Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Anyone else having horrible shipping delays, or is my package lost?

Cou - 18-5-2020 at 16:00

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=RA389839967RU

it's an order of sodium metal. COVID-19 shipping delays or what?

No update on tracking since it left Russian customs on April 24th. Debating if I should wait longer, or give up and just order sodium metal from united nuclear. I want sodium metal to dry ether for grignard reactions, and also try the Wurtz reaction to make 2,7-dimethyloctane


[Edited on 19-5-2020 by Cou]

B(a)P - 18-5-2020 at 16:26

I have been waiting on a package that supposedly cleared Russian customs early April and it has still not arrived in Australia. The supplier tells me that due to the limited flights out of Russia there is a massive backlog of freight. They are currently experiencing delays of 2 months plus, which are increasing every week.

Weka - 18-5-2020 at 18:09

I've had the same problem with a Russian seller, it's been over three months since it's moved and it is currently stuck at the Russian border, I wouldn't worry though it should sort its self out over the next few months.

SWIM - 18-5-2020 at 18:11

I buy things from the Russian Federation sometimes, and it usually takes a while.


From what B(a)P says it sounds like it might be a while longer.

Just wanted to point out that even in non-pandemic times things can take 2-3 weeks from there to the Western US.

Dr.Bob - 18-5-2020 at 18:36

I have a package that went into US customs a month ago (outgoing) and has not been seen since. I think that the lack of international flights has stopped most international mail shipments. But hoppefully things will get moving again sometime.

j_sum1 - 18-5-2020 at 19:52

If you need to dry ether, why not thermite some NaOH and magnesium in a closed tin and use the product as a solvent drying agent. There will be enough elemental Na in there to do the trick.

karlos³ - 18-5-2020 at 19:59

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  
If you need to dry ether, why not thermite some NaOH and magnesium in a closed tin and use the product as a solvent drying agent. There will be enough elemental Na in there to do the trick.

Actually storing ether for 4 weeks over NaOH is sufficient to dry it well enough for a grignard.
Have a friend who even used homemade ether, which was dried this way, with success.

Cou - 18-5-2020 at 20:16

Does ACS grade diethyl ether from www.chemsavers.com come dry enough for grignard reactions? that's what I will be using.

[Edited on 19-5-2020 by Cou]

Herr Haber - 19-5-2020 at 00:39

"Glad" to see I'm not the only one waiting for packages from the Russian Federation.
I received my order from Chemcraft but not another one place about a month earlier!

XeonTheMGPony - 19-5-2020 at 03:43

Ya this bs has ground air shipping to a near halt, will take a year to clear the back logs!

I was Hoping to order some PentaErythritol but because of the lack of flights be near pointless atm

morganbw - 19-5-2020 at 13:51

No clue about orders from within country but I have an order from China which was made on April 10th, its expected delivery in between May 28th and June 18th.

I can only guess that it is on a "Slow Boat from China".

j_sum1 - 19-5-2020 at 21:53

I just had a student report the late arrival of a package of glassware and equipment – less than a couple of hundred km delivery: so no international or interstate or anything. Not even air travel.
It arrived more than two months late and all of the glassware was broken.

Gotta love the postal service.

B(a)P - 5-6-2020 at 01:30

I am still waiting for my order that is now 2 months late, maybe time to give up and hopefully get a nice surprise at some point. Part of the order was some dichromates, I think I might try and make my own while I wait. I will post my results in a separate thread.

