[Vertigo Acid]

No, they do not have the same tracking system

First-class internation, and Priority FRE and Small FRB use the small form, which has customs numbers in the form LJnnnnnnnnnUS

Priority uses the long form CxnnnnnnnnUS, where x is q or j depending on whether it's insured or not (at least, that's all I know off the top of my head. there may be different codes as well)

Short form gets you jack for tracking, as has been demonstrated in this thread. You get an acceptance scan at best.

Long form gets you fine tracking to many destinations, but not to all. Some will cut-off when it hits US customs, others aren't seamless and you have to use the customs number with the destination country's postal system.

Express are in the form ECnnnnnnnnnUS, and it is true tracking globally (with a few small or war-torn countries that are an exception to this rule)

4 days to Spain means you're lying, can't count, or got extremely lucky in timing at all points along the way, and also probably live very close to one of the AMCs that process all the outgoing mail for the country.

It's also a completely non-representative sample

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is accurate. USPS will not provide tracking, just a customs number.

I believe it's different for each country, sometimes they do let you purchase an online tracking number; it can also be different with the level of service you ship with.

 

[Vertigo Acid]

Again, no. Please stop talking about things "you believe". If you can't do anything but spread disinformation, half-truths, or crap you heard from a friend of a friend that used to work for the post office as a janitor, then stop posting.

It is nothing like domestic mail and delivery confirmation. There is nothing extra to purchase to get a customs number, and there is nothing you can buy as an extra for a given level of service to get better tracking. The amount of tracking you get is based on the service level you choose and the country you're mailing to. Period. End of story.

 

[Currawong]

Vertigo Acid is correct, whether a package is tracked or not depends on the service used. Express = EMS = tracked internationally, subject to the countries involved. The speed at which mail arrives very much depends on the speed at which all the points the mail has to pass through are quick at processing it. What some people may be thinking of is registered mail, which gets an ID, but isn't tracked unless a delivery receipt is requested to be returned to the sender, but I don't know of this working internationally, only locally.

 

[Vertigo Acid]

Registered mail doesn't affect the tracking; it only guarantees proof of mailing, and if you get a return receipt, proof of delivery. Nothing in between. The return receipt is not electronic, so it will not show delivered online.
It is primarily designed to give indemnity coverage on items that insurance is not available for, and to guarantee safe handling of very sensitive items by requiring different procedures (package will be kept locked up at each step, paper record of when it gets transferred from person to person, hence the name, registered, postman won't leave it at the destination without a signature). But those updates aren't electronic; it's only for USPS use in the case of a claim.
Additionally, because of the different procedures, registered is generally slower than not.

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo Acid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Again, no. Please stop talking about things "you believe". If you can't do anything but spread disinformation, half-truths, or crap you heard from a friend of a friend that used to work for the post office as a janitor, then stop posting. It is nothing like domestic mail and delivery confirmation. There is nothing extra to purchase to get a customs number, and there is nothing you can buy as an extra for a given level of service to get better tracking. The amount of tracking you get is based on the service level you choose and the country you're mailing to. Period. End of story.

Wow, I should have not used the word "believe"

What I said about it being different according to delivery destination an level of service is from my actual experience, and you are full of crap for flaming me and getting personal and basically calling me a liar, as well as insulting my imaginary janitor friend, who is purely an invention of your own!

All I did after was was share my experiences. Of course you always get a customs number when you ship internationally, and you may or may not be able to track it online AFTER it goes through customs, according to the destination country, more than service selected. This is the same on all international shipments, and I'm sure I shouldn't have used term "tracking number", which is a domestic service.

What is different from country to country and level of service is availability of: insurance, registered mail, certificate of mailing, delivery confirmation, and pickup on demand services. I may have made a mistake (but that's why I used the word "believe" in the first place, I wasn't quite sure of the exact jargon), and thanks for correcting it so thoroughly, but I really don't feel as if I said anything that warranted such a harsh personal response from you

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Vertigo Acid is correct, whether a package is tracked or not depends on the service used. Express = EMS = tracked internationally, subject to the countries involved. The speed at which mail arrives very much depends on the speed at which all the points the mail has to pass through are quick at processing it. What some people may be thinking of is registered mail, which gets an ID, but isn't tracked unless a delivery receipt is requested to be returned to the sender, but I don't know of this working internationally, only locally.

I was strictly talking USPS

 

[Bob_McBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif I shipped something Priority Mail from USA to Canada today, and even though I was told online that I could get "delivery confirmation" for .70¢, I was told at the PO that the only number I could get for tracking was on the customs form

Confusing domestic and international services.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe it's different for each country, sometimes they do let you purchase an online tracking number

Nope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, I should have not used the word "believe" What I said about it being different according to delivery destination an level of service is from my actual experience, and you are full of crap for flaming me and getting personal and basically calling me a liar, as well as insulting my imaginary janitor friend, who is purely an invention of your own!

These threads are full of people who "believe" they know what they're talking about because they've shipped one package internationally and are now experts. Every time you say you "believe" something you pulled out of your ass, it contributes to the general ignorance on the subject. You've made multiple incorrect statement in this thread.

If you came here and started claiming you "believe" iPod earbuds are better than anything we own, or that you "believe" Grado RS-1s will literally make magical unicorns appear in your living room, you'd be similarly flamed.

 

[n_maher]

This issue has been resolved, anything left to say between the two involved parties can be done via feedback threads.