China Airmail (i need a straight up answer)

[Kent C]

First, trog's 'black hole' is spot on, in so many respects, and I expect the phrase to be used for eternity on this forum. And his explanation of how it is 'bollocks' for the way the USPS uses "customs" for their own delays is also right on the mark. Not that things don't get hung up in customes, they do, but the fact that the USPS uses that fact to mask their own shortcomings in servicing vendors and customers. I read on study where "Overnight" for the USPS is "1.6 days" on average.

In fact, for anyone who went through the 'innovapor shipping fiasco', it wasn't 'customs' that screwed up the USPS tracking - it was the Boise, ID PO station, despite the fact that many would like to blame the vendor. And frankly, while it is true, and that it is sometimes practiced by vendors to let their shipping orders build up in order to get a better bulk rate, it is more likely, imo, that whole period was, as Noah had stated over and over, the Post office not doing their job and not updating tracking. After all, It's the Government! That it happened over the July 4th holiday didn't help matters and with a few exceptions the average wait during that time was still around 9-10 days, but that was @4 days longer than prior orders.

Second! The order that I made from ecig24.com on Sept 9, (airmail) that was last reported by usps track/confirm as being "in NY customs" on Oct 16th, arrived today! in good shape, along with some bulk attys in 510 and 801 from Heaven Gifts that I ordered last week and shipped EMS. So the 'black hole' for the ecig24 package was over a week. And it wasn't even reported as being IN NY, until last night!

 

[b00gym4n]

First, trog's 'black hole' is spot on, in so many respects, and I expect the phrase to be used for eternity on this forum. And his explanation of how it is 'bollocks' for the way the USPS uses "customs" for their own delays is also right on the mark. Not that things don't get hung up in customes, they do, but the fact that the USPS uses that fact to mask their own shortcomings in servicing vendors and customers. I read on study where "Overnight" for the USPS is "1.6 days" on average.

In fact, for anyone who went through the 'innovapor shipping fiasco', it wasn't 'customs' that screwed up the USPS tracking - it was the Boise, ID PO station, despite the fact that many would like to blame the vendor. And frankly, while it is true, and that it is sometimes practiced by vendors to let their shipping orders build up in order to get a better bulk rate, it is more likely, imo, that whole period was, as Noah had stated over and over, the Post office not doing their job and not updating tracking. After all, It's the Government! That it happened over the July 4th holiday didn't help matters and with a few exceptions the average wait during that time was still around 9-10 days, but that was @4 days longer than prior orders.

Second! The order that I made from ecig24.com on Sept 9, (airmail) that was last reported by usps track/confirm as being "in NY customs" on Oct 16th, arrived today! in good shape, along with some bulk attys in 510 and 801 from Heaven Gifts that I ordered last week and shipped EMS. So the 'black hole' for the ecig24 package was over a week. And it wasn't even reported as being IN NY, until last night!

sept 9 - oct 16th?? that's ridiculous


this black hole thing is upsetting

however i've came to the conclusion that the farther you are from NY the longer it will take, a lot longer.


Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 20, 2009, 3:26 pm, CENTER POINT, IA 52213
Notice Left, October 19, 2009, 1:08 pm, CENTER POINT, IA 52213
Inbound International Arrival, October 05, 2009, 7:59 am, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

(Took 15 days to hit IA from NY)

--------------------

Detailed Results:

Delivered, September 30, 2009, 12:53 pm, NEW YORK, NY 10003
Inbound International Arrival, September 27, 2009, 1:29 pm, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
Foreign International Dispatch, September 24, 2009, 1:34 pm, SHANGHAI, CHINA PEOPLES REP
Foreign Acceptance, September 23, 2009, 4:47 pm, CHINA PEOPLES REP

(Took about 3 days from NY to NY)

---------------------

Detailed Results:

Delivered, September 08, 2009, 12:42 pm, DANBURY, CT 06811
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
Inbound International Arrival, September 01, 2009, 1:42 pm, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Foreign International Dispatch, August 27, 2009, 10:24 am, SHANGHAI, CHINA PEOPLES REP
Foreign Acceptance, August 26, 2009, 1:51 pm, CHINA PEOPLES REP

(Took 7 days from NY to CT)


---------

So from looking at these, once it hits the U.S (New York) depending on where you are mid, west, east it will take some time. East being fastest (1-5days), mid being(5-15days) slow, and west being dead slow (15-30days).

