Anybody Have Any Experience With The Polish Postal Service?

gbesq · Dec 27, 2021

Good morning all. I recently sold a vintage Seamaster that I had listed on Chrono24 to a buyer in Poland. I shipped the watch on December 1st via USPS International Priority Mail with full insurance and signature required upon delivery. The typical delivery time from the US to Europe is 6-10 business days. As of today, the most recent tracking activity shows the package departing Warsaw on December 12th to the buyer’s home city which is only about 100 miles distant. Since then, no updates and no delivery. Now obviously we have Covid, the holidays and customs all in play here, but still - 15 days to travel 100 miles? So what does the community think? Give the Polish Postal Service some more time or initiate an international inquiry through the USPS?

jaguar11 · Dec 27, 2021

My own personal experience was that a package was apparently lost. This is of course only my experience and the item was of a sufficiently low value so no big hit and I did have some basic insurance cover. This is of course not to say the Polish postal service is no good because things do go wrong. I guess with the mixture of variables at play (as you allude to) delivery could reasonably be expected to take a wee bit longer. Good luck with this and keep us updated. It can be nerve racking to say the least!

gbesq · Dec 27, 2021

Thanks. It’s not a high value item and I purchased full insurance, but obviously I’d like the buyer to get his watch and Chrono24 to release my payment from escrow! More aggravation than anything else. 🫨

vitriol · Dec 27, 2021

15 days it is very long even if it went to the customs.

Does this (official) tracking system tells you anything more detailed about the status?
https://emonitoring.poczta-polska.pl/?lang=en

gbesq · Dec 27, 2021

vitriol
15 days it is very long even if it went to the customs.

Does this (official) tracking system tells you anything more detailed about the status?
https://emonitoring.poczta-polska.pl/?lang=en

Thank you very much for the link. Unfortunately, like USPS tracking, there has been no update since December 12th.

vitriol · Dec 27, 2021

That's odd. The only thing which comes into my mind is: the Polish Post can act as a customs agent only for the watches up to EUR 150. If you package was declared as EUR 150 or more - the Post will send a notification to the buyer that he has to hire a 3rd party agent to do customs clearance.
If that is not case, I would have waited a few days more and then would submit the inquiry early January.

gbesq · Dec 27, 2021

vitriol
That's odd. The only thing which comes into my mind is: the Polish Post can act as a customs agent only for the watches up to EUR 150. If you package was declared as EUR 150 or more - the Post will send a notification to the buyer that he has to hire a 3rd party agent to do customs clearance.
If that is not case, I would have waited a few days more and then would submit the inquiry early January.

Well, that could very well be the issue as the declared value was $800 USD or about €706. To my knowledge, the buyer has not received the notice that you mention in your post.

Jonathan40 · Dec 29, 2021

I’m sorry to hear about your issues but unfortunately I’m not surprised.
About 4 years ago I sold a Tissot to Poland via ebay and videoed the packing and weighing of package.
After 3 weeks of delay I received an abusive email from buyer telling me a was a cheat and that my package was nothing more than a metal tin inside. I asked him to weigh the package and compare it to the receipt from Royal Mail which states the value/weight and he quickly agreed that something had gone on in between me sending and him receiving it.
The watch was obviously stolen as paperwork all over it told people it was a Tissot watch valued at £250.
Insured parcel so I got my cash back. I always had my suspicions buyer was in on it but could not follow up in anyway other than initiating the insurance refund. Buyer told me he would report it to the police and keep me informed but never did.
Now treat Poland as the whole of Africa and avoid at all costs. Once bitten and all that.
I do hope your buyer gets there package and it is Christmas and a bad period with COVID there currently causing the delay.

gbesq · Dec 29, 2021

Jonathan40
I’m sorry to hear about your issues but unfortunately I’m not surprised.
About 4 years ago I sold a Tissot to Poland via ebay and videoed the packing and weighing of package.
After 3 weeks of delay I received an abusive email from buyer telling me a was a cheat and that my package was nothing more than a metal tin inside. I asked him to weigh the package and compare it to the receipt from Royal Mail which states the value/weight and he quickly agreed that something had gone on in between me sending and him receiving it.
The watch was obviously stolen as paperwork all over it told people it was a Tissot watch valued at £250.
Insured parcel so I got my cash back. I always had my suspicions buyer was in on it but could not follow up in anyway other than initiating the insurance refund. Buyer told me he would report it to the police and keep me informed but never did.
Now treat Poland as the whole of Africa and avoid at all costs. Once bitten and all that.
I do hope your buyer gets there package and it is Christmas and a bad period with COVID there currently causing the delay.

