Being the leading provider of shipping insurance coverage gives us unique insight into possible problem destinations when shipping worldwide. We want to alert everyone to the growing amount of lost packages being sent to the Russian Federation. We are seeing a growing trend of lost packages shipped via the United States Postal Service (USPS)  to this destination over the past 6 months. Whether this is a customs issue, general delays, or packages being lost in transit, the smart shipper should take these details into consideration.

Our stats for shipments to Russia for 10/1/2012-4/1/2013:

• There is a 205% increase in the amount of lost claims from the same time period last year.
• During this time period, the dollar amount of lost claims increased by 220%.
• Insured shipping volume has only increased by 33%.
• 98% are lost packages while 2% are damaged packages.
• 88% of these shipments were sent via First Class Mail.

These statistics are alarming and are pointing to a trend of lost packages to Russia. In order to improve these numbers, we suggest using the USPS Priority Mail or Express Mail service. We prefer the limited tracking of Priority Mail to the minimal, if any, tracking of First Class Mail. If possible, DHL, FedEx, and UPS are great options as well, although much more costly.

UPDATE (4/17/2013): This seems to be a large part of the problem, although a more recent issue: http://postandparcel.info/54989/news/companies/delays-and-disruption-as-russian-post-struggles-with-e-commerce/

Domestic shipments sent via the Express Mail service continue to receive $100.00 of free coverage from the USPS. This change is only for International Express Mail shipments.

The complete updated USPS price list with coverage matrix is available here: http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm

The ban was due to last through January 2013, but it looks like they got things worked out for the holidays.

“The Postal Service is pleased to be back in the business of shipping gifts containing lithium batteries internationally and to our service members overseas,” said Giselle Valera, vice president, Global Business. “Postal employees are gearing up for a busy holiday season, and we’re ready to help customers send care packages to loved ones around the world.”

Read more from the USPS here.

International Package Tracking Links:

The ban covers any devices that use a lithium or lithium ion battery; rechargeable or not. This means that companies cannot ship mobile phones, tablets (including iPads) , laptop computers, other items with these types of batteries using the United States Postal Service to locations outside the United States. Even if the batteries are not physically inside a device but in the same package, it is prohibited.

Graphic above from FastCompany.com

Shippers that need to send these type of items outside of the U.S.A. should look towards FedEx and UPS.

Remember: If you are insuring with Shipsurance your packages are not covered if they do not follow the carrier rules and regulations.

View the complete bulletin here: http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22336/html/updt_004.htm

Remember, First Class mail has limited tracking and sometimes having tracking makes a difference between a lost package and a delayed package.

If you MUST ship to Brazil we recommend sending your shipments via a service like FedEx, UPS, or DHL as the tracking systems they offer are better than First Class or Priority Mail.

Update: This may be a big reason for the problems. See here: http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/ab_028.htm.

Excerpt:

Observations 

1. First-Class Mail International items may not contain dutiable articles.
2. Import licenses are required for many kinds of goods and senders should ascertain from the addressee before mailing that the necessary documents are held.
3. Imports are allowed by mail, including mail order catalog shipments, up to a value of U.S. $500 (U.S. $1000 for computer software) without the requirement of an import license provided the item is not for resale. Shipments valued at no more than U.S. $50 are duty free and are delivered to the addressee; shipments above U.S. $50 can be picked up at the post office upon payment of import duties. Imports that are prohibited or subject to special regulations must comply with applicable Brazilian government provisions. Identical shipments from the same source to the same person or address in Brazil within a 90 day period are considered part of the same shipment and may be subject to confiscation. Other merchandise that usually enters duty free includes items such as newspapers, maps, books, and magazines.

 

So, First Class shipments are not allowed if they are dutiable.

UPDATE: 3 months later and eBay has chimed in - http://announcements.ebay.com/2012/06/longer-delivery-times-for-imports-entering-brazil/. Also read about Operation “Red Tide”.

Here is a great example of a First Class International shipment to Brazil:

Tracking/Customs # LJ291774754US (If the tracking link is expired, please see the image, below).

If you track it via the USPS, you see:

Detailed Results:

• Arrive USPS Sort Facility, December 23, 2011, 3:09 am, KEARNY, NJ 07032
• Depart USPS Sort Facility, December 23, 2011, 2:52 am, KEARNY, NJ 07099
• Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility, December 22, 2011, 8:07 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07099
• Electronic Shipping Info Received, December 22, 2011
• Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility, December 22, 2011, 6:52 pm, VERONA, NJ 07044
• Acceptance, December 22, 2011, 4:05 pm, VERONA, NJ 07044

Based on these results, you can assume the package is lost or is in Kearny, NJ on 12/23/2011.

If you track that same package using Brazil’s website (http://websro.correios.com.br/sro_bin/txect01$.QueryList?P_LINGUA=001&P_TIPO=001&P_COD_UNI=LJ291774754US) you would see the package was delivered on 1/23/2012 (If the tracking link is expired, please see the image, below).

That is more details than the USPS provides, plus, it shows that there was a delivery! This gives you and the recipient much more visibility.

A great website to bookmark is http://www.track-trace.com/post. It lets you track locally, then in the destination countries website.

International shipments may not all have tracking services enabled, but make sure to check for those that do. Once the USPS and their partner postal systems start to work in sync, International shipping will be much easier and work just like shipping a package next door.

Shipping Internationally via the United States Postal Service is often the most economical way to fulfill orders if you are based in the United States. Their First Class Mail and Priority Mail services are great options with reasonable pricing. The main problem with these services are their lack of tracking once the packages reach the postal service of each destination country. Once they are out of the USPS’s hands, it is up to the foreign postal systems to provide additional scan details.

One way to give you more visibility over your Intentional shipments is to track them using the websites belonging to the foreign postal services. Often additional delivery information can be determined based on the details found on these sites. You can enter the customs numbers or tracking numbers to look up details.

Here is an example of using the carrier site to track a package sent to Brazil:

USPS Tracking #CJ456880332US is a shipment to Brazil via the Priority Mail International service. As of today, 10/18/2011, The USPS website shows this package as “Missed delivery – Scheduled for another delivery attempt today” with the last scan on 10/5/2011.

The Correios website (Brazilian Post) lists the shipment as delivered on 10/8/2011!

That is just one example, but using the carrier websites can allow the shipper and recipient to have more visibility of the shipping process. Based on the USPS tracking, it looks like the shipment was not delivered, when it was delivered 10 days ago.

Below is a list of many of the carrier websites that you can use to track directly with. We suggest bookmarking the sites for the countries you ship to the most and using it as a tool for more accurate tracking.
* Note: You may need to us a translate service such as Google Translate once you visit these sites.