Can anyone explain this Ebay tracking report?

[xrunner]

I ordered a simple set of banana leads from Hong Kong. I've ordered from Hong Kong (and China) many many times and it just comes to the US either via Chicago or San Fran. But how is this tracking happening? I don't get it - Netherlands! 


Item in transitTransit processing center, Netherlands

Apr-12-17, 19:05 PM

Flight landed to transit destinationSchiphol Airport, Netherlands

Apr-11-17, 19:05 PM

Flight dispatched?transit destination:Netherlands, flight #:KL888Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Hong Kong

Apr-11-17, 13:35 PM

Item being handed over to the airline.Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Hong Kong

Apr-07-17, 17:20 PM

Item in transit.Flyt Express's sorting centre, Hong Kong

Apr-06-17, 17:19 PM

Item dispatched. PKG#:PKG03428543Flyt Express's sorting centre, Guangzhou

Apr-05-17, 17:18 PM

Item in transitFlyt Express's sorting centre, Guangzhou

Apr-05-17, 16:13 PM

Item receivedFlyt Express's sorting centre, Guangzhou

Apr-05-17, 15:13 PM

Customer's order information generatedCustomer

Apr-05-17, 01:16 AM

[ebclr]

It's in Netherlands local office near home, sooner will arrive

[Housedad]

Not all of the sellers on Ebay from China are little Mom and Pop operations.  Some have warehouses throughout the world.  I have gotten stuff sent to me from Italy that was ordered through Hong Kong.  As long as you get it, don't be alarmed.

[ataradov]

KL 888 is an actual commercial flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam.  Looks like they do some cargo deliverers on the side as well.

[Richard Crowley]

At least you have current tracking. Just because the shipment is traveling west instead of east doesn't seem like a big deal considering the globe-like shape of our planet.

I am still waiting for my local USPS office to figure out what happened to my shipment via "Chunghwa Post". It claims:

Code: [Select]

Tracking #:CC295093875TW
Carrier:Chunghwa Post

Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available)
2017-03-07, 11:29:00, ~~~~~~, OR 97~~~

Arrived at Unit
2017-03-07, 03:52:00, ~~~~~~, OR 97~~~

Arrived at USPS Facility
2017-03-06, 13:13:00, PORTLAND, OR 97208

In Transit to Destination
2017-03-06, 03:19:00

Inbound Out of Customs
2017-03-04, 20:20:00

Departed USPS Facility
2017-03-04, 20:19:00, LOS ANGELES, CA 90009

Arrived at USPS Facility
2017-03-04, 20:18:00, LOS ANGELES, CA 90009

Inbound Into Customs
Processed Through Facility
2017-03-03, 19:09:00, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)

Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
Processed Through Facility
2017-03-02, 13:54:00, TAIPEI INT AMF

Acceptance
2017-03-01, 13:54:00
Alas, no notice was ever left (or any follow-up notices when I didn't respond).
And they couldn't find it at the post office.
And no record of sending it back when I didn't receive it.

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Not all of the sellers on Ebay from China are little Mom and Pop operations.  Some have warehouses throughout the world.

And sometimes it's just the weird world of cut-price logistics. China Post isn't always the cheapest, and as I understand it not even the "mom-&-pops" toddle your packages down to their local PO to send. They use a small logistics mob who've made a deal with a slightly bigger mob who've made a deal with an even bigger mob who consolidates the whole lot into a single larger shipment to [wherever] to take advantage of a cheap bulk discount postal rate by another country.

Earlier this year a lot of stuff was shipping from China to the Seychelles & being dropped into Seychelles Post. A couple of years ago it was Malaysia & [somewhere I can't remember in the Caribbean]. A few years ago stuff was regularly going Shenzen-Malmö-Australia (& didn't Dave's uRulers do something similar?).

[TiN]

what happened to my shipment via "Chunghwa Post". It claims:

Never had problem with Chunghwa EMS here. We sent hundreds of packages over last few years already.

TW tracking system says same for your TN: REASON FOR NONDELIVERY:Addressee not available at delivery.

Maybe sender mangled your address incorrectly?

[Richard Crowley]

what happened to my shipment via "Chunghwa Post". It claims:

Never had problem with Chunghwa EMS here. We sent hundreds of packages over last few years already.

TW tracking system says same for your TN: REASON FOR NONDELIVERY:Addressee not available at delivery.

Maybe sender mangled your address incorrectly?

