Esterval's Current Lead Time?

[sablebrush52]

Good day to you all. As you all know pipe tobacco in France in pretty non-existent. I have always been wary of ordering online from abroad (knowing my luck) but I took the plunge last week at Estervals. Hoping it arrives soon, been 8 days and I am in the country next to them!

So US members shouldn't be worried about a three week wait

Also, my apologies for my absence, high season here so have been workin 6 days and 80 hours a week

US members should be concerned about getting anything at all.
Since my post detailing my failed delivery from Esterval’s I received a PM from another member whose shipment was seized by the USPS.
He went down to his local post office where his package was being held. He was told that his package was being returned to Germany on instructions from Customs and that it would not be released to him. He was allowed to see the package and to take a photograph of it, but that was all. The package was sent back.
Order at your own risk.

 

[ben88]

He went down to his local post office where his package was being held. He was told that his package was being returned to Germany on instructions from Customs and that it would not be released to him. He was allowed to see the package and to take a photograph of it, but that was all. The package was sent back.Order at your own risk.

In Canada we have our own share of adventures with CBSA (Canada Customs), however the story of USPS seizing a package and returning it to the sender based of Customs request seems kinda strange. As far as I understand USPS can seize an outgoing package, incoming packages are seized by Customs themselves. Receiver never even sees the package. Just a letter from Customs. IMO - all latest "mishaps" with Estervals orders are caused by USPS employees.

 

[Rockyrepose]

I placed my order July 31st and it didn't ship for at least a week, maybe closer to two weeks. It took just over a week to clear customs once it made it to the US and under a week to my house where I wasn't home to sign for the package. I went down to the post and picked it up at the counter with no difficulty at all the next day. Four and a half weeks total.

 

[sablebrush52]

In Canada we have our own share of adventures with CBSA (Canada Customs), however the story of USPS seizing a package and returning it to the sender based of Customs request seems kinda strange. As far as I understand USPS can seize an outgoing package, incoming packages are seized by Customs themselves. Receiver never even sees the package. Just a letter from Customs. IMO - all latest "mishaps" with Estervals orders are caused by USPS employees.

It is strange. When I spoke with a representative from USPS I was told Customs had ordered the shipment returned and was given a number at Customs to call. The Customs agent told me that Customs was not involved, that they did not order packages to be returned. Rather, they would send out a letter to inform the recipient of any issues, and wait to hear back.

 

[sablebrush52]

I placed my order July 31st and it didn't ship for at least a week, maybe closer to two weeks. It took just over a week to clear customs once it made it to the US and under a week to my house where I wasn't home to sign for the package. I went down to the post and picked it up at the counter with no difficulty at all the next day. Four and a half weeks total.

It took almost a month for my package to leave Germany and another month to get within 35 miles of me. The only part of this that was fast appears to have been the return. It was on a plane back to Germany within a day.
The excuse given on the tracking was “insufficient address”. All of my other shipments had taken 3 weeks.
The point to keep in mind is that the process now is much more “iffy”.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

US members should be concerned about getting anything at all.
Since my post detailing my failed delivery from Esterval’s I received a PM from another member whose shipment was seized by the USPS.
He went down to his local post office where his package was being held. He was told that his package was being returned to Germany on instructions from Customs and that it would not be released to him. He was allowed to see the package and to take a photograph of it, but that was all. The package was sent back.
Order at your own risk.

I'm not questioning you Jesse but I find the other guys story difficult to comprehend. Why would customs clear the package to USPS with an order to return it? If customs had justification for seizing a package, they seize it. When they find Cuban cigars, they don't return to the sender. Something isn't right with this deal.

 

[peregrinus]

IMO - all latest "mishaps" with Estervals orders are caused by USPS employees.

In my own case, and in the antidotal evidence I’ve seen, this seems to be the case. Things go smoothly, if not slowly, maybe glacially, until the USPS takes possession. After which things go rapidly awry.
The randomness of what does and what does get delivered makes me suspect it is the initiative, or lack of same, at local levels. Specifically, individual employees are finding reason to skip the trouble of completing the USPS obligation to deliver these packages directly to the recipients door and are falsely claiming address issue to cut back on their workloads, this in the present environment of financial and manpower shortages at the local level. Further, with the political crazy season fast approaching and the resulting chaos that seems to be brewing around the role of the USPS, not to mention that the holidays are right behind this pending storm, well, things could get worse before they get better.

 

[ben88]

Things go smoothly, if not slowly, maybe glacially, until the USPS takes possession.

Well..... I always said that if there is anything that unites people all over the world - it would be the incompetence of our local Post Office.

 

[BROBS]

I'm not questioning you Jesse but I find the other guys story difficult to comprehend. Why would customs clear the package to USPS with an order to return it? If customs had justification for seizing a package, they seize it. When they find Cuban cigars, they don't return to the sender. Something isn't right with this deal.

Exactly. It’s something going on at the USPS level. It had cleared customs.

