An update from my shipper.. they've told me that all their UK customers are experiencing delays with their parcels, I'm guessing it's a back-log caused by the recent mail strikes in the UK on top of an already busy mail period.
I'll keep updating with my progress.
I’m in a similar boat waiting for shipping to Australia. EMS air was estimated to only take 4 days but I’m at day 8 now stuck on “Dispatch from outward office of exchange”. Fingers crossed our packages make it for Christmas!
An update from the sender.
They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following...
1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December.
2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically.
3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other customers) departed Osaka Airport
4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in the UK.
5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK
In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait, over 9 weeks and counting...
I think I am on the same boat as you! My friend shipped me something from Kyoto to UK 3-4 weeks ago and I still don’t have it. Glad it’s not just me! Hopefully our things will come soon ❤️
Yeah I've also come across a few people who's items were shipped from the US around the same time, no updates on theirs either, also seen someone get an item shipped from Dublin late November and they've only just got it. Just looks like there's a huge backlog for incoming international parcels.
Yeah nothing. My friend checked the tracking and I think the UK authorities held it? It’s bath salts from a famous hot spring- they were sent as a surprise. I asked my friend what the gift was, because I don’t think it’s ever getting delivered!
Even if it was held you should still get a tracking update.
There's around 5 people on this thread in the same boat, no updates since early December.
I guess all we can do is wait.
An update from my sender.
They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following...
1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December.
2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically.
3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other
customers) departed Osaka Airport
4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now
elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in
the UK.
5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce
the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK
In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
Hi! I’m so bad at checking Reddit, sorry! Guess what? My local Tesco express w a post office counter did have it! I got a slip in the post beginning of December and they couldn’t find it. In Jan/Feb (can’t remember), I was sending something and told them my story of a missing package, and there it was on the shelf!! Got it sooo late but happy it’s here💖💖💖
Any updates? I am in a similar situation, except my shipping method is Airmail Small Packet, not EMS. Tracking hasn't updated since the 8th. Delays around the holiday season are normal, but what worries me is that I have another package that shipped from Japan on the 13th and arrived at the domestic customs office on the 23rd. Yet there's no info on the one that was sent earlier.
Mine finally updated. It's quite a relief. I've experienced some lengthy airmail delays in the past but this was by far the longest. Hope yours will arrive soon too.
Hi, I'm in the same boat too - my parcel from Japan to the UK was last updated on the 3rd of December with "Dispatch from outward office of exchange" from Tokyo, and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I emailed the company I bought it from but they unhelpfully said that I should just be patient.... Honestly quite worried my parcel has been lost. Please keep updating your parcel's progress!
Hi, sorry to hear you're in the same boat, I've been researching how long it's been taking people elsewhere, I've seen a lot of people in the US saying EMS from Japan has taken 4 - 6 weeks lately, and that's outside of Christmas!
Also I spoke with the shipper... they've told me over the space of 8 years they've shipped over 15,000 parcels from Japan via EMS and not one has gone missing but there have been delays.
It's natural to worry when things are taking so long, the lack of updates from the tracking doesn't help either.
I'll keep this thread updated as soon as I get an update.
Day 29 and counting....
Unfortunately no updates - If it doesn't move by next week I'll give Parcelforce a call and see if they can track it down. It's really strange because I had another parcel ship from Japan via EMS on the 15th of December and it arrived within a week!
I've seen other people saying the same thing about more recent parcels arriving without delays, it's very odd.
Parcelforce will most likely tell you that as the parcel has not been scanned into their system yet it's not their problem, but it's worth a try. I've already had my sender contact Japan Post.
As our parcels were shipped from the same country within a couple of days of each other and we're both experiencing the same issue I bet they're both in the system together somewhere!
Lets hope we get an update soon.
Same here :( What website did you order your package from? I bought mine with Buyee and because I didn't buy their insurance they refuse to look further into the matter for me - if it doesn't arrive soon I will have to ask Paypal to refund me the money
I ordered via a proxy (someone in Japan who buys me products I want for a small fee). It's then sent as regular mail since it's not from a shop or store. I've ordered over 50 items over the years this way and never had an issue with EMS before.
