On-line Stores & Sellers

Spotted Horses · May 03, 2024, 05:42:13 AM

Quote from: DavidW on May 03, 2024, 05:19:59 AMDid you ever receive your order @Spotted Horses ?

Nope. The end of today will mark five weeks since DHL tracking says it entered U.S. Customs. A week ago I emailed jpc and they said they would inquire with the shipper, but I haven't heard from them since. Time to email them again, I guess.

Hard to say what is going on. Maybe jpc didn't include a valid customs declaration and it is going to be sent back.

Pohjolas Daughter · May 03, 2024, 06:31:26 AM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 05:42:13 AMNope. The end of today will mark five weeks since DHL tracking says it entered U.S. Customs. A week ago I emailed jpc and they said they would inquire with the shipper, but I haven't heard from them since. Time to email them again, I guess.

Hard to say what is going on. Maybe jpc didn't include a valid customs declaration and it is going to be sent back.

I wonder if customs might be experiencing worker shortages?

PD

Spotted Horses · May 03, 2024, 06:35:45 AM

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on May 03, 2024, 06:31:26 AMI wonder if customs might be experiencing worker shortages?

PD

It could be. But I received a package from grooves.land (Berlin based) shipped (I think) by Netherlands Post and it cleared customs at the same Los Angeles facility in three days. Ironically I placed this order with jpc because I thought it would be faster. It took grooves.land some time to ship and it bounced around in Europe for a while before it reached the U.S.

DavidW · May 03, 2024, 07:14:18 AM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 05:42:13 AMNope. The end of today will mark five weeks since DHL tracking says it entered U.S. Customs. A week ago I emailed jpc and they said they would inquire with the shipper, but I haven't heard from them since. Time to email them again, I guess.

Hard to say what is going on. Maybe jpc didn't include a valid customs declaration and it is going to be sent back.

What a mess!

JBS · May 03, 2024, 07:51:39 AM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 05:42:13 AMNope. The end of today will mark five weeks since DHL tracking says it entered U.S. Customs. A week ago I emailed jpc and they said they would inquire with the shipper, but I haven't heard from them since. Time to email them again, I guess.

Hard to say what is going on. Maybe jpc didn't include a valid customs declaration and it is going to be sent back.

To make things more complicated, it may be the tracking system that is screwed up and not Customs per se.

I've had an item showing its status as still in Customs show up in my mailbox. But the longest customs delay I remember was a week or week and a half, and that involved the Royal Post meltdown last year.

I've also had a recent Amazon Japan purchase land in Los Angeles but clear customs in New York.

Pohjolas Daughter · May 03, 2024, 09:24:01 AM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 06:35:45 AMIt could be. But I received a package from grooves.land (Berlin based) shipped (I think) by Netherlands Post and it cleared customs at the same Los Angeles facility in three days. Ironically I placed this order with jpc because I thought it would be faster. It took grooves.land some time to ship and it bounced around in Europe for a while before it reached the U.S.

Considering (guessing here) how many packages that DHL ships, I suspect that it might take a bit longer for them to get back to JPC; and, perhaps, it might take JPC themselves a couple of days(?) to contact DHL? In any event, think of all of the GREAT music that you have to listen to in the meantime.

And as JBS mentioned (and I have also experienced just within the US), I've also received packages before all of the updates have managed to catch up (fine by me!

).

PD

Spotted Horses · May 03, 2024, 09:36:15 AM

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on May 03, 2024, 09:24:01 AMConsidering (guessing here) how many packages that DHL ships, I suspect that it might take a bit longer for them to get back to JPC; and, perhaps, it might take JPC themselves a couple of days(?) to contact DHL? In any event, think of all of the GREAT music that you have to listen to in the meantime.

And as JBS mentioned (and I have also experienced just within the US), I've also received packages before all of the updates have managed to catch up (fine by me! ).

PD

I have also received a package which tracking says has not been delivered. But according to tracking, the packages has been in the U.S. for five weeks.

My real worry is by the time they admit they lost it, if will be out of print again too late for me to order it from someone else.

Pohjolas Daughter · May 03, 2024, 02:21:44 PM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 09:36:15 AMMy real worry is by the time they admit they lost it, if will be out of print again too late for me to order it from someone else.

Out of print...again?

PD

Brian · May 03, 2024, 06:22:02 PM

Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 03, 2024, 12:06:52 AMDid you not notice that they switched from Euros to dollars on final invoice amount? Subtracting VAT and converting Euros to USD would give a slightly larger number.

Although this is possible, I just checked again and the totals use euro symbols. I just tallied up the cart. The total is 185 euros before I proceed to checkout, then increases to exactly 200 euros at checkout with the euro symbol, with a quoted USD conversion to $216 and then $29 postage and $6 exchange fee. When I choose to pay in euros, it quotes me a subtotal of 200 euros plus shipping - even though on the previous "view basket" page, the subtotal was 185.

The increase in price is almost exactly the same as the percentage of Texas state sales tax. So that explains that. But...why no VAT deduction? Germany's VAT is apparently 19%, so my total subtracting 19% and then adding back 8% should be approx 162 euros, not 200.

EDIT: I do feel kind of rude replying with all this while you have a more serious issue with an item you actually ordered that vanished.

Madiel · May 03, 2024, 08:36:41 PM

Weird things can happen to packages AND to tracking systems. I think I narrated the bizarre case where something I ordered from a seller in the USA allegedly got close to my door before going back to Melbourne, and had CLEARLY been repackaged within Australia before I finally received it.

My favourite part was the tracking system recording an attempted delivery in a different suburb of the city followed by the comment that I was not known at that random address.

But somehow it still did turn up after all that. I really didn't think it would. But it did.

Brian · May 04, 2024, 12:34:12 PM

After carefully following the Amazon.de ordering calculations from screen to screen, from item page all the way to checkout, it appears that the initial prices include VAT, the US sales tax is applied at the end, but VAT is never removed from the calculation. In fact, they are even trying to charge me US sales tax on the VAT figure.

I simply cannot order from Amazon.de paying a premium to Amazon for their own mistakes.

Pohjolas Daughter · May 04, 2024, 02:48:53 PM

Quote from: Brian on May 04, 2024, 12:34:12 PMAfter carefully following the Amazon.de ordering calculations from screen to screen, from item page all the way to checkout, it appears that the initial prices include VAT, the US sales tax is applied at the end, but VAT is never removed from the calculation. In fact, they are even trying to charge me US sales tax on the VAT figure.

I simply cannot order from Amazon.de paying a premium to Amazon for their own mistakes.

Wow!

That doesn't sound fair! Are the shipping and handling charges taxable re Texas laws? It's been a while since I've ordered things from other countries, so I'm behind in knowing the current rules.

PD

Brian · May 04, 2024, 03:04:12 PM

No, shipping domestically in the US, they would not include shipping and handling costs in Texas sales tax. So that's another source of incorrect extra cost.