[MERGED] Bones II Shipping Excitement/Wave

[Starminer]

Assuming folks are using https://usps-mi.net/packageid/??

 

I got a security warning. Looks like a bad link...

 

Yep. Should be https://ups-mi.net/packageid/

 

And incidentally, the tracking number does not work on that tracker, but works on UPS.com. No wonder they don't know what's going on...

Edited February 25, 2015 by Starminer

[SamuraiJack]

Heh

[Kantas]

My Wave 2 shipment arrived (in Vancouver) today.  The Tax & Duty gnomes at the CBSA have decided that I need to pay a magical $60 to receive my box.  That puits it a combined, between what was to be paid to reaper and what the government wanted, $130 for shipping.

 

Next time I think I'll just get it shipped to the states and bring it across the border myself. :/

 

 

edit:  The UPS tracking number stopped working once it crossed the border, my mail lady scanned the boxed when she brought it to the door but UPS still has it listed as "In transit"

 

This gives me hope that mine may show up soon... but at the same time, our tracking number still shows our Bones 2 stuck in Bensenville. 

 

but i'm just across the straits in Victoria, and we are wave 4. so hopefully ours will get here soon!

 

mainly because i changed the shipping address to my work so that i'll actually be able to get it right away... but we have a local convention this weekend, so i'm not going to be at work friday or monday... so I really hope it arrives either today or tomorrow if it's going to arrive soon.

[Sanwah]

A friend of mine received her Wave 2 bones in Sydney...so the ROW are starting to arrive. Mind you I am Wave 1 and still waiting, but hopeful for this week.

[Stephen]

UPS told me on twitter that packages are backed up in Bensenville because of the weather. So if you, like me have been wondering why your package hasn't moved, or whether it has moved but they just haven't told you - sadly it looks likely that they are, in fact, just sitting there. Bummer.

Re-posting this from Cycnet, our uber-loot may actually still be sitting in the international outbound warehouses in Bensenville.

Or they could be anywhere in the world - gotta love the information-vacuum powers of modern track and trace systems. 

 

After shipping from Reaper around the 13th, mine is also in schrodinger-ville. 

New Zealand 02/19/2015 1:46 P.M. Shipment Acceptance at international carrier Bensenville, IL, United States 02/18/2015 2:29 P.M. Package received for processing by UPS Mail Innovations

[Dan Goodchild]

I propose that Bensenville, IL officially change its name to Bonesville, IL.

[araziel]

If that weather is stopping them they should come here for a bit..

 

Seriously? I was hoping it was just a tracking bug, now you've got me worried.

[Kantas]

 

UPS told me on twitter that packages are backed up in Bensenville because of the weather. So if you, like me have been wondering why your package hasn't moved, or whether it has moved but they just haven't told you - sadly it looks likely that they are, in fact, just sitting there. Bummer.

Re-posting this from Cycnet, our uber-loot may actually still be sitting in the international outbound warehouses in Bensenville.

Or they could be anywhere in the world - gotta love the information-vacuum powers of modern track and trace systems. 

 

After shipping from Reaper around the 13th, mine is also in schrodinger-ville. 

New Zealand 02/19/2015 1:46 P.M. Shipment Acceptance at international carrier Bensenville, IL, United States 02/18/2015 2:29 P.M. Package received for processing by UPS Mail Innovations

 

I have done some digging around O'Hare airport, and the weather around there doesn't seem like it's that bad... definitely not "ZOMG CAN'T SHIP ANYTHING" the air port itself isn't listing any terrible delays on their website, and a few air port status websites list O'Hare as light delays. so if planes are flying, that means cars are moving. cause people are getting to the air port.

 

meaning there should be people at the shipping warehouse in Bensenville, just a hop skip and a jump away from O'Hare, and doing their job. Which means there's no excuse for this to be held up this long.

 

I mean, the guys at reaper are fighting through Icy road conditions to get this stuff done. I wasn't aware that Texans knew that ice could exist outside their freezer, let alone battle through it to get this stuff packed and ready to ship.

 

They are used to inclement weather, granted it's a bit more inclement this year, so they should be able to continue doing business once the major portion of the storm has passed. seeing as they are only expecting ~3 inches of snow in the next few days, that's nothing scary and something the plows will be able to deal with. I can't imagine that commerce from O'Hare has been brought to a stand still for the past week.

[GentleGiant]

After conferring with a friend, who also has a ROW Wave 1 order being shipped to Denmark, size of the package and arrival date might be factors as to what has left Bensenville, IL already.

My UPS page still says Bensenville, IL - arrived 02/19/2015 (36 lbs).

His UPS page shows:
02/18/2015 Arrived/received at Bensenville, IL (Loc: Bensenville, IL, US) (14 lbs).
02/19/2015 Shipment Acceptance at international carrier (Loc: Denmark).
02/21/2015 Package departed international carrier facility (Loc: Denmark).

 

His order number is higher than mine too, so would have been picked later in the day.

 

Screenshots for verification:

 

 

My UPS page:

 

His:

 

 

[Sabith]

I bet UPS is reporting Loc:Destination Country before the package actually REACHES that country.  I haven't heard of anyone receiving additional information beyond "Package departed international carrier facility" and the timelines seem to report the packages being IN that country in an unrealistically short amount of time.  Since it's not them in charge of the shipping, once the package is out of their hands, their job is done, so it might as well already have been delivered, for all they care.

