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How many USPS employees does it take to mail a watch movement to Canada? Too many!!

  1. msp1518 May 23, 2014

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    Gang, is there a proper, easy way to send a watch movement from the United States to Canada? [​IMG]

    Seriously, I ask this after experiencing a rather bizarre run-in with the local post office here in small town North Carolina. I am having this forum's very own 'Archer' put together an Omega Seamaster 300 for me. Much like those infamous Watchco's. Anyway, I bought a movement (Omega Cal. 565) and had to mail it to Archer.

    Well.... you would think I was mailing plastic explosives! It took every employee in the damned place to figure it out (one trainee, one clerk and one manager). Start to finish was nearly 30 minutes and even now I am not sure if it is okay. One of the key issues of disagreement was insurance. Watches and Jewelry are specifically excluded if you send via Priority Flat Rate boxes (read the fine print).

    Registered mail is known to be fairly secure, but it has no insurance and the Postal manager said I was not allowed to mail watches via that method. That's what he said.

    But regular non-flat rate priority supposedly can have insurance on a watch or jewelry.

    They were all arguing with each other about it. At one point the manager told me "it is illegal to mail any type of jewelry to Canada." Seriously?!?! [​IMG]

    I had to ask, "Sir, are you telling me that no one in the entire United states can mail a watch from here to Ontario or Toronto?" He just looked at me like I had asked him the theory of relativity. Once they agreed that made no sense we sallied forth. This is a long story and I cannot really list everything that happened. Suffice to say I felt like I had walked into an SNL skit on government incompetence.

    Another issue was the fact I had written Return for warranty repair on the mailer. "You can't do that, sir." Really? Why not? They had no real explanation. In the end they allowed it, but they argued over how to do it on the customs form. Chekov and Scotty arguing over where the antimatter inducer was located would seem like child's play in comparison!

    Needless to say, they struggled through entering the information and in the end took my money ($34.00 for a 6.6 ounce box).

    By the time I left the line was out the door. Boy oh boy was I getting the evil eye. As though it was my fault!

    What are your experiences with mailing watches or watch parts to Canada? Is there a better way? A proper way? I live in a small town, but this is a major post office for the area in a modern building. They should know better.
     
  2. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member May 23, 2014

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    I don't know what happened to you, but my experience with USPS personnel has generally been positive. I've mailed watch parts to Germany with no problem at all. I can't remember the postage, but it was a lot less expensive than what you paid. But then again, I didn't used registered mail, just Global Priority Mail. It got there in less then a week.

    I know that we have been in a "postal war" with Canada for some time now. It sometimes takes several weeks for any package to cross the longest undefended border in the Western Hemisphere.

    Not really sure why,
    gatorcpa
     
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  3. JimInOz Melbourne Australia May 23, 2014

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    Maybe I should have mailed my "used timer parts" straight to Al instead of you ;)

    As you can see from your delivery, I don't say "watch" on things I send unless I'm sending a real watch that needs insurance.

    I recently sent a complete watch to one of our members in a letter sized package, from here to North Carolina, grand total of $6.95 or something.

    The girl at the PO asked me what was in the package as it was a bit fat and when I said a watch she got all official, so I told her it was an old damaged watch worth nothing but sentimental value to a buddy who I met in the war who had lost it when he was evaced to hospital and it was later given to me and I held it for thirty years until I found him again on the internet.

    She almost had tears in her eyes as she stamped the envelope and put it in the overseas basket. :D
     
  4. msp1518 May 24, 2014

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    I would have been fine with registered mail. It's cheaper and reliable. But they wouldn't allow it. So it was onto the more expensive options. Had it been an actual watch worth a few grand I'd go for express. But it was just an old movement. Hopefully it will get there in tact.
     
  5. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member May 24, 2014

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    Yes indeed, beyond bizarre. I get and send watches from SE Asia, Australia and the Middle East faster than to and from the Great White North. Only Italy using Poste Italiane is worse. Sad state of affairs between neighbors.
     
  6. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 24, 2014

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    I don't see this at all. I get watches shipped in from the US pretty much every week, and none of them have had any sort of serious delays. Typical transit time is about a week from pretty much anywhere in the lower 48 states. Only if the watch gets nailed by CBSA (customs) does it really delay anything, and that is usually just a couple of days.

