Job Discussion Forums

kparsons · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 63 Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Hi-

We shipped Christmas presents home to our family in the US from Vietnam in early December. Due to the high cost of shipping, we sent the packages via slow boat rather than air. The package has finally arrived in the US, but there are some missing items and some extra items included in the box (and it's not a very good trade-off, if you ask me). It's a bit tough to say where the mix up could have happened -- US customs or Vietnamese? In Vietnam, you take the box to the post office and they seal it up for you after inspecting it, so I'm not sure if they open it again before it leaves the country -- as such, we're thinking it may have happened at US customs. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we could go about tracking the missing items? I have no clue where to begin, so any help would be appreciated. Oh, and to make things more complicated, we aren't in the US, nor Vietnam, at the moment, so if there are electronic ways of doing this it would be even better. Thanks!

Hongkonghippo · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 64

There is a good chance what you are missing is sitting in some fat custom officials desk. My parents sent me some items at Christmas also, and included was a box of chocolates. 3 were missing with the empty wrappers found in the bottom of the box when I finally got the box 3 months later.

To be honest I think you are out of luck, Sorry

slug93 · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 38

here's a link to US POSTAL SERVICE..

http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/immicl/immicltz_022.html

on different option to ship to VN.. if you look on there.. some of the more expensive options allows for INSURANCE.. insurance covers LOSS, DAMAGE, AND MISSING. BUT not delays. BUT it's not open for all shipping method. ONLY the more expensive ones, generally about 10 dollars/lb fr US to VN.

ChuckECheese · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 216

It is my understanding that every parcel going in and out of VN will be opened and inspected.... and some cases confiscated (taken) without any notice to the sender or receiver alike.

If you don't insure your parcel, any parcel being sent from or expected in VN has 50/50 chance that you'll never see it again.

Always insure your parcels.

kparsons · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 63 Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

You can't insure parcels from Vietnam to the US when using the postal system. Which is why I was so leery of it initially, but I've had such good service from them that I never really worried about it. Alas.

The point is that the number of items match up to the number we sent -- it's just that three of our items were exchanged for three of someone else's. And I've just learned that the library books that were swapped for our goods were stamped March 2007, which means they were shipped well after our goods (which were shipped in early December), so I'm wondering if perhaps this happened on the US customs side....

larryB · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 23

sethness · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hiroshima, Japan

Holy cow, is the failure rate really 50/50?

What sort of items does VN's postal service usually confiscate?
For example, are English books and magazines allowed, or usually interfered-with?

larryB · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 23

ChuckECheese · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 216

sethness · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 209 Location: Hiroshima, Japan

I was considering sending my many belongings, rather than carry them through an airport or putting them on a junkpile.

Computers, (English) books, 3D scanner, SCUBA gear-- would these likely disappear, with/without postal insurance?