Postal Systems

TBS

I think in general most of the countries we deal with have a pretty good record considering the volume of mail they deal with. Of course if you are unlucky enough to have an item lost that is little consolation.

Even in our small town it has been standard business practice for a long time to use a courier service for important and/or time sensitive paper work.

I think for the most part the Canada Border Services Agency operates the same way as you found working for US Customs. From the tracking I have been able to follow most of my stuff has cleared CBSA in 24 to 48 hours barring holidays and weekends. There has been quite a change since free trade came into being with the amount of duties and taxes payable on items. You can and sometimes do have to pay those.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Trimmy72

When I ship using USPS, they tell me I can't get tracking if it's shipping out of the states, every time, maybe it's my method, but they certainly aren't offering any other option's. I'm actually having a problem with a purchase coming from the U.K, the tracking number isn't working, and in 4 days it will have been a month since placing the order. The merchant said that the tracking number would work once it got into the states? I've sent packages to Hungary and Canada and they've gotten there in less time.

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USPS DOES offer proper tracking/signiture required for international shipping, but these services are not available through the USPS web site. You must go directly to the post office, and ship the package in person. And dont forget your wallet, your going to pay for it!

You have to remember the International mail System is interconnected through treaties between countries with respect to how mail is handled, standards and safe guards. Of course not all countries are signatories to the treaties but most countries are. Howeve,r even then once the mail leaves one country that postal service has no control over it anymore. So tracking may start and stop from one entity to another.

In general the higher mail services such as overnight, express have the best means for tracking. EMS is really the best as it is consistently tracked no matter where it goes. of course tracking is only one part of the equation. Insurance or lack of it is the other.

TBS

In my OP I was wondering why I could formerly track items all the way through the various stops in the US and then use the same USPS tracking number to follow it in CanPost. Can't seem to do that anymore, that is track it in the US using the USPS tracking site. While tracking numbers supplied in South Africa and the UK worked there as well as here. Life is a puzzle no.

Bob