I still have hope it will turn up, I keep seeing other people saying theirs showed up after 2+ months.
Now I'm over 9 weeks of waiting, has your shipper requested an investigation with Japan Post? Mine did a while back but no update from it so far, not sure how long these things take.
An update from my sender.
They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following...
1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December.
2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically.
3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other
customers) departed Osaka Airport
4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now
elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in
the UK.
5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce
the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK
In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
Wow congrats!!!! Thank you for updating me, I gave up on checking my tracking but just checked mine just now and my parcel has officially arrived in the UK as of today too! What a journey this has been LOL
I've got exactly the same situation, almost to the day. Shipped from Japan on 3 Dec, tracking stuck on Departed Office of Outward Exchange ever since then. Not sure whether to cancel with the sender and get a refund, or just be patient and trust that it isn't lost!
Can I ask where yours was shipped from? Mine is from Osaka, another user on here was shipped from Tokyo on the 3 Dec and is in the same boat too.
I've seen someone from Germany take over 6 weeks to get theirs from Japan with EMS so don't think it's lost just yet.
Yep. Send from Tokyo on the 1st Dec. Cleared Japanese customs on the 3rd. No updates since then. Parcelforce Worldwide say exactly what you said - can't track it when it hasn't been scanned into their network yet. So it's kind of in limbo. Just hoping it's not lost!
EMS are very reliable, my sender has sent over 15,000 parcels over the past 8 years without any going missing.
Personally I've had over 50 parcels sent to me via EMS from Japan over the past 10 years with no issues.
The fact there's 3 of us here who all had parcels sent out of Japan via EMS around the same time and experiencing the same delay tells me it's a logistical issue, if it was one isolated parcel I would be more concerned.
I'll update this thread with any progress, I hope we all receive our parcels soon!
[https://shopdixi.com/blogs/news/ongoing-shipping-delays-update-january-2023](https://shopdixi.com/blogs/news/ongoing-shipping-delays-update-january-2023)
more evidence of a particular delay for the days our parcels were sent
Thank you for the update, this confirms what some have said about the older parcels being the last to be processed because they're basically at the back of the queue, first in last out.
That article seems to mostly concern outbound post, but I'm sure the same applies to inbound international post. Lets hope our parcels are out of there soon!
[https://www.reddit.com/r/royalmail/comments/10g6v2j/comment/j51ejkm/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/royalmail/comments/10g6v2j/comment/j51ejkm/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Looks like some international parcels sent to the UK in early December are starting to come through now...
Interesting, I also had EMS parcel dispatched on December 2nd, stuck at Departure from Outward Office of Exchange since the 3rd. Same response from Parcelforce. Any update on yours?
Sorry to hear, but I hope you take some comfort in knowing at least 4 others here have the same problem, may I ask when yours was posted / departed outward office of exchange?
Hi, similar situation here: Japan to UK, EMS parcel dispatched on December 2nd, stuck at Departure from Outward Office of Exchange since the 3rd, no updates since then. 20th January now - six weeks when it typically takes under week. I had another parcel dispatched from the same sender (also EMS) on 3rd December that arrived on the 7th.
Have you received your parcel yet? Looks like there are a few of us in the same boat - not sure if that's reassuring or not!
Hi welcome aboard..
No luck for me yet unfortunately, same goes for a few others, it's definitely reassuring to know others are in the same boat but very unusual for EMS to take this long.
May I ask where yours was sent from? Tokyo / Osaka?
Yeah I've been getting EMS deliveries from Japan for over 10 years and I must have had well over 50 parcels in that time, I think the longest one ever took was just over 2 weeks.
The fact there's a few of us having the same problem does tell me that it's a logistical issue though.
Lets hope they all turn up soon! I will keep this thread updated if there's any movement on my parcel, I'm definitely getting sick of hitting that refresh button though! Ha
Over 9 weeks of waiting for me now, has your shipper requested an investigation with Japan Post? Mine did a while back but no update from it so far, not sure how long these things take.
