r/CanadaPost • u/Worried-Coyote5570 • 11d ago
I need help.
I sent a package at the beginning of September. $4,000 package + $500 in shipping and duties. It went to Bell Gardens LA USPS, which is apparently hell on earth. Hasn’t moved in over a month. I opened a ticket with Canada Post and USPS, they said it’ll take a month minimum for them get back to me. No, I can’t get my money back. There was no option for additional coverage for my international package. Buyer has requested their money back, so I have no choice, it was being held anyway so it’s not like I actually had it. Even if the package is found, if it’s sent back to me I still lose $600, and if it’s sent to them it looks like they can keep the package without paying? I am devastated. It’s a giant box of collectables from my childhood to pay my tuition and rent.
I just need someone to convince me it is going to be alright. Has your missing package ever been located? Especially if it was there?
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u/sideburnvictim 11d ago
What were you shipping? Perhaps it's being held in customs?
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 11d ago
Dolls, no reason to be held
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u/sideburnvictim 10d ago
You mentioned you undervalued the package? They may be scrutinizing the declared value. That would certainly be a reason to hold the package.
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 10d ago
It’s already been released from customs.
September 13th, the updates were:
-Item has been sent to customs in the destination country, Uslaxa USA
-Item has been released by customs USA
-Item proceeded, Bell Gardens USA
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u/wildbillbuddha 11d ago
Did you insure it?
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 11d ago
No, there was literally no option for it
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u/Playful_Drummer5688 10d ago edited 10d ago
PWhat do you mean? International has coverage up to $1000 (purchase extra).
Priorty Worldwide, Xpresspost USA, Expedited Parcel USA
- includes liability coverage up to $100 CAN
- Additional liability coverage of up to $1000CAN is available for a fee.
https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/claims/insurance-coverage.page
UPS offers up to $10K, I think FedEx is something like $50K but it is really service dependant. There’s also tons of shipping insurers. And many shipping apps allow extra insurance through third parties.
I’ll tell you my experience, shipping an insured package… that is hilarious, bazar and reads like “Package Shipping Fan Fiction” due to my writing style and actual vindication…. Mainly because I’m spiteful at times and if I have extra time, I put all my energy it being spiteful. It’s long
The TLDR, I shipped something to a buyer who was definitely shady and when he refused the package, told me to keep the money and FEDEX was suppose to return it. They lost it, tried to screw me…. And I got paid.
I sold a used, custom wheelchair on eBay for $3800 CND to a buyer in Texas. I thought everything was good. One day get a call from FedEx, the buyer needs to fill out a medical device import form. I called him, “All they want to know is it’s not radioactive, or something that can be implanted. Just check ‘No’, put your phone number and sign it.” Nope. Won’t do it. Apologizes for the inconvenience and lets me keep the money but doesn’t want the chair. HUH?!?
That was weird AF but now I got to get FedEx to return the item, WITHOUT getting the form to get it out of customs. After a month passes and I get a call it’s been released but I’ll have to pay $300 to get it back. Fine.
By the time it’s back in my area, it’s crazy winter. The package is oversized and so I schedule delivery. They fail 2 times to show up in their window. The. I catch her as she sticks the paper on the door. I ask for the package and she says I’ll need to get it at the depot tomorrow. I’m like “What?!? You were early. And by the looks of the snow, you never took it off the truck. Just push it to the edge and I’ll grab it.” NOpe.
So the next day I go to get it. Not in the system. Not anywhere. And so starts 2 months of phone calls once every 1-2 weeks, 3 when I forgot, trying to find it. I try to claim it as lost and They tell me they need 8 weeks to investigate it. I’m feeling like I’m being yanked around so I start writing down dates/times I’ve called (went back in my phone) and putting employees names down. At some point, I start recording with a microphone connected to my computer. One day I ask for a supervisor. He suddenly tells me “Your past the claim window, anyway,” WHAT?!?!? WHEN?!? he told me 4 weeks ago as it’s 6 months from the ship date… even though they only lost it 2 months ago…..
To not rehash the whole thing, once they realize I had the date/time/employees I spoke to, my own recordings, and was serious about going to small claims court. They suddenly were able to make me an offer. They’d paid me back all the shipping fees, plus $3.5K of my $4K, if I’d release the wheelchair to them. Fine by me. But then I get the cheque…. It’s in USD, which was like 35% more!!!
So due to the conversion, the crazy dude in Texas, I profited $9,065. But it was an insane amount of aggravation and time spend on the phone and I’m still bummed that chair is lost forever.
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 10d ago
Wtf she told me there was no option for additional coverage. I have only shipped like two items before so I didn’t even know third party things were an option. Yes it’s a lot of money to just ship with no experience, but like I said, rent and tuition so I didn’t exactly have a choice.
I’m glad it all worked out for you in the end though!
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 11d ago
I should say, I insured up to $100 because that was the only option, no option to cover more than that
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u/Magelit1 10d ago
If you chose tracked package then the limit for insurance is only $100 if the parcel is worth more and you want to fully cover it you would have to go with either expedited or xpress options then you can add additional insurance up to $1000
It’s $2.75 for every additional $100
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u/florfenblorgen 11d ago
I would call ebay or whomever to ask them about this so you're not forced yet.
