Waiting on my Tama, but fearing the worst

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Nathalietchi

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I have a bit of a problem.. Over a month ago, on July 7th, I bought a Tamagotchi V6. I had just enough money to pay for the slowest shipping; by sea mail. The estimated timespan of the item arriving at my doorstep is from July 25th till August 12th according to eBay. So it should arrive in 4 days, but I'm afraid it's not going to arrive at all. This is because I received a tracking number which doesn't show any activity yet. This is how it looks when I check the status:

2cq1wu8.png


Now I've contacted the seller and asked why I can't see any activity. The answer I received said that shipping by sea mail takes about 8 to 10 weeks (which makes me wonder where the estimated timespan comes from) and that he'll be away all August so he'll not be able to answer till he comes back. He also said that if the Tama still hasn't arrived by then he'll get onto it.

I've thought of the possibilty that sea mail just doesn't support tracking and I've also asked the seller if this could be the case but I didn't get a clear answer. And if this indeed would be the case then why would I receive a tracking number at all?

I have a chance to go to the Resolution Center by August 23rd. After that I won't be able to get a refund or anything. But the timespan the seller was talking about (8 to 10 weeks) will not be over yet.

The seller has a %100.0 score based on 4034 times of feedback by the way.

I know it isn't the 12th yet and still everything can turn out just fine, but I want to be prepared if it does go wrong..

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EDIT: I've made the picture a bit larger, the text was unreadable.

 
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I have ordered several tamas where the Tracking info wasn't up to date, Or it stopped Tracking in Canada..... There is no need for a whole CHernobyl panic attack, I did the same thing for my V6... (Speaking of whom I really want to start it up but 4 tamas....) SO take a deep breathe and relax. Save your freak out for when it all goes wrong, Okay?

(I panicked about my Morino, my V2 didn't have tracking, V1 stopped at the boarder, IDL and P no tracking until it got here, ummm most of them I didn't get up to date shipping)

It can also be held up in customs, So I pretty sure you will get your Tama all in due time,

BTW off topic but what shell design did you get?

 
I have ordered several tamas where the Tracking info wasn't up to date, Or it stopped Tracking in Canada..... There is no need for a whole CHernobyl panic attack, I did the same thing for my V6... (Speaking of whom I really want to start it up but 4 tamas....) SO take a deep breathe and relax. Save your freak out for when it all goes wrong, Okay?

(I panicked about my Morino, my V2 didn't have tracking, V1 stopped at the boarder, IDL and P no tracking until it got here, ummm most of them I didn't get up to date shipping)

It can also be held up in customs, So I pretty sure you will get your Tama all in due time,

BTW off topic but what shell design did you get?
Thanks :)

I thought I'd create this topic while I still have a clear head, LOL.

(I got the shell with the guitar design on it, one of my favourites ^_^ )

 
Don't worry, sometimes tracking information doesn't update as frequently as we'd like. It doesn't usually mean anything's wrong.

 
I think it will definitely arrive, just don't fret and be patient. ^_^

I ordered a load of stuff from various sellers in China, Japan, Hong Kong, etc. lately and one item was ordered a month and a half ago and just came yesterday, but eBay said it SHOULD have arrived over a week ago. Also, the tracking number they gave me didn't work at all. In fact, almost every item I've ordered from overseas didn't have a tracking number and if it did, it wasn't working OR it showed no progress like what yours is doing. I'm sure it's much easier to track when its within the country! ^_^

 
its ok hunni ^.^ no worries it will be coming a lot of the time with electronic items they will have them in customs for a while longer to scan them etc because they frown upon sending batteries etc through boarders... don't worry I have a huge lot package froma trade that took way longer than entisipated because of that very reason but in the end it works out fine.. actually it was one the best trades ive ever done haha ^.^

 
I've talked with postal workers many times about tracking. Depending on where packages come from and what kind of shipping was used, the tracking could vary with updates.

1) Some overseas tracking simply doesn't update. The only time an update will appear online is when the package has been delivered. That's considered a type of "delivery confirmation."

2) The 10-12 weeks estimate is pretty accurate. In fact, most of those cheaper shipping methods cause packages to not reach the US until much closer to the date you receive them. The slower shipping is usually due to both the slow shipping in the other country AND the process of the packages going through customs in the US. (US customs stations are fairly quick, but there are sometimes instances when overseas packages get stuck there for a few extra days for processing.) Sadly, this slow shipping often results in updates for tracking only appearing online, or in the postal system, once the packages reach US customs. In other words, that's when you'll start seeing updates for certain packages.

