Anyone have experience with recieving shipments from South Africa recently

[RIPtastic]

Wanted to see if any of you guys had any recent experience with receiving any shipments originating from South Africa. From the little that I know I was told there was some kind of postal strike not too long ago. So unmailed packages and letters built up to a pretty sizable amount. I've been waiting for about a month for a package to come in with no luck. The tracking has not changed.
Would love to hear if any of you guys have been receiving your packages lately. I really hope my package is not long gone because its a pretty expensive knife. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Misanthropia]

Did you buy something directly from a maker in South Africa? Because I would be a little annoyed if they knowingly used the SA postal system when they know it's unreliable. I bought a knife directly from Andre Van Heerden and he sent it via DHL, which is a much safer route.

Unfortunately said knife has developed quite a bit of lock rock and now needs to be sent back. Stories like yours make me really nervous about sending it back. Plus, it's over $100 to send it via Fedex or UPS tracked and insured

 

[RIPtastic]

Did you buy something directly from a maker in South Africa? Because I would be a little annoyed if they knowingly used the SA postal system when they know it's unreliable. I bought a knife directly from Andre Van Heerden and he sent it via DHL, which is a much safer route.

Unfortunately said knife has developed quite a bit of lock rock and now needs to be sent back. Stories like yours make me really nervous about sending it back. Plus, it's over $100 to send it via Fedex or UPS tracked and insured

No not from a maker. Just a fellow knife nut. I didn't realize how unreliable the postal system was down there. Guess I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.

 

[Steven65]

Wanted to see if any of you guys had any recent experience with receiving any shipments originating from South Africa. From the little that I know I was told there was some kind of postal strike not too long ago. So unmailed packages and letters built up to a pretty sizable amount. I've been waiting for about a month for a package to come in with no luck. The tracking has not changed.
Would love to hear if any of you guys have been receiving your packages lately. I really hope my package is not long gone because its a pretty expensive knife. Thanks in advance for any help.

The strike has been over for some time and USPS packages seem to going through the South African postal system fairly quickly. Personally though at this time I still prefer to use DHL.

After the strike there was a huge backlog so it may have taken some time to move your package on. Where in South Africa was your package sent from?

Did you buy something directly from a maker in South Africa? Because I would be a little annoyed if they knowingly used the SA postal system when they know it's unreliable. I bought a knife directly from Andre Van Heerden and he sent it via DHL, which is a much safer route.

Unfortunately said knife has developed quite a bit of lock rock and now needs to be sent back. Stories like yours make me really nervous about sending it back. Plus, it's over $100 to send it via Fedex or UPS tracked and insured

It is a very difficult state of affairs for all our knife makers. We rely very heavily on the postal service and it has let us down badly. Alas at this time the only reliable verified method of transport is with a courier service.

Andre will be at Blade so if you can hang on until then it might be worth getting the knife to him while he is in Atlanta. I will be there with Andre so if I can help you with that feel free to PM me.

 

[Misanthropia]

The strike has been over for some time and USPS packages seem to going through the South African postal system fairly quickly. Personally though at this time I still prefer to use DHL.

After the strike there was a huge backlog so it may have taken some time to move your package on. Where in South Africa was your package sent from?




It is a very difficult state of affairs for all our knife makers. We rely very heavily on the postal service and it has let us down badly. Alas at this time the only reliable verified method of transport is with a courier service.

Andre will be at Blade so if you can hang on until then it might be worth getting the knife to him while he is in Atlanta. I will be there with Andre so if I can help you with that feel free to PM me.

I sincerely appreciate that sir, that is a huge help! I recently had a problem with another knife from SA but luckily I caught the maker while he was at SHOT so I didn't have to send it internationally. I deeply empathize with knife nuts who live outside of the US, it's like some cosmic force is making everything intentionally way more difficult for you guys

 

[RIPtastic]

Umm... not exactly sure where it shipped from but I think its stuck at the International mail sorting facility in Johannesburg.

Heres the tracking code I got and the their website. I don't know how reliable they are tho so who knows. Is one month a long time to wait tho?
This is really the first time I've ever received a package out of country so I'm really not experienced with wait times.

CN026774215ZA

http://globaltracktrace.ptc.post/gtt.web/

 

[Steven65]

Umm... not exactly sure where it shipped from but I think its stuck at the International mail sorting facility in Johannesburg.

Heres the tracking code I got and the their website. I don't know how reliable they are tho so who knows. Is one month a long time to wait tho?
This is really the first time I've ever received a package out of country so I'm really not experienced with wait times.

CN026774215ZA

http://globaltracktrace.ptc.post/gtt.web/

Honestly with the current situation I would not be surprised if the package takes up to 6 weeks to reach you. The good news is that the tracking info shows that it has left SA heading outbound. Give it another 14 days or so. If you have not received it by then you should ask the seller to call the PO and check what is going on.

I am pretty sure that it will arrive eventually.

If I can be of any help feel free to get in touch.

 

[Buffalohump]

I don't ship much out the country any more but I actually sent two packages while the strike was on and they both reached their destinations in under 3 weeks. One went to the US and the other to the UK. Registered airmail both times.

I receive packages from the States all the time. USPS International Priority or Express mail are both good to go. First Class will get here but it takes a little longer.

Only time I ever had a problem with a package to the US it went all the way to the mail centre near the guy's house and then mysteriously disappeared. USPS claimed the address label had fallen off (they told us they photographed EVERY item entering the centre, which I found hard to believe). Oddly enough a couple of weeks later the package turned up at the guy's house entirely intact! It had just fallen between the cracks somewhere between the mail centre and his house.

No postal system anywhere is 100% reliable but in years of mailing internationally I have never had a problem with deliveries. A couple come pretty late but they all arrived. YMMV.

 

[RIPtastic]

Well just wanted to update you guys that 4-5 months later after I had all but given up to my surprise the package showed up today with my PT!!
Im not really sure what the hold up was but it looks like it made a nice detour to the U.K. Just goes to show ya never give up hope. One day
that long lost package just may show up at your door. =)

Heres a pic of knife I thought was long gone.