International Shipping Incorrect Routing

[snk-guru]

Is anyone else having problems lately with international shipments being routed to US zipcodes then redirected to the correct destination using USPS?

I have roughly 8 customers that have this problem and it seems to affect countries that have only numbers in their Postal Code.

I use Paypal and Ebay generated labels and they clearly state postal code and destination country.

Basically what is happening is if the country for example has a Postal code of 444234 but theres a US zipcode of 44423, it would be routed to that city/state. Even USPS tracking would say "On it's way to USPSisNutsville, USA" even though it should go to an international destination. And it isn't the normal international hubs like Jamaica, NY, it's places in Idaho, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana etc.

I called USPS and all they say is that if the package keeps moving "it's not a problem", it's a problem to me if my customer paid for Priority mail and it doesn't even get to his country until 5 weeks later.

Very frustrating, especially when customers are asking for a refund due to this "glitch".

[stuff4divas]

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@snk-guru wrote:

Is anyone else having problems lately with international shipments being routed to US zipcodes then redirected to the correct destination using USPS?

I have roughly 8 customers that have this problem and it seems to affect countries that have only numbers in their Postal Code.

I use Paypal and Ebay generated labels and they clearly state postal code and destination country.

Basically what is happening is if the country for example has a Postal code of 444234 but theres a US zipcode of 44423, it would be routed to that city/state. Even USPS tracking would say "On it's way to USPSisNutsville, USA" even though it should go to an international destination. And it isn't the normal international hubs like Jamaica, NY, it's places in Idaho, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana etc.

I called USPS and all they say is that if the package keeps moving "it's not a problem", it's a problem to me if my customer paid for Priority mail and it doesn't even get to his country until 5 weeks later.

Very frustrating, especially when customers are asking for a refund due to this "glitch".

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I remember this same subject coming up about a week ago, the suggestion was to put the zip code somewhere else on the international address, not on the end like we do here in the states. 

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

This kind of sorting mistake should not happen to Priority Mail, since the multi-page Customs form 2976-A in a clear pouch should be be clearly visible.

Germany's 5-digit postal codes are the biggest culprit, however, for First Class Package Service and the Priority Mail small FRB and various FRE's -- which require only Form 2976. I've experienced the mistake only once -- to a South Carolina zip code, as I recall -- but there was no appreciable delay. From Seattle, my international packages go to either Los Angeles or San Francisco. A detour to South Carolina would mean dispatch from New York. Either location can have a a backlog of a few days.

It's important to place the postal code adjacent to the CITY and not on the last line reserved for the COUNTRY name. To emphasize that the package is international, highlight, circle or underscore the Customs tag number in yellow, pink or some other eye-catching color. Do not obscure the number. Also underscore the country name, which is fully spelled out in all caps and all by itself on the last line.

If you really want overkill, write DESTINATION: GERMANY (or whatever country) with a Sharpie on the back and sides of the box or mailer. (Yes, a friend actually did this for years, even with paper Customs forms affixed to the package.)

~~C~~

[townandcountry2200]

Yes - I'm having the same problem.  A packaging going to France is sitting in a tiny

town in Montana.  The town's 5-digit zip code is the same as the code for the French city .  

I've never had this problem before in 5 years of selling.

The latest tracking data says In Transit-Delayed 😞

[arun7500]

Depending on where the package is going, the problem is probably your buyers banking on the package being delayed. easy INR claim, full refund and they get the stuff later. Another Joy of International selling. From our neck of the woods, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, any CIS country and (this time of the year) USA are all the kiss of death for INR's.

[richard1rst]

It may not be a routing problem, only an input problem.

I have had the same thing happen with packages going to Germany. The scan showed that it was redirected to a U S city with the same ZIP code.

HOWEVER it never actually went to the U S city. It was simply an input error on the part of some clerk/computer/AI.

It actually got to Germany even though the scan still showed it in the U S city.

[snk-guru]

Forgot to mention that I'm experiencing it with eBay, Paypal and USPS.com generated labels.

[snk-guru]

I just started writing in Sharpie with the destination country just to see if it makes a difference. But even then, I've been sending stuff this way since 2001 and this only happened all within the last 4 months time.

[garysdealtree]

If you sell and ship anything to international destinations, you might consider the eBay Global Shipping Program....it's slightly more expensive, but any negatives are outweighed with the benefits of delivery.....if no, then the reality is you will often have to absorb the cost of lost or mis-directed mailings because the computer sorting at USPS is done initially by a computer (...think government programmers who advised an incoming missile strike in Hawaii...I digress, but their reassignment was probably over to IT at USPS) Many of the International codes are identical zip code to ours in North America, so all you can really do is affix a copious amount of International air freight stickers on every unused square inch of your box and hope for the best.