Dr.Bob - 5-6-2020 at 03:16

Even Amazon is saying that international shipping is almost impossible now to many countries. The combination of CV, riots, and international tensions is not making for easy shipments. China seemed to get stuff out pretty fast (at least it was doing better before, but with Hong Kong issues and fight over air flights to the US, it is going downhill also). That's why I am trying to avoid any international shipping right now.

draculic acid69 - 5-6-2020 at 21:38

I sent something overseas a few months ago and it only got there yesterday.the post office didn't say there was a 2month delay when I posted it.covid is definitely delaying stuff world wide.

charley1957 - 11-6-2020 at 12:31

I've ordered from Russia and China lately, and got my stuff from Russia, still waiting on most of my stuff from China. Estimated delivery dates up into July, ordered in March. And yes, the USPS is your worst nightmare. They can, and will, tear up a steel ball packed inside of a rubber ball. My wife worked for the USPS and they give NO thought to the fragility of any package. I complain about it occasionally, and she still defends their practices.

Draeger - 14-6-2020 at 04:30

I ordered 100+€ of distillation equipment from Laborhandel-Krumpholz nearly 3 months ago. Last I heard of it was him apologizing for being late and him saying that he will send it away soon. According to the website he still didn't ship it away.

ISC NEW YORK

MadHatter - 16-6-2020 at 12:51

Thursday, May 28, 2020 9:01 AM
ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Processed through facility

That's the last tracking on an item from Canada.
I'm also waiting on items from South Korea and
Spain.

ISC NEW YORK - International Service Center
New York. All mail entering or leaving the U.S.A.
is processed through them. Their explanation is that
it might be held up by the U.S. Customs service. For
a DVD this ridiculous unless COVID-19 has left them
short handed.

Has anybody else seen this message in their tracking ?

BTW, the I.R.S refund status website is claiming that
they're shorthanded.

So the waiting continues ...

Refinery - 16-6-2020 at 13:01

Some of my orders have arrived in time, a couple exceptionally fast, in less than 2 weeks from China.

And then there are the rest, which are just lagging somewhere around the flat earth.

karlos³ - 16-6-2020 at 14:02

Oh man during corona times, I received a package from thailand by air mail in just 5 days :o
Normally it would have been 2-3 weeks.

Sulaiman - 18-6-2020 at 20:11

Yesterday I received a fractionating column that had been stuck in a Chinese logistics facility since 9th May.

I had given up on it ever arriving so the day before I lashed up a Vigreux column with glass balls,
the indentations in the Vigreux column work really well to reduce channeling.

P. S. The brand is GG17, this is my third piece of glassware from GG17
- Excellent quality, no bubbles or striations.

Cou - 18-6-2020 at 20:24

The package of sodium cleared russian customs in April 24 and still no update.

B(a)P - 18-6-2020 at 21:55

Quote: Originally posted by Cou  
The package of sodium cleared russian customs in April 24 and still no update.


My order from Russia cleared customs 3 weeks before yours, also no further update.

G-Coupled - 18-6-2020 at 22:05

Quote: Originally posted by Sulaiman  
Yesterday I received a fractionating column that had been stuck in a Chinese logistics facility since 9th May.

I had given up on it ever arriving so the day before I lashed up a Vigreux column with glass balls,
the indentations in the Vigreux column work really well to reduce channeling.

P. S. The brand is GG17, this is my third piece of glassware from GG17
- Excellent quality, no bubbles or striations.


I've had some GG17 beakers, and they're good from what I can tell. I'm only down to my last one through breaking the others through my own stupid fault.

Cou - 25-6-2020 at 01:12

Quote: Originally posted by B(a)P  
Quote: Originally posted by Cou  
The package of sodium cleared russian customs in April 24 and still no update.


My order from Russia cleared customs 3 weeks before yours, also no further update.

I'm considering buying sodium metal from united nuclear, this is taking way too long.

B(a)P - 25-6-2020 at 01:59

Quote: Originally posted by Cou  
Quote: Originally posted by B(a)P  
Quote: Originally posted by Cou  
The package of sodium cleared russian customs in April 24 and still no update.


My order from Russia cleared customs 3 weeks before yours, also no further update.

I'm considering buying sodium metal from united nuclear, this is taking way too long.


With all of my spare time during Covid I have now made half of the things I ordered.

