Ordering Internationally Sucks!
 

So I ordered a Selle San Marco Regal-E saddle on March 5th and it still isn't here. It only took about 3 days to get from the UK to New York. It has been at a stand still in New York since then. I called USPS today and asked what the deal was and they said although uncommon, it can take up to 30 days to clear customs which is also in New York. Also due to me having to sign for it, it is not scanned very often as the item is under lock and key. The guy told me I have to wait until 10 days and then I can contact the vendor and THEY have file an investigation as to where the item is at. The transaction itself went great as I've heard a lot of people complain about PBK and Wiggle. Anyone else have problems similar to this with international orders? This was the first time I've ordered something overseas and I would of thought the screwing around part would of been on the vendor's fault not our own postal/customs service. It's a saddle, not a nuclear reactor. :mad: But I am indeed a very impatient person so the waiting is killing me. I put my old Regal seat on my new 2.3 and got out on a 14 mile ride yesterday. Felt great. Reminded me of how fat/out of shape I am, and how bad my grundle is killing me right now. Ride on!:thumb:

I ordered a crankset from upstate New York last Wednesday. It still isn't here... in downstate New York.

BTW I ordered the saddle from Petra Cycles if that makes a difference. $50 cheaper than I found anywhere else. Here's the saddle:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=142027

Blame customs and USPS not the UK retailer.

I've ordered some screws from Hong Kong with a value of $1USD; took over a month for it to clear customs. No joke.

I think USPS (assuming it was shipped through either FedEx or USPS) is having some issues due to last weekend's storm. I ordered a cassette and it says it was delivered online but when I called them, the manager says that it is impossible because the delivery guy was not working last Saturday... :rolleyes:

Nah it is actually the store. Apparently "in stock" means "we'll eventually call up our supplier and order it, have it delivered to our shop a week later and then sent on to you." And to think I paid sales tax thinking that I'd have it in 2-3 days.

I guess what I was trying to convey is that it is a crap shoot. You can wait 3 days to get something from Europe or over a week to get it from your state.

I'm not trying to blame the UK retailer really, just the experience as a whole. I'm not saying USPS is fast or anything (quite the opposite), but I've never had an in-country order take this long. Guess I'm going to say that Customs can suck it. The guy I talked to from USPS felt pretty bad as this happens quite often. First time I had a postal service worker be decent to me as well. Hopefully tomorrow it comes....yeah right!

It's only been 14 days (10business days). Relax.
Appreciate the times orders arrive early (3-4 days)
Chill when it takes longer than usual.

Competitive cyclist has sent my orders, and they range from 5 business days to 15 business days, sometimes. Customs can get overwhelmed, its not the vendors fault.

I've always considered the vagaries of international delivery to be part of the risk involved in getting cheaper prices. You wouldn't order a part from England or Hong Kong if you could get it cheaper domestically, I don't think.

I just got a pair of Conti GP400s tires for about $70 from PBK, so it was worth the 7-day wait, I think. They emailed saying they were shipped the day after I placed the order.

pbk has always been able to get things to me here in 7-14 days, which is pretty reasonable. So, no, ordering internationally doesn't always suck.

Interesting saddle, though. I ride the classic Regal, but hate that it's so heavy. I hope you get this soon, and can report back on how well it works out for you.

Ordering USPS sucks in general.

I order misc stuff all the time (West Coast) from vendors who ship from hong kong or taiwan (not bike parts, just misc stuff) and never have problems. It takes a little longer because they have to swim it over, but certainly nothing like you're experiencing.

That sounds like a custom's issue, maybe it's different over here. Hope it gets resolved for you, I hate waiting too. ;)