This is just something I made to give me a peace of mind. None of this information is conclusive.

The "black hole" or whatever you call it can also be a factor in delay time.

If I knew it would have literally taken this long I would have paid the extra 10 dollars and would have had my package last week.

...!

 

[trog100]

purely UK stuff this.. none applicable to the US.. tho some of it is..

stuff from dealextreme china a huge online shop..they do free shipping... its called tracked airmail for stuff over $15 dollars.. item put on airplane in Hong Kong on one chinese day.. they are nine or so hours in front of us.. arrives at my door delivered by royal mail the next day.. total transit time 36 hours.. not every time but often.. it comes off the airplane straight into a postie van and its one its way..

okay unbelievable and its free..

EMS chinese express... time to the UK similar to the DX free stuff... 4 days in customs 2 more day to make the rest of the trip.. it aint free it costs 28 dollars..

our UK customs have two different handling methods... unreadable chinese stuff chines stuff comes straight thru with no charge... readable stuff from the US goes into the other door and gets wacked import duty big time..

totally unbelievable but totally true.. we both ship and receive enough stuff to know what we know... he he

i think all this scribbled junk from china has overwhelmed the system.. our lot just send it thru i would guess.. your lot probably does the same.. not much point in sending it back to china.. the chinese would only send it straight back..

as a humorous thought imagine a sky full of airplanes all on their way back and forth from china... he he he

trog

 

[crashtestjeep]

Yessiiiir!!! Heaven Gifts is the BOMB pricewise, but very s-l-o-w delivery! Thats why I order my liquids from here in the states, plus it tastes better (I use NHaler, Mmmm!) and get my atties and carts from Heaven Gifts! Hands down BEST prices, I order 10-20 atties and 50 carts at a time so its worth it! Also, GREAT customer service! I cant say enuff how great they are! SO-be patient, itll arrive safe n sound. Expect it to say "spare parts" or "electronic toy" on the packaging to hurry it thru customs too....smart guys

I have placed 11 orders w/them and all arrived safe----well, I do have 2 of those orders on the wayyyyyy.....

Packaging is always on point as well...well wrapped and usually in a padded envelope, cant beat em'!

OH! My mom n her best friend order from them too, they split the expensive shipping and ALWAYS gets it in 5 days flat-so next time, if you cant wait, and you dont have anyone to go in on an order,PM me and well make one order, split the pricey shipping and have "multiple delivery addresses".I can always use extras.... Me n my mom do that soemtimes too....kind of a way around it all!

 

[Deathbox]

how long does it usually take to get a shipping order once you place an order from a supplier in China?

 

[ProfessorDaffy]

I order EMS and it arrives one week later in Tennessee, almost always to the day. Order on Wednesday, got on Wednesday.

My Mom order from Heaven-Gifts and hers took well over two weeks. All her neighbors were getting theirs in no time. I told her to ask Dad if he was ordering EMS or the cheaper airmail. You guessed it.

I had a friend who chose the cheaper shipping, too. At least two weeks. Is it worth the extra $7 (approximately). You decide.

--Prof Daffy
P.S. There really is a slow boat from China. And... You're stuff's on the boat right behind it.

 

[tony206]

As I said before, when ordering form china you must do EMS airmail. However, this can be expensive in some scenarios making it more logical to order locally in the US.

 

[b00gym4n]

As I said before, when ordering form china you must do EMS airmail. However, this can be expensive in some scenarios making it more logical to order locally in the US.

Oh yeah? If you could link or message me some of the websites you are referring to that would be nice. So far even with China EMS i still save $ compared to U.S companies.

 

[Deathbox]

im having some problems i think. i placed my order on Friday of last week and it has yet to even be filled, much less shipped. i keep getting the "we haven't gotten to your order yet and we don't know when we will". i think this is the first and last time i order from China. i dont know if the savings are worth the headaches and hassle.