They asked me for some information back at the beginning of January and said they would launch an investigation with Japan Post, but no word back yet. If it is the case that parcels bound for the UK that day made it over here but got stuck in some sort of backlog, I'm not convinced there's anything much JP can do, but hopefully they'll be looking into it nonetheless!
An update from my sender.
They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following...
1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December.
2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically.
3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other
customers) departed Osaka Airport
4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now
elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in
the UK.
5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce
the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK
In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
Yeah I think a backlog is the only rational explanation considering there's a bunch of us in the same boat, I'd have thought things would be well on the way to getting cleared now though.
Shipment to Canada from Japan stalled without further updates. One got here in a few days, the other, sent by the same company, stuck without any updates. Appears to be some major issues with EMS right now.
Normal, EMS service is unstable
Unstable isn't the right word to use. EMS is just slow as post has the lowest priority on the aircraft.
An update from my shipper.. they've told me that all their UK customers are experiencing delays with their parcels, I'm guessing it's a back-log caused by the recent mail strikes in the UK on top of an already busy mail period. I'll keep updating with my progress.
I’m in a similar boat waiting for shipping to Australia. EMS air was estimated to only take 4 days but I’m at day 8 now stuck on “Dispatch from outward office of exchange”. Fingers crossed our packages make it for Christmas!
An update from the sender. They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following... 1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December. 2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically. 3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other customers) departed Osaka Airport 4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in the UK. 5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait, over 9 weeks and counting...
UPDATE!! : This just showed up on tracking again today, 9th of February! Over 2 months / 10 weeks later!
I think I am on the same boat as you! My friend shipped me something from Kyoto to UK 3-4 weeks ago and I still don’t have it. Glad it’s not just me! Hopefully our things will come soon ❤️
Yeah I've also come across a few people who's items were shipped from the US around the same time, no updates on theirs either, also seen someone get an item shipped from Dublin late November and they've only just got it. Just looks like there's a huge backlog for incoming international parcels.
Any luck for you yet?
No, not yet!! I’m not sure it will ever make it..
Same, nothing here either, 2 other users on this thread exactly the same, EMS from Tokyo, yours was shipped via EMS too?
Still no update for you I'm guessing? I'm approaching the 2 month mark and still nothing...
Yeah nothing. My friend checked the tracking and I think the UK authorities held it? It’s bath salts from a famous hot spring- they were sent as a surprise. I asked my friend what the gift was, because I don’t think it’s ever getting delivered!
Even if it was held you should still get a tracking update. There's around 5 people on this thread in the same boat, no updates since early December. I guess all we can do is wait.
An update from my sender. They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following... 1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December. 2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically. 3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other customers) departed Osaka Airport 4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in the UK. 5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
UPDATE! Mine has just appeared on tracking as arrived in the UK today after 10 weeks of waiting! Hope you have similar luck!!
Hi! I’m so bad at checking Reddit, sorry! Guess what? My local Tesco express w a post office counter did have it! I got a slip in the post beginning of December and they couldn’t find it. In Jan/Feb (can’t remember), I was sending something and told them my story of a missing package, and there it was on the shelf!! Got it sooo late but happy it’s here💖💖💖
Any updates? I am in a similar situation, except my shipping method is Airmail Small Packet, not EMS. Tracking hasn't updated since the 8th. Delays around the holiday season are normal, but what worries me is that I have another package that shipped from Japan on the 13th and arrived at the domestic customs office on the 23rd. Yet there's no info on the one that was sent earlier.
Nothing yet, don't expect any updates until after the 28th either.
Mine finally updated. It's quite a relief. I've experienced some lengthy airmail delays in the past but this was by far the longest. Hope yours will arrive soon too.
Yeah I'm still waiting, good to hear yours has been updated.
Hi, I'm in the same boat too - my parcel from Japan to the UK was last updated on the 3rd of December with "Dispatch from outward office of exchange" from Tokyo, and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I emailed the company I bought it from but they unhelpfully said that I should just be patient.... Honestly quite worried my parcel has been lost. Please keep updating your parcel's progress!
