Item from Germany

[papermoon.lady]

An item from Germany posted 3 weeks ago hasn't arrived in Australia or gone through Customs yet.

Items from Germany usually arrive promptly (in a week or just over a week), so obviously I am worried.

Could it be that Customs have been busier than usual because Aussies have been buying more than usual from overseas just before the introduction of the GST?

And what should I do if it really went lost? It is not the seller's fault (the seller has very good feedback).

I know that sometimes (at their discretion, as they say) PayPal refunds out of their own pocket if an item with a tracking number gets lost in transit.

How longer should I wait? Maybe until the end of next week?

[kopenhagen5]

I have always found items from Germany take longer than UK or European countries.

I assume when you say 3 weeks that would only be 15 working days so I wouldn't panic yet.

In eBay you have 30 days from last estimated delivery date to open a case so plenty of time.

It can also happen that someone forgets to scan it on entry in Aus and suddenly appears in tracking when it's at the Aus distribution centre.

[digital*ghost]

If I'm concerned about a package, I usually just start by contacting the seller and asking if the timeframe is normal and whether or not they can find out any further info from their end. That way they are made aware of a potential issue and may be able to take action, without the pressure of immediately having to deal with a request or refund.

[papermoon.lady]

I actually meant 3 real weeks, which only happened once in December (because of Christmas I assume).

Luckily though it has just been scanned in Australia!

[papermoon.lady]

I did ask the seller, but she was just going on holiday and was supposed to come back on Sunday the 15th. But as I said it looks like everything is going to be fine, as it has just been scanned in Australia. It is such a relief. 🙂

[michellebartley]

It can take up to 4 weeks postal time from Germany and thats from my own experience.