Sofirn Warning! *Shipping Now Take Many Moons*

Still waiting on my order since it shipped on the 18th of March and tracking fell asleep on the 20th.

I have some glow gaskets that have not moved from the “automobile transfer station” since the 5th. I figure if they do show up it will be a nice surprise.

My headphone cables were rerouted via Chongqing and are now apparently heading to Europe via a series of trains. They keep “arriving in destination” but I’ve no idea where these destinations are.

I never got any tracking information on my order, but it showed up eventually. Have faith.

I bought stuff from Aliexpress early and about mod April and most is in transit, but my Shockli batteries are in limbo I think. Like you, I’m buying mostly local, but refuse to pay outrageous prices for batteries if I can help it. And some stuff just isn’t available stateside. Alas, hurry up and wait…

You start unboxing your long multi-AAA penlight…

“Ewww, is that coronavirus on it?”

and then…

I gave up waiting and filed a Paypal claim. Six weeks with no movement on the tracking number is enough for me. I claim again never to do business again with Sofirn… until the next time they offer me a coupon.

Then I will get to go through this process all over again - either the coupon being faulty and my order being cancelled, the item being out of stock and my coupon being wasted, the item shipping with a tracking number that never works, or the package disappearing en route.

I am in the same boat. I Placed an order middle of March , tracking number indicates it is still in China.
Another order I placed 3 months ago never showed up.

I love their flashlights but I swear I will never buy another Sofirn product shipping from China .

How is the package travelling around the world?

1. Packages have to wait for flights to USA, Canada, Germany etc., some catches a flight after a week waiting, some 2-3 weeks, some didn’t pass the scan of post office and be sent back.

2. Then the packages have to pass the customs checking. Some passs in the same day, some in several days, some in weeks.

3. Once the package is in your country, usually it takes several days to get delivered, if the pandemic situation is not that bad.

Why the tracking information is not updating for a long time?

Example 1:

2020-04-22 23:48
Last mile=> USPS, number 4202120292748927005303010033764137

2020-04-22 21:48
Departed from Yanwen Facility

2020-04-21 16:38
Process completed in Yanwen Facility

2020-04-21 11:58
Picked up

2020-04-21 08:52
Jamaica, Picked Up by Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item

2020-04-21 03:38
Baltimore, Shipping Label Created USPS Awaiting Item

It says USPS Awaiting Item, and offers a new tracking ID 4202120292748927005303010033764137, if you track it

It says
2020-04-21 09:52
JAMAICA, NY 11434, Picked Up by Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item -> Your item was picked up by a shipping partner at 9:52 am on April 21, 2020 in JAMAICA, NY 11434. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.

What is going on?
It means the Yanwen logistic company rent an airplane to JAMAICA, NY. All the packages to JAMAICA, NY are waiting for it. And these packages will be transferred to USPS on arrival.

So there won’t be update before it arrives in JAMAICA, NY.

Example 2:

2020-04-11 17:03
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment -> We have received notice that the originating post is preparing to dispatch this mail piece.

2020-04-11 17:03
CHINA, NANNING EMS, Processed Through Facility

2020-04-11 09:11
CHINA, NANNING, Processed Through Facility

2020-04-09 18:13
CHINA, Acceptance

It says EMS is preparing on 11th April and nothing.

Well, it seems China post can not get the priority for airplanes.

How about the DHL, UPS, FedEx? Their serivce is suppose to be much better.

Actually DHL, UPS, FedEx are much more expensive but offer the same slow shipping now especially to USA. Because the packages have to wait for 2 weeks or longer before catch the airplane.

If you are located in USA, please give it 4-8 weeks. Even amazon shipping takes longer than before, how could international shipping not be delayed?

Sellers are more anxious and worried than you. All we can do is waiting and push the logistic company to look into some unusual cases.

Stay at home, keep safe and healthy. Some day, your package will arrive.

Thank you for that insight into the world of international shipping. It seems like shipping oberseas is a mixed bag unless you pay lots extra for Express. I doubt I’ll pay $40 for Express shipp9ng for a $10 order of emitters though! I shipped 4 stand up paddleboards to Japan once when I worked for a online retailer that sold internationally. Shipping on FedEx was I think over $350. But it got there in about a week (5 business days). That was 7 years ago though. I am sure the rates for that fast overseas shipping has gone way up.

Perhaps we can start a support group called the “Sofirn Sufferers”

Members can support and encourage each other and offer sympathy for those who suffered a lost order .

We can talk each other down off the ledge when somebody is about to place an order.

The closest thing right now would be be gamblers anonymous. It might be a good deal, but will it arrive? It’s gambling.

the package moved to different places to find airplane.

During this period, by train may be faster than by air. And cheaper.

I didn’t know there are trains going from China to the U.S

He is probably in the EU. Shipping is a global problem right now.

@Bwana China began to send freight trains loaded with packages to Europe. They send one train per day and each train needs twelve days to drive from China to Lithuania or Poland.There it will be loaded on trucks and distributed all over europe. But this process is fairly new for postal shipments and needs time to run effectively.

That makes sense. Faster than waiting for air freight despite the fact that airplanes travel faster.

Count your blessings. Over 3 months back on Jan 21st 2020, I ordered 4 Sofirn SP10S flashlights (off of Banggood). Still waiting for 1 of them. They say it made it to Hangzhu. Sharing the shipping data which I find interesting. I couldn’t order all 4 at once off of Banggood, but they let me order 4 total that day, 1 at a time. One had no charge for freight (received), 3 had a .78/cent charge (2 received, 1 not received yet).

Ordered Jan. 21 recieved Feb 10
Ordered Jan. 21 recieved Feb 21
Ordered Jan. 21 recieved Mar 20
Ordered Jan. 21 They shipped Feb 29 and it made it to Hongsheu on 3-220 and has not moved since.* I’m still waiting as of today. *
“2020-03-02 21:02 Origin Post is Preparing Shipment, We have received notice that the originating post is preparing to dispatch this mail piece. 2020-03-02 21:02 CHINA,HANGZHOU EMS Processed Through Facility, Your item has been processed through a facility in HANGZHOU EMS, CHINA at 9:02 pm on March 2, 2020.”

I know it’s not Sofirns fault, not blaming them. I do, however, wonder what is going on. (Order Number 80115263)

That’s interesting, maybe that facility is backed up to heck, or they’re losing packages there. I have one with the same status Processed Through Facility HANGZHOU EMS, CHINA since april 10 now from aliexpress order though.