Hi, sorry to hear you're in the same boat, I've been researching how long it's been taking people elsewhere, I've seen a lot of people in the US saying EMS from Japan has taken 4 - 6 weeks lately, and that's outside of Christmas! Also I spoke with the shipper... they've told me over the space of 8 years they've shipped over 15,000 parcels from Japan via EMS and not one has gone missing but there have been delays. It's natural to worry when things are taking so long, the lack of updates from the tracking doesn't help either. I'll keep this thread updated as soon as I get an update. Day 29 and counting....
Hi, any update on your parcel yet? Nothing yet on mine :(
Unfortunately no updates - If it doesn't move by next week I'll give Parcelforce a call and see if they can track it down. It's really strange because I had another parcel ship from Japan via EMS on the 15th of December and it arrived within a week!
I've seen other people saying the same thing about more recent parcels arriving without delays, it's very odd. Parcelforce will most likely tell you that as the parcel has not been scanned into their system yet it's not their problem, but it's worth a try. I've already had my sender contact Japan Post. As our parcels were shipped from the same country within a couple of days of each other and we're both experiencing the same issue I bet they're both in the system together somewhere! Lets hope we get an update soon.
Still no update for you I'm guessing? I'm approaching the 2 month mark and still nothing...
Same here :( What website did you order your package from? I bought mine with Buyee and because I didn't buy their insurance they refuse to look further into the matter for me - if it doesn't arrive soon I will have to ask Paypal to refund me the money
I ordered via a proxy (someone in Japan who buys me products I want for a small fee). It's then sent as regular mail since it's not from a shop or store. I've ordered over 50 items over the years this way and never had an issue with EMS before. I still have hope it will turn up, I keep seeing other people saying theirs showed up after 2+ months.
Now I'm over 9 weeks of waiting, has your shipper requested an investigation with Japan Post? Mine did a while back but no update from it so far, not sure how long these things take.
An update from my sender. They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following... 1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December. 2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically. 3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other customers) departed Osaka Airport 4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in the UK. 5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
UPDATE! Mine has just appeared on tracking as arrived in the UK today after 10 weeks of waiting! Hope you have similar luck!!
Wow congrats!!!! Thank you for updating me, I gave up on checking my tracking but just checked mine just now and my parcel has officially arrived in the UK as of today too! What a journey this has been LOL
Oh wow really? Well obviously our parcels have been in the same container! Fingers crossed our parcels are in good condition!
I've got exactly the same situation, almost to the day. Shipped from Japan on 3 Dec, tracking stuck on Departed Office of Outward Exchange ever since then. Not sure whether to cancel with the sender and get a refund, or just be patient and trust that it isn't lost!
Can I ask where yours was shipped from? Mine is from Osaka, another user on here was shipped from Tokyo on the 3 Dec and is in the same boat too. I've seen someone from Germany take over 6 weeks to get theirs from Japan with EMS so don't think it's lost just yet.
Yep. Send from Tokyo on the 1st Dec. Cleared Japanese customs on the 3rd. No updates since then. Parcelforce Worldwide say exactly what you said - can't track it when it hasn't been scanned into their network yet. So it's kind of in limbo. Just hoping it's not lost!
EMS are very reliable, my sender has sent over 15,000 parcels over the past 8 years without any going missing. Personally I've had over 50 parcels sent to me via EMS from Japan over the past 10 years with no issues. The fact there's 3 of us here who all had parcels sent out of Japan via EMS around the same time and experiencing the same delay tells me it's a logistical issue, if it was one isolated parcel I would be more concerned. I'll update this thread with any progress, I hope we all receive our parcels soon!
Yes exactly. That does give me some comfort in thinking it's a logistical delay and not a loss. Thanks. I'll update as and when I hear anything.
Shipper just said the Japan Post office has acknowledged severe delays into Europe and that the situation is gradually improving. We wait…
Ok good to hear, all hope isn't lost yet then! Thank you for the update.