 

[b00gym4n]

im having some problems i think. i placed my order on Friday of last week and it has yet to even be filled, much less shipped. i keep getting the "we haven't gotten to your order yet and we don't know when we will". i think this is the first and last time i order from China. i dont know if the savings are worth the headaches and hassle.

try telling your supplier about the problem so he can assist you on getting your shipping information. i dont think weekends count as business days.

if you're checking usps.com it wont update till it hits the u.s

if you're using ems use this link :
http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp

if you're using airmail use this link:
??????????????????

 

[Deathbox]

according to them, since i changed the flavor of one of the bottles in my order it set everything back. the thing is is i made all the changes and even received an invoice before i sent the money. according to them it hasn't even been put together in order to ship. i guess its still sitting in a stack of papers somewhere in China. are ripoffs based on e-cigs from China rare or no?

 

[kcr]

I don't know much about shipping processes, but i'm curious since you said you used EMS which landed in NY. My question is, would Airmail be using the same type of USPS ground delivery from NY to my destination? Or would it be different, if it's the same that's great news to me. Is the only difference from EMS & Airmail the overseas process?

Also if you dont mind me asking which state do you live in?

Thank in advance.

If it is EMS in China, it is EMS in the US (or the UK, or Russia, or where ever you live.) So, if you paid extra for Express Mail, you get it in both the country of origin and the country where it is delivered.

I am not sure what the EMS commitment is in China, but every order I have had has taken about 3 days to get to JFK.

The USPS EMS commitment is two days.

It does tend to hit a snag in Customs, unless it arrives late in the day on a weekend, then it seems to sail through.

If you did not pay for EMS, then the time it takes once it hits the postal system in the US is usually 2-8 days to get across the country. I have no idea how they sort regular mail, but the EM tag will get it routed quicker and delivered quicker, and if it is something you don't want to wait for, it is definitely worth the money. It usually takes Priority Mail (which isn't "regular" mail, either, but not as fast as Express Mail) 3 days from the West Coast to E. Tennessee. A regular letter with a regular stamp takes about a week.

I don't think "Air Mail" is something the USPS uses (as a category) anymore, so once your shipment got into the US, I wouldn't know how it got categorized. But that would be strictly a Chinese service, I would think.

I did find this on Health Cabin's site:

6. Registered airmail generally takes 10 -40 business days to deliver package to most countries. China Registered Airmail can be tracked online for all destinations.
Online tracking information is only available after the package is scanned by the post company. Considering the processing time before scanning, you can begin to track your shipping package at Track China Post International Register Air Mail about 2~3 days later.

 

[b00gym4n]

according to them, since i changed the flavor of one of the bottles in my order it set everything back. the thing is is i made all the changes and even received an invoice before i sent the money. according to them it hasn't even been put together in order to ship. i guess its still sitting in a stack of papers somewhere in China. are ripoffs based on e-cigs from China rare or no?

Depends on the company, I can't vouch for someone I don't know.

Health cabin
Heaven gifts (ruyandirect)

are all trusted companies. if they mess up they are usually good on fixing it.

I have not heard of any China rip offs or experienced anything close to it.

 

[b00gym4n]

If it is EMS in China, it is EMS in the US (or the UK, or Russia, or where ever you live.) So, if you paid extra for Express Mail, you get it in both the country of origin and the country where it is delivered.

I am not sure what the EMS commitment is in China, but every order I have had has taken about 3 days to get to JFK.

The USPS EMS commitment is two days.

It does tend to hit a snag in Customs, unless it arrives late in the day on a weekend, then it seems to sail through.

If you did not pay for EMS, then the time it takes once it hits the postal system in the US is usually 2-8 days to get across the country. I have no idea how they sort regular mail, but the EM tag will get it routed quicker and delivered quicker, and if it is something you don't want to wait for, it is definitely worth the money. It usually takes Priority Mail (which isn't "regular" mail, either, but not as fast as Express Mail) 3 days from the West Coast to E. Tennessee. A regular letter with a regular stamp takes about a week.

I don't think "Air Mail" is something the USPS uses (as a category) anymore, so once your shipment got into the US, I wouldn't know how it got categorized. But that would be strictly a Chinese service, I would think.

I did find this on Health Cabin's site:

Great information. Those were my initial thoughts as well, I just needed someone to confirm it. Thanks!

