Last packet from China took around 20 days. Up to 30 days it's quite common. More then 45 days is very rare for me. But had packets from USA and Germany that took around a month too.

My experience is similar to kixs's - 30-45 days seems standard now, but more than that is very rare. It is still longer than it used to be. I think the problem is on the far east end. They probably have too many packages to process.

dr_st wrote:

My experience is similar to kixs's - 30-45 days seems standard now, but more than that is very rare. It is still longer than it used to be. I think the problem is on the far east end. They probably have too many packages to process.

It may also be because the postal services of especially China are heavily subsidized in a way that makes shipping very cheap for sellers located there, but without postal services elsewhere in the world getting paid their due. So those postal services outside China become less and less enthusiastic about the large flood of packages coming from China and end up routing them differently than the rest (and in some cases having customs check those packages more thoroughly than other packages...).

Purchases a powered USB hub in March from China. The item never arrived that I eventually asked for refund, and this is the very first time ever I asked for refund on ebay.

Last time I bought something from China a little over half a year back, it got here in under a week. Then again, I'm in Canada and I've noticed that shipping from China is typically faster and cheaper than from the USA for whatever reason. In fact, even shipping from Europe tends to be faster, but almost 50% more expensive than from the states.

International shipping from the USA is generally very expensive relative to other countries, but Canada and Mexico, being immediate neighbors, get reduced rates. For intercontinental shipping, it can easily be 3 times as much more expensive to ship from the USA than the same distance to the USA (in case of China, even more than that).

Gemini000 wrote:

Last time I bought something from China a little over half a year back, it got here in under a week. Then again, I'm in Canada and I've noticed that shipping from China is typically faster and cheaper than from the USA for whatever reason. In fact, even shipping from Europe tends to be faster, but almost 50% more expensive than from the states.

That is exactly what I was saying about 2 years ago. I used to prefer ordering from China or Hong Kong, rather than the USA because the packages arrived so much quicker. Now, packages from China take 2+ months; packages from the USA 2 weeks; packages from the UK about 10 days.

I have about 3 or 4 items from China and one from Poland which haven't arrived after almost 6 weeks. I'm asking for refunds now.

A friend of mine also experiencing this, and he is not using eBay but doing a bulk purchasing from well established seller on yiwugou.
He suspected that delay via sea-shipment may have something to do with increased tension between China with Vietnam & Philippines over some sea territory.

International shipping systems are mysterious - I ordered a pile of things from a seller in Denmark recently, and the cheapest method was to split it up into 2 packages. Both sent at exactly the same time via the same shipping option but one turned up over 2 weeks earlier than the other.

feipoa wrote:

Gemini000 wrote:

Last time I bought something from China a little over half a year back, it got here in under a week. Then again, I'm in Canada and I've noticed that shipping from China is typically faster and cheaper than from the USA for whatever reason. In fact, even shipping from Europe tends to be faster, but almost 50% more expensive than from the states.

That is exactly what I was saying about 2 years ago. I used to prefer ordering from China or Hong Kong, rather than the USA because the packages arrived so much quicker. Now, packages from China take 2+ months; packages from the USA 2 weeks; packages from the UK about 10 days.

I have about 3 or 4 items from China and one from Poland which haven't arrived after almost 6 weeks. I'm asking for refunds now.

Same experience here. Ordered phone case last year in November, arrived later April which was 5 month since.... I do believe Canada Post is doing some extensive customs check ups, that's the reason why...

Maybe the distance and customs policies, I guess.

I receive most stuff from Hong Kong or China within a week. Including those that have free shipment. Usually 4 days.

OTOH, my purchases from ebay dropped sharply due to the ebay's GSP by Pitney Bowes, which charge exorbitant prices and further impose import charges, which is non existent for computer items here.

Unless a seller ships personally via USPS, I no longer buy from US. Likewise with UK sellers.

I still don't understand why it takes 2+ months, though. Unless it's shipped via sea. There was once a Canadian who shipped via sea and it took 2 months to arrive here. It was a fully boxed AWE32, so I was patient with that. But I don't think I will buy something with that kind of shipping anymore.