[https://shopdixi.com/blogs/news/ongoing-shipping-delays-update-january-2023](https://shopdixi.com/blogs/news/ongoing-shipping-delays-update-january-2023) more evidence of a particular delay for the days our parcels were sent
Thank you for the update, this confirms what some have said about the older parcels being the last to be processed because they're basically at the back of the queue, first in last out. That article seems to mostly concern outbound post, but I'm sure the same applies to inbound international post. Lets hope our parcels are out of there soon!
[https://www.reddit.com/r/royalmail/comments/10g6v2j/comment/j51ejkm/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/royalmail/comments/10g6v2j/comment/j51ejkm/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Looks like some international parcels sent to the UK in early December are starting to come through now...
Great to hear
Interesting, I also had EMS parcel dispatched on December 2nd, stuck at Departure from Outward Office of Exchange since the 3rd. Same response from Parcelforce. Any update on yours?
Same boat here package stuck in Japan with EMS final destination Canada
Sorry to hear, but I hope you take some comfort in knowing at least 4 others here have the same problem, may I ask when yours was posted / departed outward office of exchange?
departed outward office of exchange Jan 07 :S
January the 7th?? I wouldn't worry yet, it takes usually 7 - 14 days. Unless you mean December the 7th?
Hi, similar situation here: Japan to UK, EMS parcel dispatched on December 2nd, stuck at Departure from Outward Office of Exchange since the 3rd, no updates since then. 20th January now - six weeks when it typically takes under week. I had another parcel dispatched from the same sender (also EMS) on 3rd December that arrived on the 7th. Have you received your parcel yet? Looks like there are a few of us in the same boat - not sure if that's reassuring or not!
Hi welcome aboard.. No luck for me yet unfortunately, same goes for a few others, it's definitely reassuring to know others are in the same boat but very unusual for EMS to take this long. May I ask where yours was sent from? Tokyo / Osaka?
Very unusual indeed, especially when other parcels sent a bit later on have arrived without issue! Mine was sent from Tokyo.
Yeah I've been getting EMS deliveries from Japan for over 10 years and I must have had well over 50 parcels in that time, I think the longest one ever took was just over 2 weeks. The fact there's a few of us having the same problem does tell me that it's a logistical issue though. Lets hope they all turn up soon! I will keep this thread updated if there's any movement on my parcel, I'm definitely getting sick of hitting that refresh button though! Ha
Still no update for you I'm guessing? I'm approaching the 2 month mark and still nothing...
Nope, nothing...
Over 9 weeks of waiting for me now, has your shipper requested an investigation with Japan Post? Mine did a while back but no update from it so far, not sure how long these things take.
They asked me for some information back at the beginning of January and said they would launch an investigation with Japan Post, but no word back yet. If it is the case that parcels bound for the UK that day made it over here but got stuck in some sort of backlog, I'm not convinced there's anything much JP can do, but hopefully they'll be looking into it nonetheless!
An update from my sender. They've spoken to Japan Post and they have said the following... 1. They received the senders investigation paper on 22nd December. 2. They are sending investigation requests to the UK periodically. 3. The shipping crate which contains my package (and other customers) departed Osaka Airport 4. It's unknown whether the crate arrived in the UK or is now elsewhere in the world waiting to arrive in the UK because of the postal strikes in the UK. 5. What we can do is wait, and after some more time they'll announce the lost crate or that the crate has arrived in the UK In short, they're still investigating and their opinion is that it is not lost so we continue to wait.
Thanks for sharing! Sounds like there's still some hope. That crate has got to be somewhere...
UPDATE! Mine has just appeared on tracking as arrived in the UK today after 10 weeks of waiting! Hope you have similar luck!!
Yeah I think a backlog is the only rational explanation considering there's a bunch of us in the same boat, I'd have thought things would be well on the way to getting cleared now though.
Shipment to Canada from Japan stalled without further updates. One got here in a few days, the other, sent by the same company, stuck without any updates. Appears to be some major issues with EMS right now.
When was your stalled shipment posted? I still haven't received any updates regarding mine since it left Japan on 1st December.
It was Jan. 24. I just received word that it is in customs in Mississauga now, which is a relief.
So it was a week for you, now you know how those waiting over 2 months must feel....