I hope that you’re right and that it’s a Christmas/Covid related delay, but I suspect at this point that the watch was stolen when it arrived in Warsaw. I don’t suspect any involvement by the buyer as he has corresponded with me frequently since the purchase, seemed to be genuinely looking forward to receiving the watch (his first vintage purchase), and has shared many of his personal details with me. He also initiated an inquiry with the postal service on his end. We did the transaction through C24, so I assume that C24 will refund the purchase price which is currently in escrow and I’ll have to file a claim with the USPS - at least I fully insured the watch. It’s really a shame, though, because it was really a lovely watch that I had already experienced some seller’s remorse about letting it go. Very sad that a few bad apples in the world make it difficult for the rest of us to trust our fellow human beings. 🙁
View attachment 1342818

Longbow · Dec 29, 2021

Maybe @demollo has some useful insights on this; he’s based in Poland and sells regularly here on OF, with very +ve feedback. I purchased a book from him a while ago (Poland->Germany). No problems whatsoever.

Davidt · Dec 29, 2021

It’s happening a lot at the minute.

I have a relative who posted an antique diamond ring, fully insured to Australia at the start of Dec. Depending where they checked, the last update was on 10 dec and showed it either still in the UK or with Aus postal service but no further updates.

It arrived safe and sound yesterday.

STANDY · Dec 29, 2021

Buy some knife gear from Poland. From shipping it sat knocking about in Poland for several weeks. Then boom it was here in a few days.
I am waiting on a second parcel from the same guy and it’s doing the same.

Every year people don’t realise that the mail increases 10-20 fold from mid November (working in a international mail centre in Australia for a few years it is late January to mid February that the backload gets manageable and almost back to normal)

ApolloXVII · Dec 29, 2021

I am from Europe Union and i also sent a watch with registered mail in Poland this month and arrive without problem . But i know that if it will arrive from outside the Europe Union other procedure will apply. I am from Romania near Poland and the Postal service from my country for a few month they apply some new software and for incoming packages from outside EU they were delay of about a month. I purchase something from USA and arrive after more than a month..When i checked the tracking number it just keep say that the postal service from my country received the package but the next step was more than three weeks.. Personaly i do not think it lost.

watchyouwant · Dec 29, 2021

Normal in the moment. Tracking systems are overwhelmed too. I have 2 shipments to Europe, that are in transit over 5 weeks now. Delivery expected mid January. Your USPS claim , if needed, might have a surprise for you. They insure whatever you want, but pay out for Jewellery might be Us$ 500 max. Read the fine print. The very fine print....good luck.

marpro · Dec 30, 2021

I bought two watches here on OF earlier this year. The one from US was shipped with DHL and arrived in a couple of days, the one from Canada, sent with Canada post, then Polish post, took 55 days. Looking at the tracking of that one, of the 55 days, 30 in Poland between first arrival, customs, then my local post office. Got me worried for a moment but eventually arrived.

Larry S · Dec 30, 2021

I think it may appear after the holidays.

Jonathan40 · Dec 30, 2021

gbesq
I hope that you’re right and that it’s a Christmas/Covid related delay, but I suspect at this point that the watch was stolen when it arrived in Warsaw. I don’t suspect any involvement by the buyer as he has corresponded with me frequently since the purchase, seemed to be genuinely looking forward to receiving the watch (his first vintage purchase), and has shared many of his personal details with me. He also initiated an inquiry with the postal service on his end. We did the transaction through C24, so I assume that C24 will refund the purchase price which is currently in escrow and I’ll have to file a claim with the USPS - at least I fully insured the watch. It’s really a shame, though, because it was really a lovely watch that I had already experienced some seller’s remorse about letting it go. Very sad that a few bad apples in the world make it difficult for the rest of us to trust our fellow human beings. 🙁
View attachment 1342818

You were not kidding Sir, that watch is beautiful, looks amazing on green boots.
I do hope it arrives at his door.

Pianotuna · Dec 30, 2021

I’m amazed that anything sent USPS International Priority reaches anywhere outside continental USA in less than three weeks. And I’m not talking about receiving it, just ‘it’ getting off shore. 🤔

gbesq · Jan 15, 2022

Well, all is not lost. At least not yet. My tracking information finally updated to show that the package cleared the USPS facility in Warsaw yesterday - 45 days after I shipped it from the US via USPS Priority Mail International with an estimated delivery time of 6 to 9 days! Hopefuly the Polish postal service does better than the USPS.

STANDY · Jan 15, 2022

No USPS facility in Poland. 😉 Just a polish international mail depot 😀

Anybody Have Any Experience With The Polish Postal Service?

gbesq

jaguar11

gbesq

vitriol

gbesq

vitriol

gbesq

Jonathan40

gbesq

Longbow

Davidt

STANDY

ApolloXVII

watchyouwant

marpro

Larry S

Jonathan40

Pianotuna

gbesq

STANDY

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