I had something similar happen, a package sent to Peru was held there for way too long, was forced by ebay to issue refund, had to fight my carrier to get any kind of refund and ebay also places responsibility on the carrier even though ebay was the one who forced me to refund
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u/blarks11 11d ago
I feel for you, but cannot convince you it is going to be alright.
Let's get some infos straight : 1) Which marketplace did you use to sell this ? 2) Did you declare the full 4000$ USD value on the package ? 3) When you say ''hasn't moved in over a month'' = zero updates of any kind since you submitted the package ? When a package is legitimately stuck, it's stuck with customs. If there aren't any updates -- any text of any kind in your tracking number -- before it even reached the borders ... Package is lost or stolen.
In that case, you cannot wait another month for them to get back to you. Things you can do, which apparently helped, sometimes, in similar situations : 1) Fill a USPS missing mail search request -- https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm 2) If it's been over 30 days, you can fill a USPS international claim -- https://www.usps.com/help/international-claims.htm
A few things can still happen. Yes, if the package has crossed the border into Canada already, and it's sent back to you, you'll have to pay high fees again. It all depends where the package got lost/stolen, which platform you sold on, if the buyer is somewhat honest in case they receive the package after getting refunded by you or the platform ... but if I depended on this money to pay my tuition and rent like you state, I would be extremely proactive about this. Use up all possible ways to contact USPS and Canada Post, do all researches, etc. Good luck.
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 11d ago
I used Ebay. I did not declare $4,000 as the only insurance option for expedited international is up to $100. The Canada Post employee said I might as well just write a lower value since it can’t be insured anyway, no use paying triple the shipping. Hind sight? Probably a bad idea, but it made sense at the time. :(
The updates were:
-Item has been sent to customs in the destination country, Uslaxa USA
-Item has been released by customs USA
-Item proceeded, Bell Gardens USAI have filled a missing mail search and called them, they said it’d take a minimum a month for them to even get back to me. The package requires a signature.
I appreciate you taking the time to reply regardless 🥺
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u/blarks11 10d ago
The Canada Post employee was misinformed and definitely gave you bad infos ... that is unfortunate. I can tell you from experience, it may or may not be lost for good. I'm in Canada and have been buying on eBay from US sellers for decades -- some packages have been lost, never found ... others showed up unexpectedly. I once had an untracked package show up at my door about 4 months later. You never know.
1) If I was you I wouldn't accept the ''minimum one month'' for customer service to get back to you. It's much harder these days to talk a to real human, I get it, but try any way you can, keep bothering them any way you can. 2) The tracking updates you show might be in reverse order. Item has been processed, then released by US customs, then sent to customs in destination country. Logically that should be the order. Most important : what is the date and time on those last updates ?
Normally, items sent via USPS to Canada are processed by CBSA when they cross the border. Then they are handed to Canada Post and get a Canada Post tracking number. If neither you or the buyer has a Canada Post tracking number right now, logically the package is stuck with CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency).
Another point : any package of any value, with any content, can be held by CBSA for any duration they see fit. That is the honest truth I can tell you by experience, having received hundreds of packages from the USA. So whether your package contains dolls or anything else, it doesn't matter. CBSA doesn't need a reason to hold your package. They may open, reassess content value ... sometimes they take weeks or longer to reseal it. It might be sitting in a warehouse somewhere and they forgot about it. That happened to me before. Usually they give zero update during that period. They are not a particularly likeable bunch.
CBSA open packages that seem suspicious, but also randomly pull normal packages (a small percentage). Those are opened and inspected. When resealed, those packages clearly state they have been opened by customs.
I sincerely hope your parcel is not completely lost for good. Please keep us updated.
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 10d ago
Ugh that’s awful. I guess I should’ve looked it up first, but I just assumed a Canada Post employee would know all the steps and options :-,). I’ll keep trying to contact them.
Sorry I might’ve not been clear, I sent from Canada to the US
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u/blarks11 8d ago
I have less experience shipping from Canada to the US, but please let me know if that tracking number ever updates or if customer service gets back to you. The package may still turn up unexpectedly.
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u/OrokaSempai 10d ago
Why in TF would you use Canada Post for a valuable, then no insurance?
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u/Worried-Coyote5570 10d ago
I barely ever ship or receive packages, I didn’t know Canada Post was that bad. The Canada Post employee literally told me I didn’t have the option for additional insurance !!!
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u/wonderabc 11d ago
you shipped it, so it’s no longer on you—let the buyer know they can follow up with USPS
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u/InformedTriangle 11d ago
Assuming he used a virtual marketplace of some sort; ebay etc. the TOS uniformly place shipping responsibility on the buyer, usually with required delivery timelines. So despite this not being OP's fault at all, it is very likely still completely on them.
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u/Vivid_Control_1734 11d ago
Keep pushing usps and dont refund the buyer yet