What happens to parcels from China? Where are they delayed?

[Totempole]

i have just on 27/9 ordered something form china on ebay. its send with free int'l shipping. chian post. they say it will be delivered between 28/10 and 5/11. will keep you guys updated. just hope i receive this in time. last time i used a company called importitall to get my goods that i ordered from USA last year. it took only a month for the goods to arrive at my door. but it was more expensive through them. I decided to see if i can do this on my own. will see how it goes.

I have ordered the following from eBay/China:

2x Items on 10 September
2x Items on 12 September
2x Items on 17 September
2x Items on 22 September
2x Items on 25 September
2x Items on 4 October

I've just realized that I seem to buy stuff in 2's every 5 days with the exception of the most recent orders...
Weird :wtf:.

Anyway... my point is, I have yet to see any of the above items I ordered! Not one item has arrived yet!

The total order amount for all of the above items was about $60.00, and it was all "free shipping" stuff.

 

[AchmatK]

Did you get a tracking number. The items I bought are just $900.

 

[chrisc]

This time of the year, stuff ex China (economy post) will be held until a container is full. You might expect anything from 4 to 12 weeks. Yesterday, I received two items paid for on 13th and 20th July and said to be both shipped on 4th August.

 

[Totempole]

Did you get a tracking number. The items I bought are just $900.

No tracking number. The stuff I ordered is mostly cheap PC-related nick-nacks costing on average $5.00 per item. The most expensive single item was $12.00.

This time of the year, stuff ex China (economy post) will be held until a container is full. You might expect anything from 4 to 12 weeks. Yesterday, I received two items paid for on 13th and 20th July and said to be both shipped on 4th August.

I hope it doesn't take that long. After 6-weeks, I usually start losing hope. After 7-weeks I write them off as lost, and usually I'm right. This sort of thing seems to happen with the cheaper stuff. In my experience larger items get here quicker somehow.

 

[AchmatK]

Update on my delivery.

Date Time Location/Supplied via Activity
11 Oct 13 08:16 Cape Town - SOUTH AFRICA Out for Delivery
11 Oct 13 08:12 Cape Town - SOUTH AFRICA Arrived Hub
09 Oct 13 10:16 Johannesburg - SOUTH AFRICA Sorted to Destination
09 Oct 13 09:29 Johannesburg - SOUTH AFRICA Arrived Hub
08 Oct 13 23:50 HONG KONG In Transit to Destination
08 Oct 13 18:47 HONG KONG Sorted to Destination
08 Oct 13 14:53 HONG KONG Arrived Hub
08 Oct 13 06:00 Shenzhen (guangdong) - CHINA In Transit to Destination
07 Oct 13 22:00 Shenzhen (guangdong) - CHINA Collection

No indication on going through customs yet. Hopefully I should receive it sometime next week.

 

[AchmatK]

First part of my shipment arrived at my office. 4 x dashcams. No customs or clearing charges.

Now to followup on the rest of my order as everything was ordered from one supplier all at once. Fastest delivery I had from China. 7 days from paypal payment to delivery.

 

[Totempole]

First part of my shipment arrived at my office. 4 x dashcams. No customs or clearing charges.

Now to followup on the rest of my order as everything was ordered from one supplier all at once. Fastest delivery I had from China. 7 days from paypal payment to delivery.

You're lucky there were no customs or clearance fees. Usually, if an item is tracked it gets taxed.

I even had an unlucky scenario recently, where an untracked item was taxed. It was a set of electric window switches for the driver's side door of a VW which cost under $10.00. It was held up at Capemail because it was marked as a "Nail Art Tool" valued at $20.00. I brought them the invoice to prove it, and they charhed me R35 VAT+Clearance.

If the item had been marked correctly, I'm sure I wouldn't have had to pay anything and would have been able to coolect at my local Post Office, instead of going all the way to Capemail.

 

[SlowInternet]

I have 2 parcels that still haven't arrived, 1 from China (no tracking no) and 1 from USA with tracking number. Both were send in August 2013. At one stage the USA parcel showed on the tracking site that it has arrived at Johannesburg International Mail. Since then it doesn't show anymore. Now I get message that the tracking number cannot be found in database. Most probably somebody took it

 

[fred1]

I have 2 parcels that still haven't arrived, 1 from China (no tracking no) and 1 from USA with tracking number. Both were send in August 2013. At one stage the USA parcel showed on the tracking site that it has arrived at Johannesburg International Mail. Since then it doesn't show anymore. Now I get message that the tracking number cannot be found in database. Most probably somebody took it

You must call Jhb int mail. Give the international tracking number and ask for the local tracking number.

 

[Totempole]

I have ordered the following from eBay/China:

2x Items on 10 September
2x Items on 12 September
2x Items on 17 September
2x Items on 22 September
2x Items on 25 September
2x Items on 4 October

Today I received 1 of the 2 items I ordered on 12 September, so hopefully more will be coming next week.