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm not questioning you Jesse but I find the other guys story difficult to comprehend. Why would customs clear the package to USPS with an order to return it? If customs had justification for seizing a package, they seize it. When they find Cuban cigars, they don't return to the sender. Something isn't right with this deal.

I don't disagree with you. I was told the same thing by the Customs agent I called. In my case, the package never got anywhere nearer than 30+ miles of me and was returned for an "insufficient address" with lightning speed.

In this instance, the package made it to the guy's local post office and while they allowed him to photograph it, they refused to let him have it, which I find more concerning.

The only other thing that comes mind is the timeline in the original FDA deeming regulations that had milestones specific to importing tobacco, which indicated more restrictions would eventually come into play. I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it, because according to the Customs agent I spoke with, Customs isn't involved.

The salient point is this. Ordering used to be a simple matter of patience and eventually your order would arrive. Now it isn't.

 

[sablebrush52]

Exactly. It’s something going on at the USPS level. It had cleared customs.

Not according to the Customs agent I spoke with. Not everything goes through Customs. They don't have the manpower to do that. What the Customs agent told me is that the USPS flags items of concern and turns them over to Customs. In that instance the tracking data will reflect that the package is with Customs. The Customs agent went over this with me while I looked at the USPS tracking data. Lack of a mention of Customs in the tracking data informed the agent that Customs was not involved in my case. Moreover, the Customs agent stated that Customs doesn't order goods shipped back. It stays with Customs, who sends out a letter. If the issue can't be resolved, the item is either destroyed, or later sold at auction if legal to do so.

So the USPS citing Customs appears to be bullshit. But that doesn't get your package to you.

Since my fracas, I did have one more communication with Esterval's. Their next email had a more polite tone to it, though they did try to say that I was at fault for the problem. I politely pointed out how that was baloney but I did agree to let them reship, requiring that they send me a photo of the package's addressing. Once I knew they were ready to reship I would contact my credit card company and end the dispute. Since then I haven't heard back from Esterval's.

One sugestion I would make to anyone willing to take the risk is to include the extra 4 digits following your zip code. that might help, assuming nothing else is at work here.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Sorry for your problems. I'm done with Estervals. As a side note, I sent two emails to franz at pfeifendepot to inquire if they are having similar issues to reservations and if they would accept orders with guaranteed delivery. No response to date.

 

[BROBS]

Was the amount of tobacco over 2kg?

 

[sablebrush52]

Was the amount of tobacco over 2kg?

In the case of the person whose package was seized by the UPSP and shipped back, I have no idea as he didn't specify. In my case it was about the same size as all of my other orders from Esterval's, which would be under that amount. Why?

 

[BROBS]

In the case of the person whose package was seized by the UPSP and shipped back, I have no idea as he didn't specify. In my case it was about the same size as all of my other orders from Esterval's, which would be under that amount. Why?

I just wonder if someone got excited about the duty? I believe 2kg is max you can bring back for personal use. Any more and they figure it’s too much for personal use. They must not know us ?

 

[sablebrush52]

I just wonder if someone got excited about the duty? I believe 2kg is max you can bring back for personal use. Any more and they figure it’s too much for personal use. They must not know us ?

That's partly why I haven't done any mega orders. That said, I know people who ordered quite substantial orders on a fairly rapid basis whose packages arrived without incident. But that was up to last year. I hadn't ordered since last fall, when I decided to put in one last order in early June.

 

[BROBS]

Very strange happenings for sure.

 

[pantsBoots]

I'm not questioning you Jesse but I find the other guys story difficult to comprehend. Why would customs clear the package to USPS with an order to return it? If customs had justification for seizing a package, they seize it. When they find Cuban cigars, they don't return to the sender. Something isn't right with this deal.

Agree. Customs (as far as I know) doesn't have an issue with inbound tobacco so long as it doesn't violate Dept of Treasury regulations (i.e. Cuban tobacco). Once Customs releases it to the USPS, it's in the charge of USPS, no more, no less. I'm not aware of them taking issue with shipping tobacco - alcohol, yes, but not tobacco.

Oh well. Reckon I'll choose to wait until the smoke clears to try some HU.

 

[Rockyrepose]

I just wonder if someone got excited about the duty? I believe 2kg is max you can bring back for personal use. Any more and they figure it’s too much for personal use. They must not know us ?

My recent order was 4.4kg. I have very limited experience in pipe tobacco import, 2 orders from Estervals and both went smoothly. I have placed numerous orders for Cuban cigars in the past while none lately and have been very lucky there too. I am not condoning any of this behavior

It is well known that your package may never arrive, you may in fact get a letter, go into it knowing the risk. I was sweating balls on my latest import because at the time I placed the order I hadn't heard there were issues. At my current rate of consumption I should probably stop buying tobacco in any form, I'm open to ideas on how to quit.

 

[BROBS]

At my current rate of consumption I should probably stop buying tobacco in any form, I'm open to ideas on how to quit.

Me too. If you find any good options let me know. ?