[pepperberry farm]

There is a road. It used to be mostly gravel, and mud.

A long, and rugged road, around 2,466 miles from Seattle to Anchorage. They did finally pave it all the way, but it is still relatively primitive, and services are few and far between.

Carry two full sets of spare tires, extra fuel, food, water and warm clothing.

And your pillow.

it's Juneau that doesn't have a road into it - the only reason I know this little tidbit is because I once shipped a lens there and was shocked by two things:

1) the cost

2) the length of time it took to get there

[steamloco76]

I bought a lens from a forum marketplace seller in Alaska on June 3rd. He took the item to the US Post Office June 4th and mailed it Priority Mail 3 Day. Tracking shows it never left the originating PO until June 9th. Now it has just arrived in Anchorage! Still 4000 miles from delivery to me in Pennsylvania! USPS said the package is “ Delayed due to COVID19”
What? Just an excuse to hold mail until they get a full truck going to a regional distribution center. It’s a damn good thing the package doesn’t contain parts for a lifesaving device! 😡

Alright, I have the real scoop on why my package has been delayed. The seller was finally back online and relayed the information. Shipped from a Post Office on one of the Bering Sea islands. The weather turned nasty and all flights to and from the island were cancelled for for days. Now, why couldn’t USPS provide that explanation instead of “Delayed due to COVID19 transportation availability.” None of us, thank God, Can yet control the weather.

[monochrome]

Alright, I have the real scoop on why my package has been delayed. The seller was finally back online and relayed the information. Shipped from a Post Office on one of the Bering Sea islands. The weather turned nasty and all flights to and from the island were cancelled for for days. Now, why couldn’t USPS provide that explanation instead of “Delayed due to COVID19 transportation availability.” None of us, thank God, Can yet control the weather.

Maybe they don’t have a “Delayed by Bad Weather” code to enter in the tracking system - because packages are so rarely delayed more than a day by bad weather.

We always take for granted the packages that arrive on time and make a big deal out of the one package that doesn’t.

[ChrisPlatt]

An island in the Bering Sea? Do UPS and FedEx deliver there?

Do not confuse Priority Mail with Express Mail, USPS premium shipping service, with guaranteed delivery time - usually overnight.
Priority Mail delivery times are not guaranteed. Even under normal conditions the "expected delivery date" can be off by a day or more.

Chris

[Racer X 69]

And the USPS is not sending Semi trucks through Canada, up and down the ALCAN Highway.

So that leaves a boat or an airplane, eh?

[SSGGeezer]

it's Juneau that doesn't have a road into it - the only reason I know this little tidbit is because I once shipped a lens there and was shocked by two things:

1) the cost

2) the length of time it took to get there

That is when you try to use the priority boxes that allow up to 70 pounds for the same price. The problem then becomes with most lenses, the top to bottom dimensions allowing for protective materials. End to end is usually not a problem.

---------- Post added 06-11-20 at 20:46 ----------

So that leaves a boat or an airplane, eh?

Why yes! As I said, over a certain distance first class and priority are going via air. I don't enjoy flying myself as steerage anymore though. Too many international flights in economy and hours in Blackhawks to think that air travel is fun anymore. Let the camera gear fly and I will walk or drive.

[Racer X 69]

Why yes! As I said, over a certain distance first class and priority are going via air. I don't enjoy flying myself as steerage anymore though. Too many international flights in economy and hours in Blackhawks to think that air travel is fun anymore. Let the camera gear fly and I will walk or drive.

Indeed, the days of glamorous air travel are long gone.










And one of these was used to haul the mail, and a few passengers.





Look at those seats.




The pilot didn't get such regal accommodations though.

[steamloco76]

Alright, I have the real scoop on why my package has been delayed. The seller was finally back online and relayed the information. Shipped from a Post Office on one of the Bering Sea islands. The weather turned nasty and all flights to and from the island were cancelled for for days. Now, why couldn’t USPS provide that explanation instead of “Delayed due to COVID19 transportation availability.” None of us, thank God, Can yet control the weather.

Now its getting rediculous! My package has been listed as "In transit to next destination" since June 9th with no further scans or updates. I'm guessing USPS put the package on a ship instead of an airplane!- I've had Priority Mail from Anchorage before and it never took longer than 1 day to show arrival at the next facility. Hopefully summer won't be over by the time the DA* 300/4 finally arrives.

[Fenwoodian]

.

While the USPS does a great job overall, occasionally they have hickups. For example. Last month I ordered a rare bokeh lens from Germany. I arrived in NY, then went to North Carolina, then went to a couple of locations in Florida before finally finding it's way to me here in northern Wisconsin.

[Wheatfield]

The Post Office was not and is not, shut down. USPS blanket answer to ALL shipping complaints is now COVID19. No really good excuse for a Priority package to sit for four days in the originating post office other than it was misplaced, then found.

It is likely your package is sitting in a facility that has been temporarily shuttered due to a Covid outbreak.

[monochrome]

USPS Performance expectations are for the lower 48. The FA20-35 I got from (probably the same seller because how many Pentax users live on an island in the Bering Sea?) a similarly located seller took about three weeks. The scan log had a bump whenever the package (or container) moved but there were several extended periods of silence.

Islands of the Bering Sea include:

Pribilof Islands, including St. Paul Island
Komandorski Islands, including Bering Island
St. Lawrence Island
Diomede Islands
King Island
St. Matthew Island
Karaginsky Island
Nunivak Island[9]
Sledge Island[10]
Hagemeister Island[11]

[steamloco76]

USPS Performance expectations are for the lower 48. The FA20-35 I got from (probably the same seller because how many Pentax users live on a?) a similarly located seller took about three weeks. The scan log had a bump whenever the package (or container) moved but there were several extended periods of silence.

Islands of the Bering Sea include:

Pribilof Islands, including St. Paul Island
Komandorski Islands, including Bering Island
St. Lawrence Island
Diomede Islands
King Island
St. Matthew Island
Karaginsky Island
Nunivak Island[9]
Sledge Island[10]
Hagemeister Island[11]

Well, hopefully the delays are less than the nearly two months my last lens from Japan sat in a container at the airport! When it finally loaded onto an airplane, I had it two days later.

[SSGGeezer]

Well, hopefully the delays are less than the nearly two months my last lens from Japan sat in a container at the airport! When it finally loaded onto an airplane, I had it two days later.

I have been waiting for an import music CD to come from Japan for over a month now. I thought they were being pessimistic on the ETA when I purchased it. No I hope they can make their original ETA!

[Racer X 69]

OK, there seems to be some frustration mounting about a shipment from Alaska. I get it, especially these days with the standard of shipping we have become accustomed to, and now things aren't working well with delays. With people getting ill, businesses are suddenly stuck having to deal with labor loss, and some with added need for fulfillment due to increased online purchasing as a way to avoid exposure to the virus.

But emotions appear to be escalating, and people are saying things they might not really mean.

Or not.

Either way, this is not the venue for petty bickering, or conjecture about what is happening inside the postal system when one has no actual knowledge about the situation other than the data available via the tracking application online.

I've made some edits, and respectfully ask everyone to move on.

[ChrisPlatt]

I have been waiting for an import music CD to come from Japan for over a month now. I thought they were being pessimistic on the ETA when I purchased it. No I hope they can make their original ETA!

I just filed a Paypal dispute for a CD purchased on discogs.com from a dealer in Netherlands.
No tracking has been provided. Seller claims it was delayed or lost due to coronavirus (?).

Some eBay photo gear sellers in Japan have temporarily suspended shipments to USA.

Chris