Tracking delays for international shipments
International shipping can take a long time depending on the service you use and the country you're shipping to. Here are some basics that may help provide some clarity.
International USPS shipments may not update tracking as often once they arrive in the destination country
USPS Partners with Foreign Countries' Postal Services: For all services, the United States Postal Service® hands the package off to the destination country's postal service at the border, and once they do it's entirely out of their hands.
Although some international USPS services are faster than others, delivery still depends on the foreign postal service prioritizing the package within the country.
Some Countries Don't Support Full Tracking: Not all countries have as good of a postal service as the United States, so some do not support end-to-end tracking. It’s common to see a package’s tracking status stop updating once it has left the USA, even though it’s still on its way.
International USPS Shipments Can Be Held Up in Customs: Shipping internationally can also take a long time not only because of the distance involved and the amount of times the package changes hands, but also because your package might get caught in the destination country’s customs, where it's analyzed for whether the recipient owes taxes or duties for importing it.
Customs is a country-specific issue, with every country having different laws and taxes, and unfortunately, there's no way around it with international shipping.
Set Expectations with International Recipients: Because of the long delivery times and the potential for taxes to be owed by the recipient, it's really important to set expectations on your website for international orders.
International UPS shipments are easier to track due to UPS utilizing its own network
UPS Relies on its Own Network: Since UPS is a private carrier, it relies on its own transportation network throughout the world rather than partnering with foreign countries' postal services. Due to this, all international UPS shipments are easier to track and often provide more updates than USPS does.
The best way to stay on top of the most recent tracking updates for your international UPS shipment is to follow along on the UPS tracking portal.
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