    I don't think I have ever had anything take "several weeks" to arrive here...and I get a lot of US based mail with watches to put it mildly.

    Cheers, Al
     
  7. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member May 24, 2014

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    That's encouraging Al, although you should know that Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Ankara took less than a week to my door to cite a few recent examples. A few days is of course inconsequential - safety is far more importnat. What method do you find to be the most reliable? And which least likely to incur attention from Customs?
     
  8. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 24, 2014

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    Sorry I don't know where your door is...and keep in mind these are incoming shipments to me in Canada, not watches going out so I'm not sure if you are talking about shipments going to you wherever you are (in the US?).

    I'll be honest I am not very familiar with the various options at the USPS...it seems some have a situation where the USPS box may say something different than the actual label does. Priority Mail Express seems to be a common name on the boxes and labels. But I also get them with just Priority Mail and no "Express" stated anywhere - I have no idea what the difference is. On rare occasions some are sent by USPS but delivered by FedEx - not common and I think that might be EMS, although almost all USPS parcels that come to me with Priority in the name have a Canadian sticker on them with "EMS" on it.

    For shipments coming to Canada, any courier will 100% assure you will get hit with taxes, and possibly duties. Mail is much less likely to get hit.

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers, Al
     
  9. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member May 24, 2014

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    Very helpful, particularly the bit about the couriers incurring the interests of the gentlemen from customs. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express are indeed the two primary flavors of parcel mail the USPS offers. Thanks.
     
  10. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member May 24, 2014

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    My last watched shipped from Canada took over three weeks to arrive. The Quebec-based seller warned me of the delay, and the package was fully tracked. It went to New York and then just stopped moving for a couple of weeks.

    Al is correct, the issue is here in the US. Our customs just seems to have a problem with clearing mail from Canada.

    gatorcpa
     
  11. CdnWatchDoc May 24, 2014

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    Well c'mon guys, you all know that Canada is the home to the worst form of human out there: the Canuck!! Beer chugging, donut chewing, coffee guzzling bearded lumberjacks who sit around all day fishing and watching Hackey...Thus the US Customs have their eye on anything that goes to or from that frigid wasteland...One never knows, a Tim Horton's Timbit might make its way into the US, and then another, and another...soon an invasion!! ;)

    I have had several pieces go back and forth from the US; the issues of taxes and duty is tough to avoid with the courier companies, but I have yet to lose anything through them. Both Canada Post and USPS have been very good about timing and deliveries, and the payment of duty and taxes is hit and miss when they are involved.. I wonder if the op is dealing with people unfamiliar with any mail going beyond their state's borders...Next time see what they say about delivery to California, another dreaded den of iniquities!!
     
  12. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member May 24, 2014

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    Our NHL arena has a Tim Hortons. Makes sense as in the winter, there are as more Canadians in SoFla than in the Maritimes. Panthers vs. Canadiens is always fun. Generally learn a few new French words. Usually of the 4-letter variety.

    Take care,
    gatorcpa
     
  13. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 24, 2014

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    Tabernak! :)
     
  14. CdnWatchDoc May 25, 2014

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    Al! Watch your language! There are sensitive eyes and ears here....and we don't want too many people from away using our favourite words...
     
  15. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker May 25, 2014

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    Speaking of the Habs, hoping they can come back here in the 3rd!
     
  16. Trev The Architect Staff Member May 26, 2014

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    "Mon tabarnac jva te décalisser la yeule, calice!"

    That's what my French girlfriend used to say. It must be something nice. :D
     
  17. blackwatch wants tickets to the HyperBole. May 26, 2014

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  18. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member May 26, 2014

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    Pour les anglais:

    http://readtiger.com/wkp/en/Quebec_French_profanity

    Ouch, that's harsh. You must have really pissed her off! :p
    gatorcpa
     
  19. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member May 26, 2014

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    Wonderful forum, this. How my horizons have expanded!:thumbsup:
     
    Trev likes this.
  20. Trev The Architect Staff Member May 26, 2014

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    Sometimes when the USPS is involved, threads get a bit weird :)