They got my address from PayPal/Ebay just like hundreds of other vendors who seemed to have no problem with it.
I did NOT request that delivery signature was required. I get dozens of packages left on my front door step every month without a problem.
And when USPS (or UPS or FedEx, et.al.) DO have a "signature required" delivery, they leave a notice so that I can leave a signed release, or go down to the depot and pick it up.  I know the drill. I have done it scores of times.  But no notice was ever left. No package was ever left.  And I don't know what address was on the package because we can't find the package.

[TiN]

They got my address from PayPal/Ebay just like hundreds of other vendors who seemed to have no problem with it...

Chunghwa Post in TW is what USPS in US. USPS delivers such packages. And seller might mangled address, even though it came from ebay. Many people still fill stuff by hand here .

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Maybe before, but not now. China Post screwed up all low cost reshippers by offering a service called ePacket ~8 years ago, which allows sellers to ship at <$1 to major countries around the world.

You're probably closer to the action than I am, but afaik it's not quite so cut-and-dried. For example, as I said, for the first few months this year (up until ~ end of March) lots of people worldwide - UK, AU, & US - were wondering why their eBay/Ali/Taobao/Banggood packages were tracking through the Seychelles. And the small vendors I buy from regularly vary their "free post" between ePacket, China Post Air, and "standard shipping" depending on what's cheapest at despatch time.

Right now most seem to be quoting ePacket for free shipping - but last month they were quoting China Post Air (and, indeed, the stuff I ordered on 21/3 came that way), and in January it was "standard shipping" (which in that instance turned out to be HK Post).

Once you get above a certain size vendor, though, they seem to stick to one service for their basic shipping option - usually China Post or HK Post, AIR or EMS.

(edit: added text)

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Interesting. In my experience in both Aus (usual) & the US (occasional) I don't think I've ever had anything come by ePacket unless I've paid for faster shipping.

[ataradov]

Weird. I get them all the time.

You may want to remove your home address.

[sleemanj]

Here in NZ, sometimes I get ePacket, sometimes I get direct entry NZ Post, sometimes I get HK Post, sometimes China Post, sometimes it even gets physically relabelled in Auckland and shipped domestically I've had packages from through SwissPost, PostNord, Singapore Post and various others.  Sometimes it will actually transit through those other countries first, other times I think it just enters that other country's postal system directly in China and gets onloaded to a passenger aircraft heading this way anyway.

In short, small parcel sending from China is a real mish-mash of services, which no doubt helps keep the prices down due to competition, as well as the IPU historical weirdness, direct and indirect subsidies, and so forth.

As long as it arrives eventually, that's the main thing.

[SeanB]

I ordered a set of tapered reamers from an Indian seller, and they were shipped HK post, from a HK seller, cheaper than that seller had them on sale on his own online shop. Bought a really nice reamer there as well, and it looks lovely, though I would not use it on steel, it is just a little too soft for that, but perfect for soft aluminium and plastic, plus it is self starting, and comes in a nice knurled aluminium housing.

but yes, international tracking shows who had the bulk shipping the cheapest that hour, and which plane next leaving to a hub still had mass and volume available to do a cargo pallet at a fuel only cost, so as to get something for that last mass. You can get some low rates if your pallet is willing to go as standby cargo for a period, and there are a lot of flights to a particular hub you want to send it to.

[xrunner]

Thanks for all the replies.

Not all of the sellers on Ebay from China are little Mom and Pop operations.  Some have warehouses throughout the world. 

Well, as you can see though, the item started it's journey in China -

Item dispatched. PKG#:PKG03428543Flyt Express's sorting centre, Guangzhou

I've ordered a LOT of things from Ebay sellers in China and I've never had an item go West to Europe to get here. It's just interesting to see that. I dunno - maybe things are changing or it was just a one-off fluke. 

[Nusa]

It always amuses me when people cover their street address, but not the 9-digit zip code. That code will tell you what street you're on, which block on that street, and which side of the street (odds or evens), which often narrows it down to a very small number of possible addresses. And it's easy for the general public to look up online.

[SeanB]

Would not work with me, my post code of 4001 only narrows it down to a 1500square kilometer block of Ethekeni, and you would need some identifier as to the suburb, township or smallholding area that is going to be better.

Of course my one co worker had a lovely address, which had post delivered to it. His address was

The name of the person
Unnumbered house
Pole number XXX
Unnamed street
Amaoti
Inanda
KZN 4001

And the postman would give it to him. Another has the same address, and gets post there as well.

[Avacee]

KL 888 is an actual commercial flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam.  Looks like they do some cargo deliverers on the side as well.

Most Airlines wouldn't be profitable without also carrying cargo as its 5-10% of their revenue.
Approx 8% by volume and 33% by value of all air-cargo is carried on commercial flights.

