Ordering flutes Into the US during the current times?

[cavefish]

I think if you give the sender's address as "Infectious Diseases Ward, <local> Hospital, <wherever>", it should go through pretty quickly, and not be held up in Customs. It certainly won't be opened....

Oh sh*t, are you kidding or did you try it

[cavefish]

The USPS site also says they're still delivering packages requiring a signature. The new method is that the package is set at the doorway, the Postal worker knocks or rings the doorbell (with gloves, I imagine), then steps back 6 feet or more while you answer.

Instead of you signing your name on the digital pad as usual, the Postal worker asks you for your first initial and last name (J. Doe, for example), then they jot that down on the digital pad so there is no direct interaction.

i talked to my postman , he hasnt heard anything yet , at least in So Cal, i got some stuff coming from ireland , and england in the coming months , this covid crap is a joke

[Nanohedron]

The USPS site also says they're still delivering packages requiring a signature. The new method is that the package is set at the doorway, the Postal worker knocks or rings the doorbell (with gloves, I imagine), then steps back 6 feet or more while you answer.

Instead of you signing your name on the digital pad as usual, the Postal worker asks you for your first initial and last name (J. Doe, for example), then they jot that down on the digital pad so there is no direct interaction.

i talked to my postman , he hasnt heard anything yet , at least in So Cal, i got some stuff coming from ireland , and england in the coming months

If the USPS were to suspend international receiving, we Yanks would darn well have heard about it and been given fair warning. That's how it works in our country.

However, An Post is not accepting parcels for delivery to the US.

And that is quite a different matter. It's strictly An Post's decision; USPS operations have nothing to do with it.

[busterbill]

I don't know about the US Postal System, but I read a post at Concertina.net regarding a quite quick delivery of two packages from the UK to the US via FedEx, one to two day delivery, which seemed astounding.

When I got my concertina a few years back from the UK it was delivered to the US quite promptly, then sat in Customs for days, meandering its way to me in slightly less than a week. That was a FedEx "Overnight." But the post Concertina.net implies they may be doing less physical checking at customs. (My package had been opened and examined.)

Who knows.

[cavefish]

The USPS site also says they're still delivering packages requiring a signature. The new method is that the package is set at the doorway, the Postal worker knocks or rings the doorbell (with gloves, I imagine), then steps back 6 feet or more while you answer.

Instead of you signing your name on the digital pad as usual, the Postal worker asks you for your first initial and last name (J. Doe, for example), then they jot that down on the digital pad so there is no direct interaction.

i talked to my postman , he hasnt heard anything yet , at least in So Cal, i got some stuff coming from ireland , and england in the coming months

If the USPS were to suspend international receiving, we Yanks would darn well have heard about it and been given fair warning. That's how it works in our country.

you got that right,, i hope, i ordered a sweet thompson flute but i think i still got some months on it and some sweet whistles

[BKWeid]

Maurice Reviol shipped me a Low D whistle on April 1st, from New Zealand--to Utah, USA. It still hasn't arrived. The last package Maurice sent me (February 2020) took about 12 days. So, I think it is fair to say that things are surely backed up. I'll update if and when my whistle makes it through.

[an seanduine]

International parcels are always passed through customs. Under the current administration there have been any number of underfunded budgets. If you closely follow tracking data you can see the handoff from the international carrier to US Customs. It is now in a weird ´null´ zone with no tracking info. A ´mildew pile´ if you will. Eventually you will see it scanned back into the mail-stream and the ´stasis cloud´ dissolves.

Bob

[an seanduine]

I spent 26 years watching this from the ´inside´. It has had its ups and downs. Currently, for no discernable rational reason, the USPS are no longer actively participating in the International Postal Union. The fall-backs are individual pacts and treaties. . .which are all over the map. There is then no universal standard of service.

Bob

[benhall.1]

Currently, for no discernable rational reason, the USPS are no longer actively participating in the International Postal Union.

Ooh! I'd forgotten about that. I remember feeling ... surprised? shocked? outraged? ... I dunno, something like that ... when it was done. As you say, irrational.

[Blayne Chastain]

USPS is taking parcels. We receive them in regularly.

Our last few international orders going out are experiencing longer transit times. As such, we have just switched to DHL for all international shipments during this season.

[BKWeid]

Today, I received my Maurice Reviol Low D whistle from New Zealand. It was shipped from New Zealand on April 1st and arrived in Utah, USA, on May 14th. So, about 7 weeks in transit. That shipping took about 5 and some weeks longer that my last non-Coved19 purchase from Reviol. The package and whistle were in great conditions and without sign of prolonged travel.

By the way, I'm loving the Reviol Low D!

[tradlad123]

Great! I also received a flute from the EU after about 4 weeks of shipping time. Things are moving, though slowly

[bwat]

Off topic here! It never ceases to amaze me how little faith Americans have in the US postal system. I’ve bought a few things from the US and had it shipped to Europe. If given the option I choose USPS every time. [cue Americans retelling horror stories of lost packages etc.]