USPS does anyone here work for them?

[saxguy]

I am at my wits end, as I have had two handguns shipped priority mail, and the last thing I know they had been "processed through the sort facility in LA" TWELVE DAYS AGO.

I have spent about an hour and a half trying to get to talk to someone at USPS only to eventually be told that the sender has to file a claim so they can take a look to see what has happened. The sender meanwhile is not available, and might not be for a couple of week…………. I'm going MAD here trying to think of what to do. I am already out over $2000 and many weeks of waiting for the deal to be done (Im overseas)………………

I seriously cannot comprehend that two handguns have just disappeared from the radar, and that USPS wont even do a search for me…. *** seriously!!!!!

 

[SJshooter]

Were they mailed "Priority Mail" or "Priority Mail Express" (formerly Express Mail International)?

The first of these is only Priority until it leaves the US. If it is being sent to New Zealand, then once it leaves the US it goes to customs in your country where it is held until cleared and then delivered by your domestic mail carrier. If this is the case, any tracking you have will be unlikely to update once it leaves the US.

If it was shipped to you "Priority Mail Express" then once it leaves the US, it is handed over to FedEx, who completes the delivery in New Zealand, and tracking will be updated.

Usually an item will leave the US from Chicago (O'Hare) or Jamaica NY (JFK International Airport). I would wait a few more days and see if your tracking shows it leaving one of those spots soon. If it left LA on Thursday, it wouldn't get out of the US via one of those two outlets until Monday (tomorrow) at the earliest, and then tracking will take another 6-10 hours to update online. Stay patient!

 

[saxguy]

Were they mailed "Priority Mail" or "Priority Mail Express" (formerly Express Mail International)?

The first of these is only Priority until it leaves the US. If it is being sent to New Zealand, then once it leaves the US it goes to customs in your country where it is held until cleared and then delivered by your domestic mail carrier. If this is the case, any tracking you have will be unlikely to update once it leaves the US.

If it was shipped to you "Priority Mail Express" then once it leaves the US, it is handed over to FedEx, who completes the delivery in New Zealand, and tracking will be updated.

Usually an item will leave the US from Chicago (O'Hare) or Jamaica NY (JFK International Airport). I would wait a few more days and see if your tracking shows it leaving one of those spots soon. If it left LA on Thursday, it wouldn't get out of the US via one of those two outlets until Monday (tomorrow) at the earliest, and then tracking will take another 6-10 hours to update online. Stay patient!

Hi SJ

The package was sent Priority Mail Express, and I was told that it left the US on the 29th of May. I have a lot of stuff sent over from the US (Amazon goods etc) and packages normally only take one or two days to get here. On the odd occasion where goods have exceeded the free duty amount, customs hold on to them until we pay the tax. However, I have contacted customs and they assure me that the package hasn't come into the country. In other words, the package left the US nearly two weeks ago, and just didnt get here....! USPS wont look into it unless the sender requests this, and he is away. I was hoping to find someone on the forum who might be in a position to help, hence the USPS worker request.

 

[opamailman]

saxguy, I work for the USPS and may have some bad news for you. If it left the sorting facility on the date indicated, it may well be in the hands of DHS or US Customs. Unfortunately, it is illegal to ship guns through the USPS. If the package indicated it contained a handgun, it may well have been confiscated by DHS or Customs at the shipping port. The Post Office would not have been informed of the seizure.

 

[Onomea]

Opamailman, why do you say that? Within the US, FFLs can ship handguns by USPS. I have also mailed myself rifle via USPS within the US. But exporting a firearm out of the US... I don't know procedures for that.

 

[saxguy]

Great news.... The package has arrived. It was scanned into our Customs today, and I have immediately paid the duty and forwarded the appropriate import documents, and it should (hopefully) arrive to a post office locally within the next day or so.
Opamailman, I really appreciate your reply, but I'm not sure about it being illegal to ship through USPS as you say. The exporter ships guns overseas for a living, so I would think he would know if this is not allowed. Maybe it depends on the documents, by which I mean the export license (which I do have).

Anyway, it matters not now, as the package has turned up. That said, I do appreciate your reply.

The thing is, I would like to know where the package has been for the last couple of week, as USPS told me specifically that it had left the US on the 29th, and our customs (where packages come in) told me that it hadn't arrived up and till including yesterday. Guess one of em had it wrong, unless it was held up in another country which is unlikely.

Thanks.

 

[boatbum101]

Sometimes even here it can take 14 days for a gun to be delivered by USPS priority mail .

 

[saxguy]

Sometimes even here it can take 14 days for a gun to be delivered by USPS priority mail .

Wow... Why is that?

But, even if it does take longer (with firearms), I just wonder how my parcel could have disappeared for so long, apparently not in the US or in NZ... According to the relevant authorities anyway. Must have been somewhere? LOL

 

[Bullet Bob]

I don't think it really disappeared, just a tracking glitch. No biggie.

 

[307-Niner]

Slow boat to NZ...

 

[Bkreutz]

Great news.... The package has arrived. It was scanned into our Customs today, and I have immediately paid the duty and forwarded the appropriate import documents, and it should (hopefully) arrive to a post office locally within the next day or so.
Opamailman, I really appreciate your reply, but I'm not sure about it being illegal to ship through USPS as you say. The exporter ships guns overseas for a living, so I would think he would know if this is not allowed. Maybe it depends on the documents, by which I mean the export license (which I do have).

Anyway, it matters not now, as the package has turned up. That said, I do appreciate your reply.

The thing is, I would like to know where the package has been for the last couple of week, as USPS told me specifically that it had left the US on the 29th, and our customs (where packages come in) told me that it hadn't arrived up and till including yesterday. Guess one of em had it wrong, unless it was held up in another country which is unlikely.

Thanks.

It was probably in the "limbo land" between customs. The package could have been sitting in a corner in a bonded warehouse until someone got around to scanning it and processing it through customs.

 

[Doug M.]

If it was being lawfully exported by someone who does that work for a living, I suspect that they have an FFL and are covered by the exemption to the restriction to using USPS. Which it seems is what happened. Considering that the ITARs and some other laws and regs are pretty strict, one either does it right, or gets into a really nasty shoving match with BOTH governments. That makes the incentive to be right pretty big.

 

[saxguy]

"slow boat to NZ.... lol, love that one"

also "limboland"... thats a great word, have to remember that

... but you are right of course, it makes sense.

I feel a bit daft for panicking, but then I had a fair amount of time and money invested in this. Anyway, as soon as I hit send on this post, I am off to fetch the parcel from our Post Office.... in about 45mins I hope to be caressing...errrm, I mean cleaning and oiling my two new babies.

Thanks to all who replied on my post...
PS pictures will follow

 

[307-Niner]

In for pics. And I'm glad this saga has a happy ending.