AmperZand Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) How much trouble have you had getting LEGO by mail? I once ordered a few parts on BrickLink from a seller in the Netherlands. He sent them by airmail the day after receiving payment. They took five weeks to reach me in the UK. Five weeks! It's hardly any distance at all. What took the Dutch/British postal systems so long? I thought that was bad until today. I received a BrickLink order this afternoon that was sent airmail from Germany. It took over seven weeks to reach me. Seven f"([<!~9 weeks! Unbelievable. What do British/German postal workers do all day because it certainly isn't collecting and delivering mail? In both cases, the item was addressed correctly, had sufficient postage and was going from a major city at the sender's end to a large, easily reached UK destination. Edited September 23, 2015 by AmperZand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted September 24, 2015 Does your country require international packages to go through customs for inspection and duties before being delivered to you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AmperZand Posted September 24, 2015 Does your country require international packages to go through customs for inspection and duties before being delivered to you? No, not for the Netherlands and Germany. The UK, Netherlands and Germany are all EU countries so there are no customs checks. It's a different matter if you're receiving LEGO in the EU from Canada, the US or other non-EU country. While I have no love for customs authorities, in the case of the five weeks from the Netherlands and seven from Germany, they're not to blame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
harakiri Posted September 24, 2015 (edited) We had some strikes in Germany this year. One was a strike of the postal workers that caused a huge backlog. We also had some pilot strikes (mostly Lufthansa, so I am not sure if this is an issue here ....) That could explain at least the delay of the shipment from Germany Edited September 24, 2015 by harakiri Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOneVeyronian Posted September 24, 2015 I once ordered a few parts on BrickLink from a seller in the Netherlands. He sent them by airmail the day after receiving payment. They took five weeks to reach me in the UK. Five weeks! It's hardly any distance at all. What took the Dutch/British postal systems so long? This sounds like exactly the same problem I had 3 months ago. I bought some stuff from a (very good) Netherlands seller on the 24th June, and was sent the next day. It arrived on the 6th August, 6 weeks later, after both me and the seller assumed the package lost, the seller had sent me more of the "lost" items and a partial refund (and that had all turned up) and I had bought the other parts I had ordered in the meantime. Not to mention I got packages from the US and Canada sent after that order that arrived well before it. I have no idea why it took so long when other packages from the Netherlands bought at the same time (and even the same seller!) arrived on time At least what I experienced wasn't an isolated case, and I know just how frustrating it is so I can sympathise... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robianco Posted September 25, 2015 I had a custom minifigure I bought from South Africa which had tracking on the parcel... sent promptly... took 5 days to reach UK (Gatwick or Heathrow Customs)... then 24 days later still nothing... I actually called Royal Mai lot see if there was any way of tracking it and the following day it was delivered. I think my calling was a complete coincidence but the guy at Royal Mail said it can be 20 working days from coming in to the country before they can start making a claim or tracing it. I always have to compare it to sending a parcel via DHL a couple of years ago... I took it to a depot here in Liverpool and just booked a general delivery... it was signed for less than 24 hours later in Denver. Always amazes me how something can be delivered that quick yet come things can take over 6 weeks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Nemo Posted September 25, 2015 I had a custom minifigure I bought from South Africa... Must have been a Christo! His figures are great; but his shipping speed, not so much. I tend to avoid buying or Bricklinking from out of country for this reason (well that and conversion rates). Although I've never really had anything go terribly wrong. Granted I might start buying from across the pond...those Germans and their unlimited supply of olive green flower stems are making me super jelly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peppermint_M Posted September 26, 2015 Never had that kind of problem and I'm having stuff shipped to Wales! Maybe it is just a case of bad luck. The only annoying postal issue I faced was with a Zoid from Hong Kong. That probably got lost during airport strikes in the UK some years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hemlock Falls Posted September 26, 2015 IMG_7773 I ordered a Horizon Express from Hungary, and it arrived looking like this. Like some angry Hungarian who probably hates Americans just kicked the crap out of it before sending it. Either that or the mail people didn't bother landing the plane from Europe, and decided to just throw the box out of the plane. The Lego box was also damaged but not as bad. I know that this is only one order from ONE person in Hungary. So it's not fair to hold it against a whole country, but I do find myself leaning away from ordering anything from there again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
