Import issues - customs hold up...

[toc (Tim)]

So I am importing a couple of mounts with another person (saving shipping) from Europe via TNT. We have already paid the GST charges, but TNT now tell us that it is still suck in customs for some reason. been stuck since Monday.

Anyone else had this experience, and how long did it take for the experts (ok, being unfair - they are only doing their job) in customs to reassure themselves that it is not a bomb?

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Apparently one of the big hold ups at the moment relates to asbestos. If they see anything that might conceivably contain it, expects hold up.

It took a few days for brake pads I imported from Japan to come though customs for exactly that reason. Cheap Chinese ones have displayed a habit of being chock full of asbestosis in potentia and now they are gun shy.

[Atmos (Colin)]

The dock workers union is currently on strike so it may be stuck on the containers.

[Wilso]

I bought a mount from the states and it sat in customs for about 5-7 days from memory before I received a letter for the gst and import fees.(but you have already paid this)
Christmas rush on as well so could take a little longer.

cheers

[DJT (David)]

Pft, we laugh at customs delays and raise you a teeny weeny package from US to Botany Bay to Honolulu to Botany Bay. Gotta love UPS

[Boozlefoot]

Obviously, telescope parts raise alarm bells at customs. Predominantly used for the importation of illegal and illicit items. The only quick way to get a W.O. 24mm UWAN into the country at a resonable price and freight time is to secrete it in a bodily orifice, and hope the EP sniffer dogs aren't working that day.

[Kunama]

Originally Posted by DJT

Pft, we laugh at customs delays and raise you a teeny weeny package from US to Botany Bay to Honolulu to Botany Bay. Gotta love UPS

I bought some set screws from a UK seller who gave them to UPS on 29th Nov supposedly Express Service....... on 13 December they still had not left the UK. They sent me a message to say there was a delay caused by an aircraft being out of service.....

I have a DewNot parcel coming from the US, problem is it got to Sydney and the next scan was in New York three days later.....

But in fairness to Aust Customs, it is Christmas time and their parcel volume is about 100 times that of any other time of the year....

[Wilso]

I'm thinking you've started a thread that you didn't want to hear.



Everyone's got their sad stories what about some good news for the lad!

[DJT (David)]

Originally Posted by Wilso

I'm thinking you've started a thread that you didn't want to hear.



Everyone's got their sad stories what about some good news for the lad!

ok..Ausposts Parcel locker service is very good! No more chasing dodgy subcontractors down the road because they cant be bothered dropping off the parcels in the normal way.

[toc (Tim)]

So a quick update - the items were eventually cleared on the 19th of December, and now I am having to put up with Australia's worst courier company - TNT. There is nothing like getting the SMS message 'we attempted delivery but you were not home' knowing that no TNT van one has been here. No card either.

[Wavytone]

Best I’ve ever had was Losmandy - ordered a mount on a Thursday, they shipped it FedEx on Thursday US time, by Monday it was here in customs, Fedex handles the duties and GST payment and it cleared customs on Tuesday, and FedEx delivered on my doorstep Thursday exactly 1 week from ordering. No messing with AustPost.

I’ve ordered two parcels from Germany and the vendor insisted on shipping via DHL. DHL took 8 weeks to get them to Australia (by boat I suspect) then the a-holes in Aust Post decided to return them to Germany. No attempt at delivery, no notification, no card, not even an email or sms which imho
is pathentic. After another 4 months they finally turned up at the vendors. Trying again with a different courier.

[Boozlefoot]

It seems there are always going to be the good and bad experiences. Living in the scrub, I always make sure the postie is kept onside at Xmas (Festivus) as courier companies don't deliver out here. I live app 50km from town, yet have a 5 days/week mail drop. Amazingly, one of the companies representing many courier companies also now handles and disseminates the Aust Post for here. Yet they don't deliver on behalf of the couriers, or ring you to let you know the gear has arrived and is festering in the back of the depot. At the moment I always try to have suppliers send by post rather than courier, but I know that will not always be the best option..........................

[Wilso]

Tim,
You can always pick it up directly from their depot.
As long as it's not too far away (could be faster)

Good luck

[GrahamL]

Sound like its going to get to you soon tim ,, hope it all goes well

As far as TNT being australia worst , may I humbly suggest another I was chased up the highway and a few others were to i believe by a nutter truck driver running interstate for a large parcel courier company . He didn't like people getting in his way, and was later jailed for running cars off the road down grafton way ,, In my case he through his truck and trailer
(56 tons ) into my lane on the hwy , 100 KMH both ways on the crest of a hill .. Quite few years on Aus post has decided this company is THE one to partner parcel delivery with across the country ?

[bigjoe (JOSEPH)]

Best for me too was UPS....ordered on the Monday very early, weeks before Xmas from Telescop Service , some goodies , and they were here on the Thursday morning before 11am...super quick!
bigjoe.

[LewisM]

Funny you should say that Graham - had a road rage incident with a Startrack Express B-double just before Wardell quite some way down the Pacific Highway. Really got worrisome and I eventually pulled into a service station to let the idiot go by (I was going to ring the police if he followed me in). He kept on coming alongside us and staying there for a LONG time, then pull in front, slow down etc etc.

I hope it was the same moron!

[bigjoe (JOSEPH)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Funny you should say that Graham - had a road rage incident with a Startrack Express B-double just before Wardell quite some way down the Pacific Highway. Really got worrisome and I eventually pulled into a service station to let the idiot go by (I was going to ring the police if he followed me in). He kept on coming alongside us and staying there for a LONG time, then pull in front, slow down etc etc.

I hope it was the same moron!

Lewis... reminds me of Steven Spielbergs first movie DUEL, with Dennis Weaver ..also
featuring a terrifying oil tanker driver, hell bent on sending him off the road and into a ditch or worse!
bigjoe.

[toc (Tim)]

Well I am going to pick it up at the depo. Just hope my Mondeo Hatch will fit it - I can always break the wooden crate open

btw their facebook page is a chuckle - I kind of feel sorry for their social media people...

Oh well, first world problems I guess...

[toc (Tim)]

Originally Posted by GrahamL

Sound like its going to get to you soon tim ,, hope it all goes well

As far as TNT being australia worst , may I humbly suggest another I was chased up the highway and a few others were to i believe by a nutter truck driver running interstate for a large parcel courier company . He didn't like people getting in his way, and was later jailed for running cars off the road down grafton way ,,

Hey this shows real commitment to deliver on time

Seriously though that sounds pretty terrifying. I have only been road raged once many years ago, and it definitely shakes you up.

[GrahamL]

Hey this shows real commitment to deliver on time

It does indeed

You'd like to hope the culture within that company has changed a little Lewis I used to catch all the overnighters from sydney every morning on the way to work ,these guys ,always in a hurry messy looking trucks ,, making lots of money, contract drivers, or close to broke who knows. Every time I see those blue auspost/startrack vans i think of that morning .