International Shipping

MadHatter - 26-6-2020 at 14:43

The DVD set from Canada arrived 3 days
ago. The ammonium dihydrogen phosphate
arrived from Portugal today. Still waiting on
an order from South Korea. Not too bad
considering all were ordered in mid-May and
delays resulting from COVID-19.

Dr.Bob - 7-7-2020 at 05:50

The package I shipped to Australia just arrived after only about 4 months... Apparently it looked like it was dropped out of a plane. Maybe that is how they quarantine mail coming from other countries, just drop the package from the plane, so no one on the ground is exposed to the air crew.

Refinery - 7-7-2020 at 08:28

Fastest shipping from China: 7 days.
Slowest shipping from China: 50+ days and pending...

B(a)P - 17-8-2020 at 15:18

I have just received two packages from Chemcraft one order was placed 20 March and the other 20 April. Both were processed promptly then the shipping delays began.....
Both parcels look like they were dragged to Australia from Russia. Despite the external damages to the packaging the contents were extremely well packed and not one of the items had the least bit of damage.
I had totally given up on them so great that they finally showed up 4 and 5 months after the orders were placed.

macckone - 17-8-2020 at 19:00

My package from russia just arrived today.
No tracking information from the time it was in chicago (July 29th) until today.
It was ordered on july 16th.
Mailed July 17th.
12 days from russia wasn't bad.
20 days to get from chicago to colorado was horrible.
Mail is taking 3 times normal (at least).

draculic acid69 - 18-8-2020 at 18:00

Still waiting on some sieves from china from 4months ago to arrive.things I've ordered since have arrived already

Delays

MadHatter - 25-8-2020 at 11:55

Still waiting on a DVD from South Korea
and an electronic converter from China.
Nearly 4 months on the DVD. China has
had delays in everything but for the most
part within reason. I'm in no hurry.

zed - 2-9-2020 at 22:09

Within the continental USA, and Canada... Deliveries go pretty well. Mail has been delayed a few days, but it ain't bad. Shipments from distant lands, are a different story. Not reliable.

I ordered a small electronics device from China, two or three months ago. Still no delivery. I have little hope that I will ever get it. Ebay seems to be allowing perpetual extensions. Should have been here in a few weeks, now it has been several months, and I still can't file a claim.

Though I have the impression.... express mail still gets through. Hope so. I inadvertently ordered some glasses from what I thought was a local firm. Turns out supply is via China. I will keep you posted.

wg48temp9 - 3-9-2020 at 05:35

No problems here. I ordered some Petri dishes from China 15 days ago and they arrived today in the UK. Only plastic 90mm but 10 for £3.

Draeger - 4-9-2020 at 06:54

Still waiting for my package from Laborhandel-Krumpholz. It's been exactly 5 months now. Can't get qualitative glassware from any other place for such prices, though, and it seems to be quite a legit shop, many people ordered from him, but then lots of people started getting their packages later and later, and now some people even report getting their package after 1 year of waiting. It's not the shipping, though, it's in the processing state since all the time.

karlos³ - 4-9-2020 at 11:10

Eh, don't worry, Krumpholz is twice to 3x as expensive as china and usually takes 3-4x as long to deliver.
I don't get why you haven't simply ordered from deschem.

Have you paid by bill or bank transfer beforehand? The latter "speeds" the whole process up to 1-2 months.
I would never recommend to order there again.
And believe me, I'm a lot longer in the hobby chemistry business as you in our country, when times were different and you could get almost whatever you wanted here.
Even thionyl chloride was no issue back then, from INSIDE the country :D

Tsjerk - 9-9-2020 at 00:45

Deschem --> Netherlands in 10 days!

It might not be the best quality, but for Deschem prices I'm fine buying it twice.

Edit: and the Chinese government sponsoring the shipping also helps... a 7 euro piece of glassware with free shipping. It is ridiculous.

[Edited on 9-9-2020 by Tsjerk]