Postage to Russia

WESTIEKaTH

Can anyone tell me how long it would take a small parcel to get to Russia? I have a customer who claims he hasn't received it!! Somehow I just knew this was going to happen. Any advise me how long?
Thanks

Teup

Obvious answer would be it depends on what you send it from, and also the type of shipment, but I do know that Russia and Ukraine take longer than even Africa. I don't like shipping to Russia without tracking in general, sadly it's very easy for stuff to get "lost" there. Maybe for future orders it's an idea to set up a separate shipping method line for countries like Russia and Ukraine with lower thresholds for tracked/insured shipping.

Did they check the post office? Usually in Russia people need to go and pick up their package. They will receive a letter for this but it's possible to miss it or for it to be filled out incorrectly.

WESTIEKaTH

Thanks Teup. It was a small package and the buyer insisted he did not want tracked. It was posted on 21st Sept and he has waited exactly 4 weeks to inform me. I didnt realise that people have to go to PO to pick up their own mail. TBH I dont want to post there anymore - is there anyway I can delete these 2 countries from my shipping list -??

Teup

Each of your shipping methods has a list of countries they apply to, you could simply leave those countries out of any of your lists. I'm not sure if that will automatically result in the users being aware the store does not ship to them, maybe someone else can confirm that.

Russia can be pretty rough. Parcels are not delivered at the door because out of safety considerations many people live behind multiple doors and do not open them for people they don't know and even delivery people don't necessarily behave professional. They get a notification in their post box, which works, but in Ukraine these post boxes can be completely beaten up and falling apart, so the letter can get lost too :S However, my (few) orders to Russia and Ukraine so far have arrived, but one unclaimed (and untracked!) shipment was returned to me (after which I tried to reach out to the buyer, but never got a response :P )

If you told them it would be at their risk since they insist, then you shouldn't have to refund anything (in theory).. otherwise I guess you should..

WESTIEKaTH

Hmmm Teup had real doubts about this order - there was a lot of fuss over it. They hadn't paid enough postage, then he asked me to take items out to keep to lower shipment, when I asked which ones he said he didn't care but then paid extra but not enough - in the end I just sent it and paid the extra postage myself. I just wanted to get the order finished with. Maybe he hasn't rec'd order but I have read it can take up to 2 months to arrive but tbh I don't think he will wait that long and demand refund. It was quite a big order too :-(
I think I will delete those countries off my list. It is a pity for them but I do not want to keep refunding money and loose items.
Just as a matter of interest is there a blocked list of non payers or people who claim not to have received items - I don't mean people who genuinely have not rec'd orders but people who are trying to scam?

bricksbythepound

We have had a lot of trouble shipping to Russia. We had to send the same package 4 times, never got it back one time and in the end had to refund for the package. It has been hit or miss with delivery there.

Hoddie

I had a €700+ order on BL just before I left the site, the buyer was based in Hong Kong but wanted me to send it to an address in China. Paid by IBAN curiously enough so I didn't care less. Stringent requirements on final weight and declared value. Unfortunately, because I decided to insure the package off my own back, the declared value ended up higher than a particular threshold which meant the buyer had to pay a fortune in import duties or other such charge. They refused and about two months later the package was returned to me, a little beat up but otherwise none the worse for its round the world trip. The buyer then asked me to ship it to Austria, to a friend who would be returning to China soon and who would take it with him. When I asked for the friend's address, the buyer then asked me to ship it direct to Hong Kong, but in two smaller packages in order to meet different final weight and declared value requirements. The buyer paid, again via IBAN, for the extra postage. About 6 months after the order was originally placed, the buyer had his Lego and left me positive feedback.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, some buyers simply have to deal with crazy postal systems and onerous restrictions placed upon them by their governments.

Every time I sent a parcel to my mom in Turkey, she had to bribe the post office staff to hand it over. But for every story of dodgy buyers and even dodgier post systems, there are 100 that turn out great. I once sent a Lego order to Brazil and it took 4 days to get there. Just 2 days to get to Slovakia, buyer couldn't believe it. I've had orders to Ukraine and Russia and they always arrive. Some take many weeks though due to customs.

