International package mailed without tracking never arrived. Options?

June 5, 2013 10:03 AM

I live in Canada, my sister's in the US. She mailed me a package over two months ago via USPS First Class and it never showed up. USPS isn't being helpful and says they can't investigate, Canada Post says there's nothing they can do. We have a Customs Declaration Number that shows it (supposedly) left Las Angeles on April 9th, but that's it. Are we hosed?

The package was't an irreplaceable heirloom or anything like that, but it has some value and it is kind of lame it just disappeared into the ether. I've had packages coming from the US get weirdly delayed, but not for two months. And I've never had anything disappear entirely.

Considering how much attention customs pays to this stuff, it seems like there has to be some way of figuring out if it at least got to Canada or not. But Canada Post says talk to USPS, but USPS says since it's First Class, there's nothing they can do.

Is there some special department to talk to? Other options?

posted by Nelsormensch to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Unless it was insured, you're really wasting your time. Even if you found out it was lost(which, of course it was, or hijacked by a postal employee or taken out of her mailbox), you have no recourse if it wasn't insured.
posted by HuronBob at 10:07 AM on June 5, 2013 [3 favorites]

I don't know about the escalation process, but I'd note that a neighbor sent something from Boston to a friend in Uganda, the package was lost, and ultimately returned to sender about 14 months later. So, even if it's lost, it may come home to roost an explicable amount of time later!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:08 AM on June 5, 2013

There's a pretty long tail to the "weird delay" distribution when it comes to international mail, even between the U.S. and Canada. My parents in Canada once sent me a "care package" of Valentine's Day candy that arrived in my mailbox in May.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:13 AM on June 5, 2013

A few years ago, my mom mailed me a package in October that arrived in July. Unfortunately, it was baked goods. This was totally domestic USPS, too, nothing complicated. So, hold some hope that it might yet turn up.
posted by Kriesa at 10:18 AM on June 5, 2013

If it wasn't insured and you don't have a tracking number (which is different from a customs number), there is nothing you can do but wait and hope it shows up.

And I agree that it might still show up. I once mailed a package (first class, no tracking number) from the US to Portugal. It arrived back at my door about three months later with an "undeliverable" stamp even though the address was correct. I've had various packages from Europe to California take anything from about 5 days to 10 weeks to arrive, and packages from Canada have taken about 3 days to 8 weeks - all by first class mail.
posted by insectosaurus at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2013

Yeah, you're probably screwed. The whole point of USPS First Class is that it's the rock bottom level "slow boat to China, maybe it gets there, maybe it doesn't" service. I think it's possible to add on services like insurance, delivery confirmation, tracking, etc. but they don't come bundled with that base postage rate.

Maybe it'll show up eventually, though.

Next time, if you send something to arrive in a reasonable amount of time, use Priority Mail, which is at least trackable.
posted by Sara C. at 10:22 AM on June 5, 2013

I once had the same thing happen. Months later I got half the original envelope in a plastic bag in the mail. The books I bought were simply gone.
posted by GuyZero at 10:26 AM on June 5, 2013

You are indeed hosed. My understanding is that USPS tracking ends on the US outbound side rather than on the delivery side. For international we always use FedEx or UPS for the very reason you have experienced.
posted by Dansaman at 10:32 AM on June 5, 2013

How was the label affixed? The biggest risk is the label falling off or getting torn off the package. The USPS uses some high speed sorting machines and occasionally a piece of mail gets jammed in there. Several times we've received the sad remains of a package in a plastic bag with a "We Care" note from the USPS. Those take awhile to reach you because they are dealt with by hand - bagged, labeled, sent. You might not get the whole package, just whatever they could figure out went with the label. In my experience, if there's an address anywhere it will eventually reach it's destination.

The other option is it could be boogered up in customs. My husband orders DVDs and bike parts from overseas and it's incredibly variable. Things that he gave up on months ago sometimes turn up.

Basically, you're stuck waiting.
posted by 26.2 at 10:46 AM on June 5, 2013

I absolutely despise the USPS. I have countless experiences with slowness, disappearances, and unexplained returned packages, but the latest was when they managed to lose a Valentine's Day gift with tracking sent from NC to FL.

After lodging an initial complaint and escalating it, I was contacted by a clueless customer concern supervisor, who told me that because my package was sent bulk shipment (it was not), that it would take longer than the week I had allowed for it to arrive. Mind you, this was a 3-day expedited shipment I paid extra for from Shutterfly. Shutterfly had unfortunately used a UPS service where UPS delivers the package to the post office, who then drops it off for the final leg at your house.

According to the tracking info. 2 days after my order was placed, the package made it via UPS to my local post office, but then for whatever reason, it was shipped by the USPS 200 miles away to another facility where it was received before vanishing into the ether. I had another item on the same order which thankfully came standard FedEx and was successfully delivered and addressed exactly as it should be, so it wasn't an addressing problem.

Although the rep said I would be receiving this item shortly and to wait, I knew better from my past dealings with the USPS. I finally resolved this by asking Shutterfly to resend the package, imploring them to use any other method than anything that uses the USPS (donkey, FedEx, canon, slingshot... whatever). They nicely obliged and overnighted (!) the package to me using FedEx.

The only time I use the USPS is when absolutely required (certified mail, PO Box, etc.).

So.. your only option is to wait, pray, and look at alternatives for the future.
posted by Debaser626 at 11:16 AM on June 5, 2013

Tracking does still work this side of the border, Dansaman, but only for signature required/insured deliveries. All the OP can do is wait for 1st Class to arrive, maybe.

Also, never use UPS for sending to Canada from the US unless you don't mind the recipient being hit with ~$40 brokerage and "convenience" fees.
posted by scruss at 11:48 AM on June 5, 2013 [2 favorites]

It might not hurt to ask your neighbors. Several years ago I came home with my roommate and we saw that an upstairs neighbor was moving out of her apartment, and feeling friendly, we went up and offered to help, even though we'd only nodded on the stairs before - she was almost done and mostly just cleaning out. Well lo and behold, there was a package addressed to ME in her coat closet; it was something from Korea that I'd given up as lost a couple of months before. She'd picked it up so it didn't get rained on and forgot it and got busy and all those usual excuses. Quite a surprise to finally get it! :D
posted by lemniskate at 11:54 AM on June 5, 2013

Response by poster: Yikes, alright, thanks everyone. I guess we'll just assume we're boned and be pleasantly surprised should it happen to turn up.

Also, never use UPS for sending to Canada from the US unless you don't mind the recipient being hit with ~$40 brokerage and "convenience" fees.

I learned that the hard way once and never again. Hence why we use the USPS, since the "brokage" idiocy doesn't happen. Tracked USPS might be the way to go or something, or FedEx.
posted by Nelsormensch at 3:05 PM on June 5, 2013