FedEx . . . or CB

I recently ordered a chess set from Chess Bazaar. To their credit, they shipped within 2 days. All seemed good. However for the past 5 or 6 days, FedEx has reported the same thing: “At local FedEx facility” in New Delhi. As far as I can tell, it has not gone through customs. 

So either there is a problem with FedEx or Indian Customs or FedEx is in a dispute with CB or? In my limited experience, FedEx has not been as efficient as DHL in moving packages from India. But this delay is well outside the bounds of normal. 

Has anyone else had any similar issues? Thanks. 

I would say if it is at a local FedEx facility then it is a FedEx problem.

All the carriers have become sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.  And they all hide behind COVID.  It's become an excuse, not a reason.  You've had almost 2 years to get your sh!t together, clowns!

You need not worry. This is rather normal and happens frequently. The shipment is already on the way to Australia. The status will in this case be updated once the set arrives in the country of destination, has obtained customs clearance and is logged into the system of the local carrier. For a shipment to Australia the status will not change for several weeks and when it changes you can expect the set within a few days.

Still in FedEx local facility when I checked this morning. FedEx updates the report once or twice a day even when there is no change. Based on the comments above, I guess this is part of the new normal.  😦

I ordered three chess sets from India over the last 2 months.  Each time FedEx picked up the order in Amritsar there was an almost immediate "local delay beyond our control," and then the package went on to New Delhi where it sat for 3-4 days due to "operational delay" (and who knows what else?).  Then finally it went like lightning from from India to Paris to Memphis, TN, to the Seattle area where I live in like 24-36 hours.  Bottomline: don't despair.

@KUDZU9 and @Powderdigit

Voices of reason and calm in uncertain and anxious times. I wish for more to demonstrate such patience in today’s world. Well done!

I finally got my set from Chess Bazaar via FedEx. It sat in the new Delhi facility for two weeks. Then, like @KUDZU9, I got it pretty fast, within 3 days. But - according to the FedEx website - the pattern of transport was completely bizarre. Here is what the website reported about the journey to Memphis, Tennessee (the distribution point for the United States): New Delhi - Dubai - New Delhi - Lombary, Italy - New Delhi - Memphis. What the?????? Anyway, the package arrived with no damage.

Amazon Prime has been taking 3-4 days instead of their usual 2 days for a year now. No explanation. No partial refund of Amazon Prime annual fee. Items are still advertised as 1-2 day Prime shipping even though there's no way deliveries are being sent in that time frame for over a year now.

I have no problem with shipping delays. Just be transparent about it. Don't promise customers fast (x)-day delivery. And charge customers for fast (x)-day delivery. Even though they know full well that it will not arrive to the customer in that time frame. That's an outright LIE. 

@Pawnerai: I notice that the delivery times vary quite a bit for Amazon Prime depending on where the order is being shipped. In the Washington DC metropolitan area, packages arrive quickly. In some other areas, not so much.

CB international delivery system is the fastest so far. 

Agreed. I’ve also found that items prime packages arrive quicker than promised on numerous occasions. I think the entire supply chain is in a constant state of flux and undependable for both shipper and receiver. Prime should not charge for the expedited service however when they cannot deliver as promised.

My opinion as a buyer over many decades and a seller that used to ship outside my own country is.........It is neither CS nor FedEx's fault. It is the customs, in other words, the GOVERNMENT red tape.  Either at the destination, making sure it's all legal, or at delivery, making sure they get their VAT and inspect also. I would not blame the seller nor the company hired to deliver the product. 

About 5 years ago I ordered a laptop from HP, of course, it comes from China. HP sent it FedEx and it was held up, not by FedEx but by the red tape of China. If it is up to FedEx they would get rid of it and deliver it as fast as they can. They make no money by keeping it in one place for a week.

@TundraMike - Agreed! I made the same experience several times. Last time I received a large order from India it was first held in Indian customs for a week, then made it to Germany within three days, before it was held in German customs again for three weeks before obtaining clearance (during which the German customs opened the package, damaged some boxes inside while doing so (it was a collective order of several chess sets) & removed individual chess pieces without putting them properly back into the box).

And lately I have sent some items with expedited premium shipping from Germany to the US. Even during the pandemic it took only five days for the package to hit US soil, but then it was held in customs for almost four weeks (!), which entirely counteracted the idea of expedited shipping.

Yep I can confirm this except that buying in bulk part 👀. Since Juli 1st every shipment that comes in EU will be subject to Duty VAT clearance, even when it's 50 ct. My small packages are on average on hold 1 to 2 weeks at Dutch customs before it get released.