E.g. Heathrow handled more value of cargo than the UK's 2 largest shipping ports (29% by value of long-haul goods arrive via Heathrow)

In fact, your US Post Office is one of the largest leasers of space on commercial jets for sending its post.

[Richard Crowley]

Would not work with me, my post code of 4001 only narrows it down to a 1500square kilometer block of Ethekeni, and you would need some identifier as to the suburb, township or smallholding area that is going to be better.

@Nusa said: 9-digit zip code
Perhaps you are not aware that the original 5-digit code defines a moderate-size area.
For example 97201 defines downtown Portland, Oregon.
But the 9-digit ("Zip+4") could define just one floor of a building, or even a specific mail box.

[Someone]

KL 888 is an actual commercial flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam.  Looks like they do some cargo deliverers on the side as well.

That flight is actually being run with a specialised cargo plane:
http://info.flightmapper.net/flight/KLM_KL_888
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-400#747-400M

[Someone]

Would not work with me, my post code of 4001 only narrows it down to a 1500square kilometer block of Ethekeni, and you would need some identifier as to the suburb, township or smallholding area that is going to be better.

Of course my one co worker had a lovely address, which had post delivered to it. His address was

The name of the person
Unnumbered house
Pole number XXX
Unnamed street
Amaoti
Inanda
KZN 4001

And the postman would give it to him. Another has the same address, and gets post there as well.

We've gone with less information and still had deliveries, they were of the form:
"house at top of hill"
Suburb
Australia

No names or numbers required!

[edavid]

Maybe before, but not now. China Post screwed up all low cost reshippers by offering a service called ePacket ~8 years ago, which allows sellers to ship at <$1 to major countries around the world.

Nope, ePacket now costs a a minimum of RMB 13 = $2:

http://www.chinapostaltracking.com/ems/ebay-epacket-eub/#rate

China Post regular airmail is cheaper, and the 3rd party logistics companies are cheaper yet.  Recently I've gotten packages shipped via the Laos, Samoa, and Vanuatu postal services.

[CatalinaWOW]

If you want a hard one to explain - try the following.  It is part of the history of a package that was shipped from Austin, TX to my Oregon location.  It arrived two days after the final tracking information in this list.


February 19, 2017, 2:52 pm   Departed USPS Facility      MEDFORD, OR 97501
February 18, 2017, 3:23 pm   Arrived at USPS Facility           MEDFORD, OR 97501
February 18, 2017, 4:39 am   Departed USPS Facility      FEDERAL WAY, WA 98003
February 17, 2017, 3:10 pm   Arrived at USPS Facility           FEDERAL WAY, WA 98003
February 15, 2017, 2:40 pm   Arrived at USPS Facility           NORTH TEXAS PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER
February 15, 2017, 1:20 pm   Departed USPS Facility      DALLAS, TX 75398
February 14, 2017, 4:28 am   Arrived at USPS Facility           DALLAS, TX 75398
February 12, 2017, 10:45 am   In Transit to Destination   
February 11, 2017, 3:45 am   Arrived at USPS Facility           FEDERAL WAY, WA 98003
February 8, 2017, 7:58 am   In Transit to Destination   
February 7, 2017, 7:58 am   Departed USPS Facility      DALLAS, TX 75398
February 7, 2017, 7:31 am   Arrived at USPS Facility           DALLAS, TX 75398
February 4, 2017, 2:46 pm   In Transit to Destination   
February 3, 2017, 2:46 pm   Departed USPS Facility      FEDERAL WAY, WA 98003
February 2, 2017, 7:28 pm   Arrived at USPS Facility           FEDERAL WAY, WA 98003
January 31, 2017, 7:47 pm   In Transit to Destination   
January 30, 2017, 8:36 pm   Departed USPS Facility      AUSTIN, TX 78710
January 30, 2017, 7:47 pm   Arrived at USPS Facility           AUSTIN, TX 78710


There was some non-standard information - in addition to a perfectly proper address.  Apparently this non-standard information threw that automated system into a tizzy and caused it to loop back and forth between Dallas, Texas and Federal Way, Washington.  Eventually something kicked it out of the loop (perhaps my complaint about the package) and sent it for special handling at the North Texas Processing and Distribution Center.

[W2NAP]

a good one i had bought something from a guy in LA. he sent it via USPS to me in Indiana. no idea how it happened but it went from LA,Cal to Sidney Australia then next track update it was in London,UK then NYC then ATL then Dallas then CHI then Indianapolis then to me. took a month to end up getting it. we both had a laugh at that insanity