Estervals: Is The Party Over?

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Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Just checked my records. Last transaction I did outside the US was a purchase from Al Pascia 1/2020. Totally smooth, no duties.

I started hearing stories about global shipping being an issue no later than April 2020.

I don’t think I still need to wear a mask, but that doesn’t mean global shipping is anywhere close to back to normal.

Pipes and tobacco aren’t exempt from these issues.

As small value items in the grand scheme of things, you aren’t going to get anyone In a customer service department of a carrier to pay a whole heck of a lot of attention.

I started buying pipes from Italy and pipes and tobacco from the U.K. around 1983. I expected issues, but I got paid good money to solve other, more complicated, problems for other people, so I figured in my spare time I could solve the inevitable glitches that arose back then from my own hobby.

I have had multiple shipments of pipes held up— as many as a dozen estate pieces one time- because some idiot thought they were drug paraphernalia. I finally got a customs supervisor to agree that nobody in their right mind would be paying about $1000 for 12 drug pipes. Then I had to convince him that I was in my right mind to be paying that much for tobacco pipes. ?

This stuff used to be hard. Wire transfers, phone calls with people who barely spoke English, phone calls with UK shops where no one could understand my English, trying to get the VAT rebated back to me, you name it. Really hard.

Back to the future, deja vu all over, whatever.

Now that I am retired, I have no time for hassles. Back when I worked, dealing with stuff like this was sport f**king.
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,569
15,218
SE PA USA
My last order with Estervals (there's a thread on it HERE) was earlier in the year. it was a flawless purchase on their end, and included several 5-packs of Cubans. Shipping was slower than Joe, but it all came through OK. Truth is, I have enough seegars and pipe baccy to last my lifetime, no matter how long I live. I'll just turn my OC purchasing urges to other interests, like primers and powder.

Anyone seen 5K boxes of SPP and LRP at pre-pandemic pricing? ;-)
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,083
49
Las Vegas
I have had multiple shipments of pipes held up— as many as a dozen estate pieces one time- because some idiot thought they were drug paraphernalia. I finally got a customs supervisor to agree that nobody in their right mind would be paying about $1000 for 12 drug pipes. Then I had to convince him that I was in my right mind to be paying that much for tobacco pipes. ?
^^^^This right here is the problem. At some point someone either doesn't know or doesn't care (or worse, fully knows but doesn't like that people smoke, yada yada yada) and pulls some stunt such as marking the package "INSUFFICIENT ADDRESS" or some other nonsense even though it is a blatant lie and rejects the package.

Estervals isn't the problem although I believe they zero understanding of the problem.

I've posted twice here with pictures of a decent size box/shipment that had been opened, inspected, and re-sealed (with tape labeled "Inspected by US Customs"). I have also had correspondence with US Customs in which they clearly state taxes may be due for an item (BATFE would be the tax collector in these scenarios) and the item may (or may not) be allowed to ship via USPS and the shipment was also subject to state and local regulations. In no uncertain terms did they (Customs) have anything to do with these additional requirements. They only inspected to make sure the shipment was legally allowed in the US.

Unrelated fun fact, alcohol (that we drink) isn't allowed to ship via USPS whatsoever due to leftover prohibition era laws.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,347
No one can tell me would never be an acceptable answer to me and I'd be working my way up the management chain making life miserable for those pricks until someone determined it would be less painful to dig in and help me vs give me the blow off.
I mentioned posting on social media about FedEx botching an international order and an hour later it was released from clearance delay. Hmmmmm.
 

paulfg

Lifer
Feb 21, 2016
1,565
2,929
Corfu Greece
I have had a parcel showing at Athens Airport Greece since 6 may.it was from Bulgaria ,so in the EU and not a prohibited item.
DHL use another courier company to deliver in Corfu as they have no offices here,so when I asked for the tracking number of the parcels new courier DHL couldnt find it and said they would investigate.
up to now I have telephoned and e-mailed DHL 4 times and all I get is we have passed it to be investigated.
The parcel contained an old watch that was sent for repair and therefore is not easily replaced.
So its not just tobacco items that get lost/returned etc.
 

3rdguy

Lifer
Aug 29, 2017
3,472
7,293
Iowa
My last order with Estervals (there's a thread on it HERE) was earlier in the year. it was a flawless purchase on their end, and included several 5-packs of Cubans. Shipping was slower than Joe, but it all came through OK. Truth is, I have enough seegars and pipe baccy to last my lifetime, no matter how long I live. I'll just turn my OC purchasing urges to other interests, like primers and powder.

Anyone seen 5K boxes of SPP and LRP at pre-pandemic pricing? ;-)
Now you just need those Danish Shop blends..
 

marconi

Part of the Furniture Now
May 17, 2019
694
5,321
England
Back in January I had a Esterval order in transit from Germany to the uk. Whilst tracking it I saw that it was being returned to Estervals. I then got the infamous Esterval email saying 'we no longer deliver to your country', gives you a great feeling that does.

The reason for this was DHL who used to deliver door to door just stopped delivering to the Uk. This lasted a month then Esterval started up deliveries to the uk again.
They used DHL to do the post Brexit eight page custom declaration then it was handed over to Parcel Force in the uk to deliver.
Its running quite smoothly now takes longer because of all the customs paper work but it does arrive.
 

germinal

Lurker
Mar 18, 2021
41
251
Sweden
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