"USPS and overseas man am I miffed" Topic

I sent a package for shipment from here in the Midwest USA to Fernando in Sri Lanka on April 17th. Per tracking it did not go to customs till April 20th cleared on the 27th Now here is where I start getting ed and ticked off. The guy on the phone was lucky to be able to figure out what needed to be done. Today my carrier rings my bell telling me she has a package for me I must sign for. My long lost shipment. It was rejected for get this, being shielded and the air carrier rejected it? What the hell? I have done numerous transactions with Fernando and this is the first I had any problem getting things to them. Has anyone had this happen to them before?

What does "being shielded" mean?

It means that they had trouble x-raying the contents of the package.

That is odd. I shipped a big box o' lead and received a similar box of lead from them without trouble. But perhaps things have changed since then. You may want to inquire not with your local PO but with your main Post Office shipping center. There must be some way this gets resolved because they must ship a lot of things that are hard to scan such as mechanical parts and so forth. How was it labeled?

Also consider DHL or another private carrier instead of the USPS.

I was going to suggest that all the lead was hard to view on an xray. . . but 45thdiv made the point.

Charles,
I had the same experience about 3 months ago. I just filled out another custom form and resent it at no additional charge and it arrived at Fernando in a couple of weeks. I had sent it by USPS Priority International flat rate package and when it was returned the P.O. had no idea why it was returned but it did have a sticker with "shielded and air carrier rejected". The P.O. reshipped the parcel at no extra cost and it is now being painted.
To this day no one knows where that sticker came from or why it was there.

rob
eureka miniatures usa

Funny how lead/Metals do that! I carried a Car-15 though airline security in a lead pouch one time back 100 or so years ago. But it was in a dip pouch.

Ever since they tried to blow up transport aircraft coming out of the warzones it has been getting harder and harder to get stuff such as reloading supplies (Lead Bullets) and such. Most of our reloads are shipped ground only.

VR
James Mattes

It probably depends on who is on shift at the X-ray. There is one guy who is at the helm for 15 hours a week that is a stickler for the rules and super anal about stuff. So he rejects the package.

I took my mother's ashes from New Zealand to Italy, via the States and UK (she travelled in my hand luggage). Had to have her in a container that could be xrayed – so plastic. Otherwise some overzealous customs guy might have flushed her. So, perhaps the box they were wrapped in had metallic paper or lining (just surmising here) and that is why they rejected it?

The air carrier is FedEx, not USPS – they do it all under contract. The sticker sounds like something from FedEx, not a government agency. US customs isn't part of the USPS either, and isn't any better liked by postal employees than by anyone else, in large part because their erratic and often inept performance make USPS look bad. Blame the right people.

living in australia all my minis have to come through post. The amount of hassle, lost packages is painful. So yes i feel your pain.

I had this problem sending a package to Hong Kong 6 months ago. It went all the way to HK airport and then got rejected by someone at the scanner. It was properly labelled. They couldn't have missed the big bold letters, in several places, explaining the contents.

I sent emails off to the relevant departments, got formulaic responses.

Eventually I posted it again and it got through. Had to pay the post again. It seems like this happens randomly with some scanner operators. I've visited our national airport and shown samples to our scanner guys.

Every time this happens write a letter to the scanning authority. It makes a difference.

Charles,

Are you now or have you ever been a member of the TEA Party?

DM

I had this happen to me with a package I mailed 6 weeks ago. Got the package back 3 weeks later, with the "shielded" comment. Took it back to my local post office and they just sent it back through. So far the package has not come back. I did not have to pay anymore postage. This looks like its going to be a problem going forward.
M.Lowry

PS--Does anybody have Phil-Greg's current email?

Guess this is a good supporting argument for more plastic 28mm figures. The War on Terrorism can be credited with the death of metal military miniatures!

VR
James Mattes

I spoke too soon!! Just got my package to Sri Lanka back this morning. Same label-"Shielded-- Surface Transport only". I am in the Mid-West too(Kansas), so it looks like we're done for sending any more figures to Sri Lanka.

M. Lowry

So if ground only how can it go. Maybe have to not use USPS. The cost though it outrageous. Over$200 one way. I am going to put big labels all over the package when I resend tomorrow. Going to put(Metal sculptures,please inspect.

Don,
Yes I am. Maye I am part of the crackdown!

That'll teach you. ; )

I'm waiting for my annual audit.

DM

I also had my package sent back to me twice! I have never had a problem sending figures to Sri Lanka before. I'm out $77. USD DHL will come to your door and pick up the package(14lbs) for $177 USD!!!! I am not sure if I want to take another chance and send it USPS. It's been a month of sending the package and getting it back twice. As with you guys the sticker said "shielded".

Michael W.Lowry

Our email is philgreg@eol.lk or philgreg@eureka.lk

I repacked the flat rate box of figures for Sri Lanka, taking the plastic bags out of secondary boxes and using more packing peanuts. The box was posted today so I am crossing my fingers and hoping it will not be sent back to me undelivered. Because the original box had not been delivered, usps gave me $77 USD credit so I didn't have to pay twice to send the package. I decided not to send it DHL due to the fact that it would have been $100 USD more then USPS.

So did these issues ever get resolved? Im about to send Fernando some models to paint up….

My box arrived a month later to Sri Lanka. If you look at the dates that the initial shipments
were sent, I think the returns were in response to the Boston bombing. That's my guess.

Yes, This problem started after Boston Bombing. It seems, now USPS is ok. But you can always use DHL,I have a special arrangement with DHL. So you donot pay high charges. Pl send a mail to send special DHL rates. With DHL there is no shielding problem.
miniaturelovers.com
email;figures@sltnet.lk

Good info, thanks.

See my May 20th and May 30th posts about DHL.

Try smaller Packages. Get some 12x9x3 (literature mailer sized) boxes, and mail THAT much metal, quit being so cheap and trying to mail 77 lbs at once.

I would refuse a 77lb box that was opaque to the scanner too, no matter what is was labeled as.

Panfilov,
Read every word, take your time! No where is mentioned shipping 77 lbs. See? My package was 14 lbs. Public education these days!