[unidentifiable]

Update:

<snip>

 

I swear sometimes it feels like UPS customer service is designed to completely give you the run around all the time. This is the reason I dislike UPS.

 

I have no problem with UPS.  The problem arises from UPSMI.  Anyone can quickly tell you the logistics nightmare of transferring the 'ownership' of a package between 3 different shipping companies, complete with different tracking systems, and trying to get speedy, trackable service.

 

As mentioned, UPS delivers their packages consistently and on time when used directly.

 

 

Since it's not them in charge of the shipping, once the package is out of their hands, their job is done, so it might as well already have been delivered, for all they care.

 

Pretty much.  And you can be assured that as soon as USPS has ridden their hands of it that they'll just shrug their shoulders if you need to contact them.  As soon as your package leaves UPS hands, it may as well be lost.  Customer service is going to have absolutely zero idea where your box is, and each company is going to just pass the buck until you go away.

 

UPSMI is *NOT* customer-friendly, it's business-friendly.  The only reason Reaper chose them is so that they could have UPS be solely in charge of making sure everything gets gone from their warehouse floor rather than needing to wrangle UPS, USPS, and whoever else.  Instead, Reaper could have used UPS Worldwide and we would have a single tracking number with a single company and wouldn't have to get dicked around.

 

/rant

 

A package "lost" in this context doesn't mean that it won't get delivered, it just means you have no recourse if it doesn't.  Your package may well arrive at your doorstep despite never receiving a single status update for two or more weeks.

[Heretic]

I know one fella whose wave two rewards arrived in the Republic of Ireland. Mine, wave 3, destined for Northern Ireland is still in the same stage as GentleGiant's friend's. It seems odd UPSMI should consider handing over goods to a national carrier somewhere in the US as the same as them arriving in that country but it fits the time scales!

Edited February 26, 2015 by Heretic

[LittleBluberry]

From what I understand, using UPS Mail Innovations saves quite a few people some nasty brokerages fees that regular UPS likes to charge. 

 

I also remember that the US Postal Service near Reaper HQ couldn't handle the volume during the first kickstarter, so that likely affects things as well. 

 

Fulfillment is complicated.  I hope all the international packages arrive soon. 

[sumbloke]

Depending on the Service used we have Package Stations, and you can select one nearby and have the package delivered there. Then you just have to scan the notice slip from your mailbox and sign on a touchscreen and the corresponding locker opens and you can pick up your package. Very usefull for those of us who can't go to the post office during their office hours.

Yeah, I have a Parcel Locker in Australia. Similar concept, but we get sent a PIN rather than needing to sign. Unfortunately, courier companies won't deliver to them and when Kickstarter rewards are shipping you rarely have any idea of which company they're using to ship.

 

 

My package arrived!!. Now I need to carefully open it and carefully excise DDS2... Wow it takes up the whole bottom of the box... this could look suspicious... also now I kind of want my wife to see it at the bottom of the box rather than waiting till next week. Next week is the 10th anniversary  of our first date and I was going to give it to her then (was going to stash it in my closet). What does everybody else think. give it to her now or later?

 

 

Always stick with the first plan.

 

Stay on target…

 

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

 

A friend of mine received her Wave 2 bones in Sydney...so the ROW are starting to arrive. Mind you I am Wave 1 and still waiting, but hopeful for this week.

Sigh... I'm still waiting on my Wave 1 in Canberra (3 hour drive from Sydney)

[squarewave]

I didn't have the cash to pay when it was to be dropped off, I'll scan it when I can pick it up on Friday.  

 

The Mail Lady let me take a look at the invoice CBSA attached to the box.  Reaper put the total value at just over $390, CBSA assessed it at $422 and charged me GST + PST as well as $12 duty.  So yeah, it all checks out, it's just the first time I've had to pay tax or duty on a big kickstarter shipment.  Odds are I wouldn't have had to pay duty if I took it through the Tsawwassen/Point Roberts crossing, which is only an hour drive from me, they don't seem to give a elf unless you are being shady.

 

I guess it's US shipping from here on in.

 

 

If I understand correctly, UPS "Mail Innovations" is not UPS, at least not in the usual sense.

 

UPS picks up the package, and that's as much as they do with it.  Then they take it to USPS, and drop it off.  Then USPS gives it to Canada Post at the border.  So your package changes hands (and tracking systems) 3 times.  It's pretty dumb.

 

@squarewave:  Bones should fall under Toys and should not be subject to duty.  Can you explain further why you were charged? (Do you have an invoice you could scan?)  I never get charged duty for my "regular" ~$40 shipments straight from Reaper...

 

My purchase was made under the assumption that there would be no duty.  If there's duty I'm going to be livid.  Having to Pay $60 for shipping is one thing, doubling that is just theft.  If you paid $130, you'd have been better off buying your Bones at retail price and getting Reaper's >$35 free shipping.

 

Edit: From here: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/dte-acl/est-cal-eng.htm, the combined duty and taxes for a $300 package full of "action figures" sent to Alberta is $15 (aka: only the GST).  Again, you should not need to pay Duty.  However if you're in BC then you have PST as well.  The same $300 package incurs $36 taxes instead of just $15.  So if your package was $450, then yep, you paid $60 tax at the border, that's normal, and even if you use Ship-to-Blaine you'll still need to declare it, and pay tax at the border (you just save shipping).

 

I'd ship to Sweetgrass, but it's an 8-hour round trip.  That's a full tank of gas, which voids the $40 I'd have saved on shipping, plus it takes a day of my time.