It could be you've stumbled upon a dodgy buyer. In which case, if they paid by PayPal, you're going to lose the Lego you sent. If it's simply a dodgy postal system, your buyer might just need to show a little patience, or they might have to accept that their order has vanished into an employee's hands or down the back of a sorting stillage somewhere. In this case too, if they paid by PayPal, you've lost your Lego.

WESTIEKaTH

Oh dear looks like i have lost Lego then!!I dont think buyer is willing to wait. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I do not know whether to delete the 2 countries (which seems a pity) or only send with tracking/insurance!!

Calibrick

WestieKath, if you go to usps.com and browse around, you'll find a list of countries that they can and can't track parcels to. Between that and general googling on eBay forums, I got a good list of countries I felt safe shipping to, every order of which IS tracked. Downside of course is if you look at my shipping page, you'll see I only ship to twenty or less nations.

I'm pretty sure you can go to your shipping method for international in BO, grab all the countries, then deselect the single one you're having issues with. Honestly though, there are a LOT of countries I won't ship to based on USPS review (some won't allow used toy imports, take note) and browsing eBay and PayPal seller/shipper forums for consistent issues.

International tracking is AWESOME (though it can be slow to update, depends on the receiving country and how on-the-ball they are)... the packages cost a lot more to ship, but I'm fine with that and getting less business then the hassle and money loss, ya know? And if you are shipping tracked, PayPal seller coverage should kick in, protecting you and the buyer.

Just some insight into how I made my decisions - obviously that may not be the best decisions for you and your business model! I do vividly remember agonizing over this though earlier this year, and investing days into web surfing (though some of that was just me getting sidetracked on the Internet of Things <s>).

Hoddie

Remember that tracking doesn't guarantee a hassle-free transaction. It doesn't prevent an "item not as described" claim or the buyer from initiating a charge-back on their payment card. If you're a business you have to accept that there's a balance to be struck between losing business by restricting your pool of buyers, and dealing with scammers out for a free lunch. Deciding not to ship to 150 countries just to prevent the 1 in 100 or more orders that will bite you in the arse makes no business sense imo though each to their own.

Losing orders to scammers is, unfortunately, a business expense. It's like shoplifting for bricks and mortar stores. Businesses don't want it and they'll take all practical steps to prevent it, but they won't lock their doors except to those customers who live in the right neighbourhoods.

WESTIEKaTH

Thanks both - somethings to think about there. Arguments on both sides. Typically I have received yet another order from Russia (that's 2 in as many days) - thankfully the items are not on the rarer side so cheap to buy. Must have a think about all this and what is best for my little business. Thanks for all advice - I really appreciate it

rebrique

From France to Russia is 1 month of delivery, too much trouble for some order

The only country where I had a lot of buyers is the United States but they must have a problem with their mail sorting machine, or theft. Many parcels arrives open and that even using tearproof and waterproof packets ...

I even stopped sending around the world except Europe because I don't have enought stock for loose time with this problem and EU don't need customs duty.

Bricks-Shop

Until today I made only good experience with Russia. All my shipments have arrived, some with but the most without tracking. All have been shipped with Deutsche Post as regular letter and Customs Declaration.
Only one time a customer has claimed after three weeks that the shipment has not yet arrived. But after another view days, also this one has reached its final destination.

WESTIEKaTH

Thanks all - had a message today the parcel has arrived safe and sound :-). Touch wood I have sent quite a few to USA which have arrived too =D>

Calibrick

@rebrique , I wonder if the tearing/opening is occurring at customs in the US? I've only very rarely seen the sorting machines in the US actually tear open waterproof packets accidentally (my husband was a shipping manager for many years until about 4 years ago).

And wow... one MONTH from France to Russia? That is wild. It's the same continent (though obviously two different postal systems)! :-)

Teup

> @Calibrick said:
> And wow... one MONTH from France to Russia? That is wild. It's the same continent (though obviously two different postal systems)! :-)

Yep, Russia/Ukraine have the longest delivery time in the world. From the NL, all countries in Africa that have a postal service have a lower delivery time estimate than Russia. On the up side, they do have fancy stamps and packages with two headed bird emblems. As the Russians say: ....It's Russia :)

robernat

I shipped twice to Russia last week (using dutch post), both arrived within 5 business days... Must say both shipments where 'registered' shipments, dunno if that makes a difference.