Even though updates aren't always given online, you can sometimes get verbal updates from a postal employee if you call your local post office. Many of my friends who order for toys overseas have done this and have received updates that way. It's not guaranteed though.

Honestly, I think you'll just have to continue being patient. I've waited well over two months for many of my overseas packages. (I've been buying and selling dolls and toys overseas for over ten years so I have a lot of experience when it comes to shipping items!)

 
It helps to hear that this is more common than I originally thought. :D

I've talked with postal workers many times about tracking. Depending on where packages come from and what kind of shipping was used, the tracking could vary with updates.

1) Some overseas tracking simply doesn't update. The only time an update will appear online is when the package has been delivered. That's considered a type of "delivery confirmation."

2) The 10-12 weeks estimate is pretty accurate. In fact, most of those cheaper shipping methods cause packages to not reach the US until much closer to the date you receive them. The slower shipping is usually due to both the slow shipping in the other country AND the process of the packages going through customs in the US. (US customs stations are fairly quick, but there are sometimes instances when overseas packages get stuck there for a few extra days for processing.) Sadly, this slow shipping often results in updates for tracking only appearing online, or in the postal system, once the packages reach US customs. In other words, that's when you'll start seeing updates for certain packages.

Even though updates aren't always given online, you can sometimes get verbal updates from a postal employee if you call your local post office. Many of my friends who order for toys overseas have done this and have received updates that way. It's not guaranteed though.

Honestly, I think you'll just have to continue being patient. I've waited well over two months for many of my overseas packages. (I've been buying and selling dolls and toys overseas for over ten years so I have a lot of experience when it comes to shipping items!)
^<< This is also very helpful, thanks so much!

 
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It helps to hear that this is more common than I originally thought. :D

^<< This is also very helpful, thanks so much!
You're so welcome! Oh yes, this is, unfortunately, a very, very common happening when it comes to overseas shipping. I've come to really appreciate USPS because it's actually really fast and efficient compared to other postal systems. ^_^

Wishing you lots of luck-- hope you get your package soon!

 
Huh, that's odd. When I've ordered things with the slowest shipping (usually SAL), I've never been offered a tracking number. So I guess, you either got better shipping than SAL or it's a nicer seller that paid for tracking. Either way, like many have said before, these slower shipping services tend to lack any kind of tracking once they are in the process of crossing the ocean (by plane OR boat). You might have some vague tracking info that gives you an idea of where it is now but once it's crossing the ocean, no one really knows where it is exactly.

Just sit back and keep an eye on the tracking number. Usually it'll "ping" once it hits customs, then it should go on from there. Although 8-10 weeks seems longer than normal, it's not completely unreasonable if it's by boat. If that was by plane, I'd have more of an issue since it's usually only 6-8 weeks with that method.

 
Well, I think the country depends on how long it takes, too. I live in Australia and purchases from Japan take 5 weekdays to get here with SAL (EMS takes 2 days). I hope your Tamagotchi arrives soon.

 
Well, I think the country depends on how long it takes, too. I live in Australia and purchases from Japan take 5 weekdays to get here with SAL (EMS takes 2 days). I hope your Tamagotchi arrives soon.
Yeah, I looked it up on Google Maps and now that I see how far the package has to travel it's no wonder that there are no updates at all. It has to come from Australia all the way to the Netherlands.

 
If you're purchasing from eBay you have nothing to worry about. You can start a case in the resolution center the day before the deadline ends and it's almost guaranteed you'll get a refund.

But there's not really a lot to worry about here. Tracking numbers usually don't update until they reach their designated country. For example, I'll buy something from China and it'll say "Sorted at China something-something," then "Dispatched from ChinaMail something-something." And then I wait 2-3 weeks until it suddenly says "Arrived in Los Angeles USPS Sorting blahblah something." So don't worry. Tracking numbers work kind of strangely sometimes. My guess is that they don't update it when traveling overseas until it reaches ground once again.

Additionally, sometimes they don't work at all. Kind of sucks not being to track its progress, but nothing to worry about. Again, if you're buying through eBay, you won't get ripped off. They care a lot about their buyers. The only negative is that you would have wasted your time, but I'm fairly certain you'll be alright and you'll get your Tama in. :blink:

Edit: Topic locked at request of topic starter

 
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