The Astrolearn second-hand bookshop has generally gone without a serious hitch since launch this past May.
However, as we approach Christmas, it has come to my attention that there seem to be some serious bottlenecks around Heathrow Airport with both inbound and outbound parcels and letters.
For example, a customer in Argentina is currently waiting for a book that I posted by Royal Mail on November 28th. It was last scanned as leaving the UK at HWDC on Saturday 30th November, which is already 12 days ago.
This goes to show that unpredictable delays can happen in international mail. I always send items abroad with tracking, and in the unlikely event that anything does vanish in the post, I will of course refund those customers in full, but I would need to launch a claim with the carrier first so that they can investigate where the item is and whether it is truly lost or not.
It’s probable that there is a big backlog of international mail at bottlenecks such as airports and customs control centres in the run-up to Christmas. This has happened before historically on my watch, and it would not surprise me if some such items reappear in the system in late December or early-to-mid-January, leaving no clues as to their whereabouts in the interim.
I would counsel at this stage that it is too late for newly sent international parcels to arrive by Christmas, and it might also be advisable to hold off on new international orders until after Christmas so that they are not even sent until the pre-Christmas rush is resolved.
Wishing everyone a happy festive season ahead,
Philip
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