grammynan

Well, today I received a package from wenot in Holland! It took a month to get here!

Thank you, Wendy, for all the goodies - 4 pieces of Dutch fabric, some Las Vegas buttons, a scented soap air freshener and a lovely homemade tea wallet full of Dutch tea bags! I can't wait to try it!!

lawsonmugs

Grammynan what a wonderful swap you finally got.lol,That fabric is so cute.Mary

skaduzy

I love the fabric and the tea!

sik1010

I did want to let people know that I have been helping Lori with some of our International packages. There have been some delays in packages coming to the US and also leaving the US. Wanted everyone to know that the person mailing is NOT responsible for the delay in these packages.
Penny123 in Australia had several delays in packages sent to her.
We have one to Ireland that had problems as well--Linda C still waiting from July. (This package should finally arrive on or before Monday.

I am happy to say that wenot finally got her package yesterday too! Her package spent an entire month traveling around the globe and had to be re-routed twice.
The only way to re-route was to file an insurance claim as a "lost" package.
So please remember to keep your Postal paperwork until your SP tells you that they have the package--that paperwork is necessary to get any help from the Postal Service.

I apologized to wenot for the delay in the package that I mailed, but I did keep her informed on the tour her package took on its way to her. I'm grateful for her patience along with all the patience of others who had their gifts and fun delayed.
Also, really appreciate all the care and concern from everyone about these "delayed packages." Nice to know they didn't wait alone and that they weren't forgotten on the bench.

Hopefully, our mail issues will be resolved soon and we can get things sent and delivered quicker for future months.
If you have questions or concerns on International packages, please let me know and I will try to help.
I should probably thank all of our International Swappers, as I know things about Postal Services that I never thought I'd need to know, but have had "fun" playing with them--so thank you for furthering my education! :thumbup:

sik1010

Nice package grammynan, and the tea looks tempting; can we all come over for a tea party?

lawsonmugs

Thank You Sarah for all your work on this.I'm glad it is all getting straightened out.God holds people like you in a special place.Mary

candi

Siki, aren't you the intentional guru! Do we know why packages are taking this long? I haven't mailed international for a while, but the last time I mailed to Australia, a few months back, it took less than 10 days to get there. What did your research show?

And thank you or working so hard on this. :P

sik1010

The official answer is that there is no known delay.
The unofficial answer to do with tightened package securities surrounding a September date. :?:
We are NOT the only Country to have tightened security.
No one is specifically saying this--just tidbits of information that sort of point to this conclusion. So, no quoting on that one please.

Australia was delayed here first for over 10 days--no reason given.
Wendy's to the Netherlands, left the US and went to Canada, when I started my claim, they sent it to New Jersey. The package went thru Customs in Canada and the US, then they finally decided to send it to The Netherlands. It had to go thru customs again once it got there.
Some of the packages are going right thru, some aren't.
I did talk to a friend in Germany that mail orders and she was having similar shipping issues. Some 14 days, some 8 weeks.
I sent one package (not a swap package) to Canada and it took 4 weeks. Guess I should have drove that one next door, huh? That was a few weeks after their strike ended.

The delays started around mid-June and I am paying attention to September. I don't have all the answers, but I have figured out how to communicate with them and get some action. So, maybe we will be in good shape in our current swap. :thumbup: I'm optimistic!

sik1010

I appreciate the kind words Mary, I just want ALL of us swappers to have fun without waiting so long, so Lori kindly allowed me to check on things.
So, it's important to remember that NOT all delays are due to a SP!
I have been very concerned that mine mailed was not even headed in the right direction. I had wanted to send another package, but Wendy said it was fine. I thought with the law of averages, one of them might get thru. :oops:
I'm just happy we are getting these last ones home at last.

candi

You do good work, siki. Hey wait, now we all think that you are nice!! Doesn't that go against the reputation you are trying to build for yourself here :wink: