Hong Kong Post - Delay In Outbound Air Mail Services

[gords1001]

all my order is via singpost, which is generally pretty good for me, but right now my package is stuck somewhere in limbo.

funily enough sing posts site failed first tine I tried to check, the page read

“we are experiencing a high volume of traffic at the moment. ……”

I guess there are a lot of people starting to get anxious other than us guys lol

[8steve88]

@gords1001

I’ve got a very large order stuck at dispatched overseas, 17track.net shows this and shows parcelforce is supposed to recieve it this end.

it was marked “dispatched overseas” 6/9 (6 sept for our colonial cousins) and hasn’t moved since, now I’m unsure if its held up at chinese customs, british customs or on its way back to fasttech.

In light of all this, I really won’t be surprised if it gets hung up, there are three 32650 cells, four 26650 cells, eight 18650 cells, two ecig sets, multiple ecig liquids…….

basically everything they dont want shipping lol

I guess we’ll see what happens in the next week or so.

I’ve got an order for 12 Nitecore CR123As from FastTech order placed 29th August, shipped 31st August via Singapore Post, it’s been stuck on - 06-09-2013, Despatched to overseas (Country code: GB) for a while now. Just have to wait for a result.

Same as you the first try at tracking said try later because of a spike in requests.

[Chloe]

@Ubehebe

I don’t know what the answer is, but surely there is one: Special approved packaging for li-ion batteries?

I think this is the way forward. Ideally the Universal Postal Union would create guidelines similar to the handling of ECLB (equipment containing lithium batteries).

Hong Kong Post issued this notice about Li-ion back in March. It doesn’t surprise me much that it has finally resulted in x-raying packages nearly six months later:

20 March 2013
Prohibited Articles- Lithium Battery

In accordance with the advice from the Postal Administration of Italy and Germany, no mail containing lithium battery, irrespective of the kind of service used, will be accepted until further notice.

This leads me to think it could be changed. Those plastic cases are not enough though (a customer reported their cells leaked whilst shipped in these from FastTech because they got wet).

Second problem is honest customs declaration, which many sellers overlook:
http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publications/notices/2013/20130830c/index.htm

I know there have been many complaints of e-liquids leaking, and the liquid is flammable and toxic.

[bdiddle]

Maybe shipping the cells discahrged completely would make it safe. Or pre-approved packaging. i am certainly not filled with feelings of safety when I see the packing on some shipments……

@Ubehebe

I don’t know the reasons behind the Chinese battery ban in their postal system, but the USPS’s May 2012 limited ban on international shipping of lithium batteries was because lithium batteries were DIRECTLY implicated in at least two fatal cargo plane crashes since 2006, including a UPS jet in Dubai. And apparently there were many other serious incidents involving emergency landings and fires that did not directly end in death and airplane crashes.

The original USPS ban has been modified, but it’s still fairly restrictive.

However, in light of people DYING and planes falling from the sky, I can understand USPS’s reluctance to pack an airplane with the equivalent of hand grenades with the pins pulled and then set off on multi-hour flights. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has received li-ion batteries in the mail where the cells are basically unwrapped bumping around in a package filled with other items just looking for a way to short the unwrapped batteries. Even if they don’t blow up, a vent-with-flames situation could set an entire cargo hold afire fairly quickly.

I don’t know what the answer is, but surely there is one: Special approved packaging for li-ion batteries? Ship bulk batteries via another carrier to a U.S. warehouse and ship the the individual batteries via domestic mail, where li-ion batteries are still allowed?

But packing loose li-ion batteries in an envelope and filling an airplane cargo hold with them? …. Not a good idea.

[gords1001]

I fail to see what’s wrong with the cells being shipped in the plastic cases fasttech uses?

and no, I definitely dont want my li ion cells discharged completely thanks….

[bdiddle]

@gords1001

I fail to see what’s wrong with the cells being shipped in the plastic cases fasttech uses?

and no, I definitely dont want my li ion cells discharged completely thanks….

I meant 2.5 volts resting. I doubt there would be much explosions if they were shorted at 2.5 volts.

[Chloe]

Gords, imagine if your cells turned up like these did:

[gords1001]

e fluid?

I think mine always arrived in cases AND the cases taped up I doubt there is much more could be done other than what I suggested above early on, in a light, with isolation disks, and even then, if something went tits up, you’ve got a pipe bomb on your hands rather than an incendiary device.

[Ouchyfoot]

Does this mean they’re not going to e shipping laptops and other mobile devices either? I think this is just a glitch. The Chinese economy would take too much of a global hit. I’m sure the government will work with the unions or charge their leaders with some kind of Anti Economic state crime and replace them. Business as usual.

[ohaya]

@Ouchyfoot

Does this mean they’re not going to e shipping laptops and other mobile devices either? I think this is just a glitch. The Chinese economy would take too much of a global hit. I’m sure the government will work with the unions or charge their leaders with some kind of Anti Economic state crime and replace them. Business as usual.

Those probably ship in big boxes full of multiple copies (of laptops, etc.), and probably by boat, I’d guess, so probably don’t go by HK Post, etc. Plus, I think the restriction is for basically loose batteries, whereas laptops and cellphones would have the batteries either in the device, or in the same package/box.

[mfm]

@Chloe

I think this is the way forward. Ideally the Universal Postal Union would create guidelines similar to the handling of ECLB (equipment containing lithium batteries).

Hong Kong Post issued this notice about Li-ion back in March. It doesn’t surprise me much that it has finally resulted in x-raying packages nearly six months later:

I doubt they will remove these checks any time soon, they have been scanning all passanger baggage for lithium batteries for months already. When I and my girlfriend departed from HK International Airport in July they immediately found a lithium battery in my girlfriends checked-in baggage and we had to remove it.

[allan_d (Allan Douglass)]

I ordered from FT on September 2, I knew that there would be a shipping delay. One item indicated “ships in 2 - 3 days”.

First-Class Package International Service
Processed Through Sort Facility
September 19, 2013, 3:15 pm
HONG KONG AIR MAIL CENTRE, HONG KONG

International Letter
Acceptance
September 6, 2013, 3:53 pm
HONG KONG

So my order, with no batteries, sat in HK Post for two weeks? And it’s not even on a plane yet.

[tallboybass]

I know, it sucks. Personally, I won’t be ordering from China until this whole thing gets sorted instead of sordid.

[comfychair]

Or you can order from Wallbuys today, they won't ship for a few months anyway by which time I'm sure the delays will all be cleared up.

[TheGloriousTachikoma]

I have a flashlight (only) from BangGood shipped China Post that’s been stuck in port for a week now.

[sb56637]

@comfychair

Or you can order from Wallbuys today, they won’t ship for a few months anyway by which time I’m sure the delays will all be cleared up.

Nice one. :bigsmile:

[gords1001]

my package is now marked as arrived destination country 18/9/13,

its up to my customs and post office now ho hum

[Omega_17]

Why don’t they ship lithium battery by ship instead of air-planes ? It will be alot slower but safe.

[Revolvr]

My package has been stuck in HK since 9/4.

Problem is, its a first-in-last-out problem. Big muckety-muck decides to xray everything, which they can't do so packages pile up, oldest at the bottom. Eventually muckety-muck gets bored and leaves, and stuff moves, but from the top down.

On top of everything a category 5 typhoon is expected to hit HK on Sunday.

Then there's a Chinese holiday the first week of October.

I may need a new hobby for a while...

[kbark]

Well crap! I have several customers waiting on batteries for their bike lights |(