Buying from USA now

[just-a-fewcpks]

I need to buy a small item from the USA.  I'm aware there may be postal delays.  My question is:  do you think there's a good chance that Covid disruptions will stop the parcel from getting here?

Anyone bought something from the USA lately?

[tazzieterror · Accepted solution]

Stuff from the USA seems to be reaching Australia in a reasonable amount of time based on what others have been saying on these forums in recent weeks.

Probably the more important consideration is *how* it's shipped if you're buying through eBay.

Check the listing to see if it's being sent through the Global Shipping Program (GSP), and if so, do a little research to ensure it's not an item on GSP's "forbidden item" list.

If it's not through GSP and is instead being sent through a regular international shipping service, it's not so much of an issue.

You could always send a courtesy email to the seller letting them know you're interested in purchasing and asking if they've encountered any delays on recent international shipments (if they've made any).

[kopenhagen5 · Accepted solution]

I purchased several and they took 4-6 weeks to arrive.

Covid has only slowed parcels, not stopping them from arriving unless you are purchasing something shipped via GSP that they don't allow.

[jellybirddesigns]

Mail is getting through from the USA, but I'm finding that it's taking at least 6 weeks at a minimum for me.

[4channel]

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@just-a-fewcpks wrote:

I need to buy a small item from the USA.  I'm aware there may be postal delays.  My question is:  do you think there's a good chance that Covid disruptions will stop the parcel from getting here?

Anyone bought something from the USA lately?

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I've still got a few things coming and USPS at the moment is the quickest way. A while back in June I had a parcel that took one week off 2 months to get to me. The 6 weeks estimate that has been mentioned elsewhere on this thread is about right.

From memory,  it was May 2008 when the feedback allowance time was changed from 90 days to 60. There were some other changes too. OK, with 60 days you only have 14 or so days left to leave feedback if the item arrives in 6 weeks. If the seller describes right and item doesn't get damaged then all is fine. However if the item is a 1970s or 1980s hi-fi item, you need to run it for a good week or so to make sure that those 40 year old capacitors are charging, discharging, filtering and doing what they are supposed to do. One could be nearly dried out and its fault may not be evident until running the hi-fi item for a period of time.

Things to consider would be what kind of  items you'd want to buy. We all (most of us) like to reward that seller with great feedback for a job well done and those sellers that go an extra mile sure deserve it! So with just 60 days to leave feedback from point of sale.So with  the average time of arrival due to the state of things in the world today being 42 days, complex, fragile, aged electronic items might be better to source locally.  Books, records, DVDs, modern electronics etc. should be OK.

[lyndal1838]

Oh for heavens sake.....what has the OP got to do with feedback and the type of items to buy?

It is a simple question about whether any items are getting through from th USA.

Stick to the topic!

[tazzieterror]

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@4channel wrote:

However if the item is a 1970s or 1980s hi-fi item, you need to run it for a good week or so to make sure that those 40 year old capacitors are charging, discharging, filtering and doing what they are supposed to do. One could be nearly dried out and its fault may not be evident until running the hi-fi item for a period of time.

Things to consider would be what kind of  items you'd want to buy. We all (most of us) like to reward that seller with great feedback for a job well done and those sellers that go an extra mile sure deserve it! So with just 60 days to leave feedback from point of sale.So with  the average time of arrival due to the state of things in the world today being 42 days, complex, fragile, aged electronic items might be better to source locally.  Books, records, DVDs, modern electronics etc. should be OK.

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I'm starting to suspect some of your capacitors might have dried out—I've noticed an intermittent but persistent fault where you deviate wildly from the selected track and instead return to the same worn-out propaganda anthem we're all much too familiar with.

[4channel]

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@just-a-fewcpks wrote:

I need to buy a small item from the USA.  I'm aware there may be postal delays.  My question is:  do you think there's a good chance that Covid disruptions will stop the parcel from getting here?

Anyone bought something from the USA lately?

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I'd just like to add that the Economy shipping which is much cheaper than the std. USPS may not be best at this time as I believe it doesn't have tracking. I'm getting an item from the US via this service which may or may not take the 4 to 6 weeks (due to world situation). The item is not greatly expensive.  Anyway, I'm confident it will arrive OK as I've never had an item coming to  me getting lost in the mail. Well, none that I can recall.

Best wishes to you with your international purchase.

[dvd.horder]

it takes about 6 weeks or sometimes less time//prob go first class mail ..not global  shipping ... as first class is cheaper and just as quick

[4channel]

Well, I've found USPS First Class quicker than GSP. Yeah, true it is cheaper too. So 6 weeks with you too. As you can see, the OP is concerned about getting stuff from the US. But delays are the only real concern.

I had an item come from Hawaii  via USPS ( I don't like to think of Hawaii as a US state ) which then made its way to the US,  L.A. to be precise.  I was following it on the tracking. So it had a few stages then just dropped off the radar for around a month. As far as I knew it could have been at LA still or somewhere in between. I rung Aust Post and they couldn't tell me anything except that it was not even on our shores. Well as it seems to be just like when folks make a claim and the item happens to turn up the next day, I checked the tracking and the item was ready to be picked up. Actually, there was a note on the tracking page saying that there was a delivery attempt t the PO and they would try to deliver again. Well I got my parcel safe and sound and that's the main thing.