How much longer are international shipments taking in mid-2020?

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I ordered the Helen Reddy sacd from Dutton Vocalion in April, it got to me in the States in about a month. I sent an email asking about delays at the time and they were very courteous and said no delays to the US were expected. It was not unreasonable at that point in time to expect a non-critical parcel to take longer than normal. My purchase was via the Big River and that was the best way to track it's progress.
 
There's no easy answer to this.

I've recently had a Discogs order from the Netherlands to the UK ship and arrive in well under a week.

However, I'm also still waiting on a multi-item shipment from Germany that I ordered on the 3rd June! I've been told that there were supply chain issues with this one and they had to wait for the item to come back in stock, which it (supposedly) now has. But I'm still waiting.

I'm not too concerned since I checked on PayPal and I have up to 30th November to file a claim on this one. You should check the details of your transaction on PayPal - it will tell you when you need to take action. In my case I will wait longer, but will initiate any required action well before the November cut off.
 
I get my SACDs from all over the world and it seems shipment time is all over the place.

I ordered three SACDs from Dutton Vocalion at the end of June and I received them within one month.....not bad at all.

Some sellers in Hong Kong tell me air mail is unavailable and mailing by ship will take 2-3 months (!) On the other hand, when I order directly from HK Universal Music, it has some kind of magic shipping device that get my order to the States within 5 days, even during coronavirus restrictions.

CDJapan seems to ok with its overseas shipping, while Stereo Sound is not accepting airmail orders from US.
 
I notice that CDJapan is only shipping to the U.S. via DHL and will no longer ship SAL at this juncture. We're talking over $20 s/h fees for three RBCDs which I find a bit pricey. Hope this changes in time as the pandemic eases worldwide.
 
Sea air land shipping is unavailable from Japan to most of the world. I use it when possible for Japanese quad electronics. Postage from Japan has become deadly. My LP shopping has dropped off drastically because even if the disc is free, cheapest postage is over $20 Canuck bux. I have had to only buy rarities I need to hear rather than bulk buying on curiousity to fill holes in my collection. As to shipping times, some are faster than expected and some are slow as heck. Canada Customs is mostly very slow. I had a package in inspection for a month and it only had LPs and no taxes or service fees were levied. In fact I can only complain that Covid 19 has stopped all registered delivery and parcels are dumped at my apartment door. I hope the gradual resumption on SAL will include North America real soon. I actually find it safer than most postal services ahort of paying for 3 day EMS. Most LPs are now about $ 30-35 Canuck bux each. OUCH!!!!
 
Sea air land shipping is unavailable from Japan to most of the world. I use it when possible for Japanese quad electronics. Postage from Japan has become deadly. My LP shopping has dropped off drastically because even if the disc is free, cheapest postage is over $20 Canuck bux. I have had to only buy rarities I need to hear rather than bulk buying on curiousity to fill holes in my collection. As to shipping times, some are faster than expected and some are slow as heck. Canada Customs is mostly very slow. I had a package in inspection for a month and it only had LPs and no taxes or service fees were levied. In fact I can only complain that Covid 19 has stopped all registered delivery and parcels are dumped at my apartment door. I hope the gradual resumption on SAL will include North America real soon. I actually find it safer than most postal services ahort of paying for 3 day EMS. Most LPs are now about $ 30-35 Canuck bux each. OUCH!!!!

SAL from CDJapan was always slow as molasses but every shipment I ever received was intact. Paying $20+ s/h for three RBCDs is ridiculous and even with CDJapan's bonus points ..... small consolation. Likewise will NOT be ordering from them any time soon.
 
Latest Dutton order placed 26 June, received 20 July. (Ordinary shipping with tracking.) Two severely cracked cases--not the odd one on top, but the two underneath it. I guess the "Fragile: Please Handle With Care" sticker they're now placing on packages malfunctioned.
 
Latest Dutton order placed 26 June, received 20 July. (Ordinary shipping with tracking.) Two severely cracked cases--not the odd one on top, but the two underneath it. I guess the "Fragile: Please Handle With Care" sticker they're now placing on packages malfunctioned.

I had my latest batch of D~V Classical QUAD SACDs shipped priority with No tracking and specified in my order: Please pack carefully to AVOID cracked cases. I did receive the order within 10 days but one of the cases was still cracked. D~V HAS to get rid of those flimsy, ineffective packing materials, MOST especially for international shipments.
 
