Kawasaki Triples Club

A month ago I bought a NOS air inlet pipe for my H1F from Jessbikes' online ebay store. After three weeks I sent Jess an email asking him for an update re the shipping of my item. He replied promptly, and told me that he shipped the package using USPS, and could tell me the following :-

Hi Mark,
I used USPS to ship and usually when this happens the items are in customs.Can you check with customs?Here's what tracking shows:
Attempted Delivery Abroad, July 20, 2009, 4:55 am, GREAT BRITAIN
At Foreign Delivery Unit, July 20, 2009, 3:45 am, GREAT BRITAIN
Out of Foreign Customs, July 18, 2009, 10:45 am, GREAT BRITAIN
Into Foreign Customs, July 16, 2009, 9:03 am, GREAT BRITAIN
Arrived Abroad, July 16, 2009, 9:01 am, GREAT BRITAIN
International Dispatch, July 14, 2009, 9:02 am, FOREIGN CENTERJERSEY CITY NJ 099
Arrival
Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 11, 2009

From the above, it would appear that my package passed through Customs, and then two days later it was 'At Foreign Delivery Unit'. That was two-and-a-half weeks ago, but there's still no sign of it turning up at my address. Have any of you experienced this before? If so, any tips re trying to find out where my package is?

Cheers, Mark

jes is by far the best seller on ebay
hes also a club member

Hi Gary, I've got no problem with Jess - I've heard nothing other than glowing things about him...... I'm just trying to find out where my package is. I accept Jess shipped it, and that it got to the UK weeks ago; the mystery is where is it now? Hopefully Jess can let me know the USPS Tracking I.D. Number.

COULD BE WITH YOU ANY TIME NOW. AS GARY SAYS ONE OF THE BEST. MY PISTON TOOK JUST OVER THREE WEEKS!

Hopefully Jess can let me know the USPS Tracking I.D. Number.

The beauty of the modern on line tracking methods is that the recipient can use the number to track a package as well.

theres a Uk postal strike happening too, International seems to take longer and longer nowadays, all to do with scrutinising the parcel to see if customs can screw you for the import and vat duty,.
they want their quids the b*stards,, its probably in a holding depot, one of them on the list,...never lost a jess posted parcel before, its in your favour to receive it soon,.with the added extra !!

Thanks very much for your responses, guys. Sounds like I'd best get Jess to ask USPS who is handling the package here in Blighty - I suspect my air inlet pipe could be languishing in a similar place to where Wolfie's sprocket was (albeit for nothing like as long - yet ............)

Wolfie, after reading of your experience re that Sprocket, I took a chance and went onto the Parcelforce website, then entered the USPS Tracking Code (that Jess was able to provide overnight last night) into the Parcelforce 'Track & Trace' facility, and hey presto... it appears that my parcel has been gathering dust at the Charlton Depot since 20th July !! The website info goes on to inform me that my parcel is "awaiting payment of customs charges". I've heard bugger-all from Parcelforce - no delivery card, no letter, no nothing. I didn't even have any reason to suspect that Parcelforce were involved, until you kindly tipped me off.
When the depot opens on Monday I'll contact them with a view to going there and collecting my parcel (after being fleeced for Customs Duty, no doubt).
If it wasn't for you kindly telling me what happened re your sprocket, I imagine my NOS rubber air inlet manifold would have been destined to sit on a shelf at Parcelforce's depot, unbeknown to me, for the next few months (or years?!?), so thank you so much for steering me down the right track.
I'll inform Jess that he can call-off the investigation!
Cheers, Mark

Just had £15 back off parcel force for promising delivery on a particular day and not turning up.

Check with UPS wheter is some VAT and DUTY to pax. Quote your tracking No. arcel will not be releasd without prior payment

Took time off work this morning and went in person to Parelforce's Charlton depot (lovely area......), paid the ridiculous VAT charge (it was based on an FX rate of 1.39 dollars to the pound...... What's that all about? Only a mere 16% away from current spot rates!!) and finally got hold of my NOS H1 rubber inlet manifold that Jess shipped in early July.
Glad I went down there today - I learned that if, after 21 days, the addressee hasn't paid the customs duty / vat by then, Parcelforce return the package to sender. That would have been tomorrow, in my case!!
I gave the poor bloke behind the counter a barrage of sarcasm predicated on the fact that I had no idea that Parcelforce even had my package, as I hadn't received any notification, let alone a letter telling me to pay the customs duty / vat (If it wasn't for Woolfie tipping me off over the weekend I still wouldn't have had a clue), and he told me that "in the old days" Parcelforce used to send out such letters to the addressee directly, and the system worked. However, nowadays this task has been 'outsourced' to a third-party, who plainly can't be arsed to do what they are supposed to do.

Dont talk to me about the Mail Service
keep delivering things at my parents at 0600am
dont bother to ring the door bell and leave the items behind the rubbish bin, so could be nicked or rained on.
Had an item delivered from the states, parents were out so instead of giving an option to redeliver they took it to the local post office which aint that near.

mark
you will have also paid an £8 handling fee to parcelforce

all parcels from the us should pay vat and duty, customs just do not have the resources to check every parcel

I have been very lucky and only been "caught" once in the last 4ish years

Gary T

Hi Gary,
Yes, spot on - Had to give Parcelforce £8 as well as paying the VAT yesterday. Compared to your good self and lots of the other chaps on this forum, I'm a relative newcomer to this game. However, even I have had several parcels from across the Atlantic (most notably a big box of goodies from those nice people at Reproduction Decals, north of the border) and this is the first time HMRC have stuck their noses in, so I guess I should count myself relatively lucky.
I'm not too bothered about having to pay the VAT, but what did wind me up was the fact that I received no notification whatsoever from Parcelforce that they had my package, let alone that they were holding it until the charges were paid - I was in blissful ignorance for weeks (until Woolfie steered me in the right direction).
Cheers,
Mark

Mark
when you next rack a parcel, if you see a delivery time of 4am, then you know that it is at the depot

have you ever had a parcel at 4am?

just a thought

Garyu T

just ask the seller if he would declare a value of under $30, then you have no duties to pay,..

Unless they put the Paypal invoice in with parts
Happened to me with my 250 Denco's. The seller put a value of $18 !!!!!! on a fooking big box, must of set the alarm bells off at customs. They opened it up and found a Paypal invoice inside for the full amount of $250 ish !!!!!!!

$250 even with custom and vat weren't a bad price for Denco

just ask the seller if he would declare a value of under $30, then you have no duties to pay,..

Close . . . but they will have you on that! - It's £18 and todays equivalent of $30 is £18.67 - They will get you for it . . . and your "collection fee"

good shout Rb !, value change with the lower exchange rate,..