-biter: a nice feather in Baltic amber which took seven weeks to arrive. I consider myself very fortunate, overall! I remember that feather. Why is it always the best fossils that take ages to arive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Good Luck Henry.... All my stuff arrived in good time from Malek in very good condition... no delays. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have a package coming from China that has been 6 weeks so far. Nothing major two fossils low value. Usually China or Hong Kong takes about 3 weeks for me. some times it takes 2 months to arrive..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I just received a worm from China that took 6-7 weeks to get to me, and that's about the longest I can remember waiting. Anything from the UK is usually about a week, from the US is about 2 weeks (isn't NY closer to Canada than London???) , and anywhere else in Europe, somewhere in the middle. Of course, most of my packages are small -teeth and trilobites mostly, if that makes a difference. Good luck with your package There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks NS and Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down under fossil hunter Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I too have had packages take 2 months and more, then when all hope is lost I come home and they a waiting on the stairs additionally I have tracked packages from overseas that only took a few days to get to customs and then sat there for almost a month. I ended up phoning the postal company and they were able to explain some of the delays they were experiencing and put my mind at ease. I have also had to claim for lost packages before and because I made a "big deal" about it they actually refunded the entire amount even though it was over their insured limit. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks NS and Peter Hi, Henry and all! I had been working at the post office at about 36 years... and by experience I can say that delays may happen in posting things everywhere in the world (for several reasons) independently to the distance the item has to go through... Of course, it's more common at the faraway posts. I recall cases of parcels from Greece to the USA and Australia that got at about six months to arrive!!!! In this case, Malek is familiar with posting things, so I am sure he has done it well and, if I have well understood, he has already deposited to his post office the appropriate form looking for this item. This form follows the item traces and an answar is to be chipped ...some time. Hopefully, the parcel will arrive next days... In the bad case the answer to Malek's enquiry is that the item is lost, he has to claim the appropriate compensation that varies between the countries ... Closing, I suggest everyone who posts valuable things to use the insurance choise. It costs some extra money but it ensures that everything will be well, even in the case of lost, when the compensation is equal to the insurance amount. Henry and Malek, good luck. I hope to a happy end Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hi, Henry and all! I had been working at the post office at about 36 years... and by experience I can say that delays may happen in posting things everywhere in the world (for several reasons) independently to the distance the item has to go through... Of course, it's more common at the faraway posts. I recall cases of parcels from Greece to the USA and Australia that got at about six months to arrive!!!! In this case, Malek is familiar with posting things, so I am sure he has done it well and, if I have well understood, he has already deposited to his post office the appropriate form looking for this item. This form follows the item traces and an answar is to be chipped ...some time. Hopefully, the parcel will arrive next days... In the bad case the answer to Malek's enquiry is that the item is lost, he has to claim the appropriate compensation that varies between the countries ... Closing, I suggest everyone who posts valuable things to use the insurance choise. It costs some extra money but it ensures that everything will be well, even in the case of lost, when the compensation is equal to the insurance amount. Henry and Malek, good luck. I hope to a happy end Thanks Astrinos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 4 months and counting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hince why I don't make a habit of shipping overseas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Got my two small fossils from China 9 weeks, no duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) Hi, Henry. You know that I don't intent getting you disappointed but I am sorry to say that I am very dubious if it's useful you to count any more... I wish I am wrong ... And I will be wrong only if this item is accidentally hidden in some corner of the intermediate post offices. Existing chance but so little... I say so because 4 months time is unjustifiable for an air mail object, as supposingly your one was... In my try to help (if I can say it) my first question is if this thing was sent as an ordinary one or it was of any special handling ( registered, parcel etc)??? For the ordinary mail none concrete info can be given because these items don't leave any trace, while for the special handling items you are given a receipt, they are listed electronically (hopefully and in Morocco) and some information can be given, if requested... Edited April 4, 2012 by astron Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinopaleus Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Hi, Henry. You know that I don't intent getting you disappointed but I am sorry to say that I am very dubious if it's useful you to count any more... I wish I am wrong ... And I will be wrong only if this item is accidentally hidden in some corner of the intermediate post offices. Existing chance but so little... I say so because 4 months time is unjustifiable for an air mail object, as supposingly your one was... In my try to help (if I can say it) my first question is if this thing was sent as an ordinary one or it was of any special handling ( registered, parcel etc)??? For the ordinary mail none concrete info can be given because these items don't leave any trace, while for the special handling items you are given a receipt, they are listed electronically (hopefully and in Morocco) and some information can be given, if requested... Astrinos, thanks for the tip The parcel is sent as priority mail, and has a tracking number... That is all I know, but Malek should be able to answer your question to full extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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