I believe I already commented on this in the Morricone thread regarding this subject but will repeat it again here. Ordered 6-10-20, 1 dualdisc via discogs from a seller in Greece. It arrived safely on 7-3-20. 'Safely' to me is the key word!
So I'd say it did take a little longer than in the past but nothing I can't live with. Especially considering many countries still AREN'T shipping to the USA or if they do are rather restricted in the methods available.
GOS, good to hear you just received an order from DV recently. My cart there is loaded up & am considering when to make the purchase.
 
Today, I receive my order of 6, DV discs. I ordered on June 30th. With tracking. All came, perfect, no cracks. (even number rule!!) :):)


NOT always true. I've even experienced cracked cases in even numbered lots. Must be the postal service in New York are hardened sorts who manhandle the parcels whereas those in Gos country are more, shall we say, genteel!

See the source image
 
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I had my latest batch of D~V Classical QUAD SACDs shipped priority with No tracking and specified in my order: Please pack carefully to AVOID cracked cases. I did receive the order within 10 days but one of the cases was still cracked. D~V HAS to get rid of those flimsy, ineffective packing materials, MOST especially for international shipments.
4-earredwonder....I also always mention something to the same extent you do about 'packaging order well, etc,'. Sometimes it helps but at least I warned 'em if I get the package & the thing is trashed!
If DV changed their packaging, they'd probably have to increase what they charge us. It would be worth it!
 
4-earredwonder....I also always mention something to the same extent you do about 'packaging order well, etc,'. Sometimes it helps but at least I warned 'em if I get the package & the thing is trashed!
If DV changed their packaging, they'd probably have to increase what they charge us. It would be worth it!

It would be worth the extra fees, I would agree ....but thankfully, if those discs came in SACD cases instead of easily replaceable RBCD cases, it would be a problem.
 
Ordered Suzanne Vega S/T SACD from Stereo Sound on May 16 and still waiting. I knew when I ordered that delivery would be very uncertain, and it looks like Stereo Sound is now not even taking orders to be shipped to the US. But I got mine in and I trust it will be fulfilled at some point, just don't know when.
 
I get my SACDs from all over the world and it seems shipment time is all over the place.

I ordered three SACDs from Dutton Vocalion at the end of June and I received them within one month.....not bad at all.

Some sellers in Hong Kong tell me air mail is unavailable and mailing by ship will take 2-3 months (!) On the other hand, when I order directly from HK Universal Music, it has some kind of magic shipping device that get my order to the States within 5 days, even during coronavirus restrictions.

CDJapan seems to ok with its overseas shipping, while Stereo Sound is not accepting airmail orders from US.
I just received a DVD from Hong Kong, and it only took two weeks, to get to Iowa.
 
Does anybody know how long it is taking for Rick wakemann's new CD, to get to the U.S. from his Music Glue company?
 
I just received a CD from England, and it only took 13 days!! I'm still waiting for The Red Planet-R. Wakeman-22 days so far.Looks like it all depends on how much you spend. But I do understand keeping the cost down.
 
What do ya know, that CD from Austria (going through Stuttgart, where "millions of packages piled up") arrived today! I think I ordered it in April :whistle: . It's been so long, I couldn't even give the seller good feedback, as those emails have disappeared from my email list on Discogs (is there a way around that?). I remember telling the seller that I had patience -- some didn't, and were giving him bad feedback after only a week or so! -- and wish I could make up for those that didn't. Btw, it was the best-sounding copy of Donovan's COSMIC WHEELS I could find (no SACDs or even Silverline "surrounds" for that one). I remember the title track in the 70s, but have never heard the whole album (I _do_ have patience, lol).

Also showing up today -- international packages, from wherever, seem to arrive together no matter the country of origin -- was the DV FIREBIRD :p. Has only been a few weeks for that one. And btw, it was just the one -- no cracks. Took a chance, didn't I?

Time to warm up the Oppo after chores. . . .

[ADDENDUM: Damn, they DO arrive together! Went into the garage to get the car for a grocery run, and there was a Burning Shed package beside my car (!).
The long-awaited AXE VICTIM. But wait! There's more! On the other side of my car, placed haphazardly on an opened bag of potting soil, was _another_ Burning Shed package (Kansas). How did that happen? Did the driver deliver one, go back to the vehicle, and discover another, tossing it on the other side? Life's little mysteries. . . .]
 
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