eBay

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-08-2025

This is my first Tracked Packet to the US (with $95 UK made goods and one $5 China made coin declared as China 5 Yuan 2023).

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to see when it's out of customs and at the USPS facility.

C.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-08-2025

Parcelsapp shows this:

C.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-08-2025

Don't watch tracking.

It doesn't move any faster if you do.

And because of "spoke and hub" delivery systems, the shipment's movement may not make sense to the watcher.

If the buyer isn't complaining, sit down and shut up.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-08-2025

@femmefan1946 wrote:
Don't watch tracking.
It doesn't move any faster if you do.
And because of "spoke and hub" delivery systems, the shipment's movement may not make sense to the watcher.
If the buyer isn't complaining, sit down and shut up.

I'm anxious because I'm going away in a few days and if it comes back to me, no one will be here to repack and reship to the buyer. The buyer will have to wait until Sept 1 for me to fix any problem. That's why I'm watching to see it clear customs so I know it's not going to be returned like other people have posted about recently.

C.

jtg204 · ‎08-08-2025

Sign up for email notifications from USPS.com tracking if you haven't. It will let you know (sometimes) when it's moving after customs, and then when at the final destination/delivered. e-mails will say signature required, but signature is not required.

Last scan was Chicago, so I would still expect a possible long wait for the next update. No updates for days now wouldn't be unusual. Might be wrong, but I usually get the 'International' Distribution Center status after customs though, when the tracking includes out of custom status. Often there's no out of customs status though.

jtg204 · ‎08-09-2025

I looked back more closely, and from the last 21 delivered tracked packet USA items we've sent, 4 have had no customs info at all, and 3 are missing out of customs updates in the tracking.

To show how varied the statuses are and what to maybe expect from tracking, here is a bunch of our usps.com trackings from when they get to Toronto until they are out of Chicago:

https://imgur.com/a/tracking-examples-out-of-chicago-nr9qeBO

marnotom! · ‎08-09-2025

My understanding is that when the item clears customs, there should be a scan event that notes that specifically. Note the use of the word “should”. 🤪

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-09-2025

@jtg204 wrote:
I looked back more closely, and from the last 21 delivered tracked packet USA items we've sent, 4 have had no customs info at all, and 3 are missing out of customs updates in the tracking.

To show how varied the statuses are and what to maybe expect from tracking, here is a bunch of our usps.com trackings from when they get to Toronto until they are out of Chicago:
https://imgur.com/a/tracking-examples-out-of-chicago-nr9qeBO

Thanks for sharing, that's very useful and pretty helpful.

I have an offline source that I tell all my eBay problems to and he told me the best thing to do is wait for a scan to turn up somewhere outside Chicago, then I'll know if it's come back or is enroute to where it's supposed to go.

Thing is I'm kind of impatient, and in a week won't have internet (well it will be satellite internet, but it's super slow, so I don't want to be worrying about packages if I don't have to be).

The rest of my US packages went by Stallion and will mostly be delivered by the end of the week. There will be a few International ones outstanding, but my international buyers are pretty patient.

C.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-09-2025

@marnotom! wrote:
My understanding is that when the item clears customs, there should be a scan event that notes that specifically. Note the use of the word “should”. 🤪

Seems you are right!

I got this... so it's in the US enroute to it's destination now? (Like it won't get shipped back to Toronto?)

C.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-09-2025

@sapphyres-designer-jewellery wrote:
@femmefan1946 wrote:
Don't watch tracking.
It doesn't move any faster if you do.
And because of "spoke and hub" delivery systems, the shipment's movement may not make sense to the watcher.
If the buyer isn't complaining, sit down and shut up.

I'm anxious because I'm going away in a few days and if it comes back to me, no one will be here to repack and reship to the buyer. The buyer will have to wait until Sept 1 for me to fix any problem. That's why I'm watching to see it clear customs so I know it's not going to be returned like other people have posted about recently.

C.

@sapphyres-designer-jewellery

The tracking details including any customs info is usually more current on the local postal website vs CP. At least that has been my experience including US shipments. They don't sync the info hourly to CP. More like once or twice per day. I have 1 processing in Germany (dropped off Tues. of this week) at the moment. It was in customs for less than 6 hrs as per Deutsche Post (A div of DHL) and on its way for final delivery. It arrived mid morning local time and was delivered earlier this afternoon as per tracking. Buyer just confirmed delivery. Already have received delivery confirmation from DHL. As per CP last scans were arrived at parcel center(no location) and item processed (no location.) Nothing further.

Very glad majority of international sales (non USA) do not process in the USA and go on their merry way direct out of Canada. This was a new record for an intl shipment. 4 Days from drop off to delivery in Germany. No additional customs charges at time of delivery.

As a side note I have had confirmation emails where something has been delivered in the USA but as per CP and even USPS tracking still shows out for delivery....weeks later.

jtg204 · ‎08-09-2025

This does not mean it's in the clear from coming back yet. You have to wait to see where it goes next still.

One example I've seen, USPS ends with being cleared by customs and then USPS tracking ends and Canada Post shows it's trip back to the sender for unknown reasons and destination blacked out when there were RTS issues in June.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery · ‎08-09-2025

@jtg204 wrote:
This does not mean it's in the clear from coming back yet. You have to wait to see where it goes next still.

Since it's outbound, I presume I don't have to wait too long to find out. That was one of my concerns is that it would sit at customs for a week plus and I'd be offline when things are happening and unable to communicate with the buyer.

I'm going with the assumption that within the next 2-3 days, it will scan somewhere else.

C.