 

[trog100]

EMS in china swaps over to something called Parcel Force in the UK.. Parcel Force is an offshoot of Royal Mail... so my friend you are wrong at least as far as the UK is concerned..

basically stuff is delivered to UK custom by EMS.. then Parcel Force takes over for the UK part of the trip.. some kind of reciprocal arrangement is used in some places..

and interestingly enough chinese EMS express takes noticeably longer to get to me than Dealextreme free tracked airmail... one costs 28 dollars the other is free go figure.. he he he

Royal Mail deliver the DX free stuff Parcel Force the expensive EMS stuff.. things aint quite as they seem with chinese shipping..

i think Hong Kong play a big part here.. Hong Kong is way faster than the rest of china.. most e cig stuff dosnt come from Hong Kong but stuff that does is very quick.. in fact its illegal to sell e cigs in Hong Kong believe it or not..

trog

 

[Deathbox]

ok i think i am not explaining this properly. i am not talking about the shipping taking a long time, i am talking about the filling the order. they havent even shipped it yet. it hasnt even been put in a box or envelop or anything. i havent even got to the shipping part yet. god only knows the hell i will go through in that phase. it has been almost a week and i dont even have a tracking number and they tell me "your order will be ok" but have done nothing to even fill it. i dont know, maybe i am explaining it poorly or i am just worried or something, who knows. any way you slice it, it sucks!

 

[kcr]

EMS in china swaps over to something called Parcel Force in the UK.. Parcel Force is an offshoot of Royal Mail... so my friend you are wrong at least as far as the UK is concerned..

No, it isn't wrong.

EMS is an International Cooperative. China is a member and the carrier used there is China Post. The US is a member and the carrier we use is USPS. The UK is a member and the carrier they use is Parcel Force.

 

[kcr]

ok i think i am not explaining this properly. i am not talking about the shipping taking a long time, i am talking about the filling the order. they havent even shipped it yet. it hasnt even been put in a box or envelop or anything. i havent even got to the shipping part yet. god only knows the hell i will go through in that phase. it has been almost a week and i dont even have a tracking number and they tell me "your order will be ok" but have done nothing to even fill it. i dont know, maybe i am explaining it poorly or i am just worried or something, who knows. any way you slice it, it sucks!

I have no idea what to tell you about that, because I have never heard of such happening.

Indeed, it would definitely suck out loud.

Others in this thread have used Health Cabin and Heaven Gifts and can vouch for them, and I have used Eastmall and can vouch for them. Never had anything close to what you have described happened to me.

Did you order something strange or out of stock?

The best advice I can give you is to send one *respectful and polite* enquiry, then wait an see what happens. In that part of the world most people do not respond well to demanding, rude Americans (not saying you are one, but what passes for reasonable in this country is considered outrageously rude in other countries and their response is just to cut offensive people off as if they do not exist. I think this is a marvelous plan and do it myself).

What comapny did you use? Maybe someone has experience with them and can tell you what normal shipping time is for them.

 

[Deathbox]

it was a contact email a real life friend gave me for Shenzhen Kanger (i think). i did the polite inquiry and just got the same line i have been getting, "your goods is ok with us". im not even sure what that means. as of the posting of this message my order is still in order limbo and hasnt even been shipped .... still


oh yeah, basically they called me a liar because i had politely explained how they told me that changing my order was ok and wouldnt mess anything up (even sent them the email where they said that) and they got all huffy and puffy and now wont reply. i think i should write this one off and chalk it up as a very expensive lesson learned.

 

[kcr]

Okay, I looked at them and it appears they are a manufacturer. I do not think they are set up for individual orders, so it may be that your order will come but it is very low on the priority list.

I see nothing on the site that indicates when an order will be shipped, so unless they gave you a shipment time when they responded to your inquiry, they are not "late" in shipping, as no time is promised.

I think you just need to be patient.

And next time, use Eastmall, Heaven Gifts or Health Cabin, all of whom are set up to take orders from individuals.

A tip-off is when you have to get a quote for an order. That means they are used to dealing with businesses and will quote based on quantity. Unless you order e-cigs by the gross (and I would doubt that if you changed the flavor of one bottle of liquid) there is no real reason to do this.

I know this doesn't help right now, and you just want your order. And I am almost positive you will eventually get it, but the only advice I have is to be patient and not contact them again for at least a month, then chalk this up to a lesson learned.

Sorry.