Who will be delivering my USPS International Priority package?

January 11, 2015 1:49 PM

I sent some friends in Sicily a gift via USPS Priority Mail International. I am trying to reach someone responsible for local/last leg delivery in Sicily, but who would that be?

I sent some friends in Sicily a gift via USPS Priority Mail International. I am tracking the package online and they attempted one delivery but the current status says: "Incorrect address - Will attempt delivery on next working day." The address is correct, and I've included two local phone numbers on the printed label so I hope it will ultimately arrive, but I'd like to help the recipient contact someone locally to give directions and arrange for delivery.

Does anyone know who would deliver the last leg in this situation? Poste Italiane? DHL or FedEx? Recipient doesn't often receive international packages and doesn't know the answer unfortunately.

Thanks!

posted by brbmaroon to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

It should be Poste Italiane.

I'm sort of surprised you got a message indicating a delivery attempt. Last time my mom sent me something USPS Priority Mail, tracking stopped once it reached Italy. I received said package about six months after she sent it; I'm not sure if it got stuck at the dogana or if the Poste botched it. Another time the lazy post man never left an attempted delivery receipt, and after a month and a half my mom got the package back return mail.

In short, Poste Italiane is crap and I'd gird my loins if you're going to try to contact them to see what the problem is.
posted by romakimmy at 3:47 PM on January 11, 2015

EMS handled the last leg on all my USPS Priority Mail deliveries to 2 countries I've lived in.
About EMS
EMS in Italy
posted by Homer42 at 11:34 PM on January 11, 2015

Now that I'm not on my phone...

I am waiting for a shipment from abroad . Who can I contact for information?
Shipments from Italy to abroad and vice versa are cared for by Poste Italiane in the Italian territory and by the postal operator of the country of departure/destination in its territory. If the shipment is in Italian territory , for assistance you can refer to our customer service by calling the toll free number 803 160 or our Twitter channel PosteSpedizioni , accessible from this page : https://twitter.com/#!/PosteSpedizioni

So you can have your friend call the toll free number as a starting point. EMS is run by the Poste and I see them when I have to pay import fees or if the package is larger than a small box. Otherwise it's my neighborhood postperson.
posted by romakimmy at 12:10 AM on January 12, 2015

I had a package delivered to me via USPS (and I believe Priority) from the US to Milan over the summer. The last leg was handled by FedEx. I also had "failed attempt - will attempt again" notices on my tracking screen for three straight days. After hours spent on the phone, a FedEx representative confirmed that the reason the package wasn't sent was because the label wasn't legible. They told me the package was being held at the local FedEx facility (which in my case was in Sesto Ulteriano. This is also what appeared on my tracking page). I went there and successfully retrieved my package.

Some things to note in the event that this is a similar situation for you: The tracking number that I was given by USPS (which FedEx.com recognized) was not in the same format as the standard FedEx tracking numbers. So when I gave the lady at the FedEx facility my tracking number, she refused to even look for it, saying the tracking number was not complete. I had to call up FedEx Italy's customer service and have them explain to the lady over the phone that it is indeed a valid number, and when she put the number in the system, there it was. I also needed a passport/ID to pick up my package.
posted by alligatorman at 6:57 AM on January 12, 2015

Also note that I had to call USPS first and they told me that it was handed off to FedEx in Italy. I believe FedEx gave me an alternate tracking number when I called them, which I could use on FedEx.com, but I can't remember completely.
posted by alligatorman at 7:02 AM on January 12, 2015