David Patrick <patrick-ajdb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 06:09:04 -0800 (PST) From: David Patrick
Subject: Re: [CR]Cyclo derailleur for sale on Dutch ebay To: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos
This sounds totally crazy to me, right up there with Ebay stalkers. I've received a total of nine shipments from Holland over the past 4-5 months with virtually no delays at all. This includes one bike frame and one complete bike, plus various other boxes w/small parts, & no problems at all and these items were shipped via a variety of carriers.
A good part of my job involves interaction w/U.S. Customs and it has been my experience that they are erratic, unpredictable, unorganized and very arbitrary in how they go about their job. It also depends a great deal on the work load at that particular moment, due to the number of shipments U.S. Customs has to clear. I've dealt w/U.S. Customs at J.F.K. airport on several occassions and they've told me that they're so far behind that I shouldn't expect clearance for at least 7-10 days. On other occasions, clearance can occur in less then 24 hours. To single out shipments from Holland to the U.S. as being subject to delay just isn't justified. Hey, I had a USPS Priority Mail envelope take ten weeks for delivery when it was sent to me from Nevada!!
Dave Patrick Chelsea, Michigan
Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> wrote: Just a warning about buying things from Holland right now. The delays imposed by US Customs on getting anything from Holland seem to be worse than ever. I recently waited a month on a small parcel from Renaissance, and I think they have an easier time because they are an established shipper. It seems perhaps Customs keeps a history on shippers, and if they have opened many parcels from a shipper and found nothing out of order, at least they let the parcel through after a merely ridiculous, but not quite outrageous delay. But a one-off shipment from an individual shipper may simply fall into the US Customs Black Hole, never to be seen again. I bought a Vitus frameset from a Dutch eBay seller on September 9, and it never arrived. The seller was very honest and cooperative, but finally we both concluded that it probably will never be seen again, and he sent me a refund yesterday via Western Union.
This problem seems to involve mostly Holland and Germany. Stuff usually arrives quickly from UK and Denmark, and Italy and France aren't too bad. But getting anything from Holland is a crap shoot. I'm glad Cecile and BC are relocating to the US.
P.S: In a weird and almost metaphysical coincidence, the one parcel from UK that has ever been lost for the last 10 years was the KAS decal set I was going to apply to the ill-fated Vitus frameset. I told the seller I imagine some US Customs inspector pinched the frameset, then later pinched the decals for good measure.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
themaaslands@comcast.net wrote: Cyclo derailleur for sale on Dutch ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.nl/
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