When to ask for a refund on lost shipment

[ShuShu]

Its been almost 6 weeks since I ordered some tea and teaware from a China based vendor.
It is tracked and stuck on processing or preparing shipment since it was shipped. It is my understanding that after 6 weeks chances are pretty low that it will come.
I do care about the interests of vendors, especially small ones, but when do you think that it is legit to ask for a refund?

[Chadrinkincat]

Its been almost 6 weeks since I ordered some tea and teaware from a China based vendor.
It is tracked and stuck on processing or preparing shipment since it was shipped. It is my understanding that after 6 weeks chances are pretty low that it will come.
I do care about the interests of vendors, especially small ones, but when do you think that it is legit to ask for a refund?

If it's been 3 times as long as max shipping time estimates than it's pretty reasonable to ask for refund.

[CWarren]

I have an order from white2tea stuck in Guangzhou processing for five weeks which is highly unusual for a white2tea order but it’s also that time of year when delays are common and several others I know have waited as long for theirs, (many waited 4-5 weeks for Black Friday orders), before arriving and many others like me still waiting on more recent orders. Long story short you probably have a good chance of still seeing your order arrive.

[Kale]

I have an order from white2tea stuck in Guangzhou processing for five weeks which is highly unusual for a white2tea order but it’s also that time of year when delays are common and several others I know have waited as long for theirs, (many waited 4-5 weeks for Black Friday orders), before arriving and many others like me still waiting on more recent orders. Long story short you probably have a good chance of still seeing your order arrive.

But it’s also that time of year when orders are lost... till when are going to wait before contacting him about this?
I’m in the same status with W2T, by the way

[CWarren]

I have an order from white2tea stuck in Guangzhou processing for five weeks which is highly unusual for a white2tea order but it’s also that time of year when delays are common and several others I know have waited as long for theirs, (many waited 4-5 weeks for Black Friday orders), before arriving and many others like me still waiting on more recent orders. Long story short you probably have a good chance of still seeing your order arrive.

But it’s also that time of year when orders are lost... till when are going to wait before contacting him about this?
I’m in the same status with W2T, by the way

I already contacted Paul a week ago and he confirmed the time of year delays as well as confirming no issues with reshipping or refunding if it didn’t show up soon. He’s always good about things like that.

[Psyck]

Shipments from China take anywhere from two weeks to two months to be delivered to me. At rare times, they do get delivered after two months too, but the chances of receiving it after 3 months are negligible.

I keep two months post shipping date as a deadline before contacting the vendor and then mutually agree with the vendor on how much longer to wait before processing a refund / replacement.

[Atlas]

It is my understanding that after 6 weeks chances are pretty low that it will come.

Not true, in my experience ordering from AliExpress.

My suggestion would be to confirm that the order has actually been sent - I'm not sure what specific statuses this applies to but there are statuses that mean a shipping label has been created, but the package has not necessarily been handed over to the carrier.

Imho, when you're dealing with shipments from China, unless you've paid extra for express shipping you have to have a "It'll arrive when it arrives" mentality. and chill out for at least two months.

[Teachronicles]

I'm also waiting 6+ weeks now for a black Friday order from yunnan sourcing, it was a big order, and I didn't know but I chose the shipping that comes over on those big freighter ships. I talked to Scott and he said for this shipping it takes 7-12 weeks, but usually arrives in 7-8. Do you remember what shipping method you chose? Could be in a confirmation email. It's possible your in the same situation as me. I agree with atlas about the it arrives when it arrives mentality. Past 3 months and I'd start to get worried.

[ShuShu]

Not sure about the shipping method but it says 2-3 weeks.....
It is certainly the last time im ordering anything on the holidays season... even if this thing shows up I ended up losing money as I ordered tea from other sources to cover for it...

[CWarren]

Patience is definitely the key when ordering anything from China. Though it’s usually relatively quick there can always be delays. On a personal note I just got notification from the USPS that my white2tea order sent out on December 12th will be here February 1st. So even with 6-7 weeks of china post delays there is hope. Consensus from most in the tea community is don’t start truly worrying until sixty days have passed even with quick EMS Shipping.

[Tillerman]

The new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is coming into effect for tea in Spring 2019. Tea lovers who have tea shipped to them from China (and elsewhere) should know that this will mean enhanced enforcement of the "Prior Notice" requirements that apply to all imported foodstuffs. Imports for personal consumption are exempt from the FSMA requirements but not from those of the Bioterrorism Act and it is the latter that requires that each shipment be accompanied by a "Prior Notice." This requirement has been loosely enforced in the past but, according to customs, will be rigorously enforced once the regulations of FSMA take effect. Compliance isn't hard but it is a PITA,

[Baisao]

The new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is coming into effect for tea in Spring 2019. Tea lovers who have tea shipped to them from China (and elsewhere) should know that this will mean enhanced enforcement of the "Prior Notice" requirements that apply to all imported foodstuffs. Imports for personal consumption are exempt from the FSMA requirements but not from those of the Bioterrorism Act and it is the latter that requires that each shipment be accompanied by a "Prior Notice." This requirement has been loosely enforced in the past but, according to customs, will be rigorously enforced once the regulations of FSMA take effect. Compliance isn't hard but it is a PITA,

I am unfamiliar with the “prior notice” requirement. I gather from context that shipments could be stuck, returned to sender, or be delayed if the sender did not comply.

Why would they apply the Bioterrorism Act to small shipments of tea?

The whole thing sounds painfully bureaucratic.

[Tillerman]

I am unfamiliar with the “prior notice” requirement. I gather from context that shipments could be stuck, returned to sender, or be delayed if the sender did not comply.

Why would they apply the Bioterrorism Act to small shipments of tea?

The whole thing sounds painfully bureaucratic.

All foodstuff are subject to the requirements of the Bioterrorism Act - and tea is a foodstuff - hence tea is subject to the Act.

The Prior Notice requirement is that the FDA must be notified in advance of the shipment of any tea to the US. The shipment must be from a Registered Food Facility. Every foreign supplier must be registered with the FDA. All of this is relatively easily done on the FDA website. The complicating factor is that there must be just ONE registration for any given food facility. The best way to proceed is to get your supplier to register. Once done you can link the registration to your account and create the Prior Notices yourself. The PN number (one for each tea in the shipment) must appear on the package so be sure to let the shipper know the number(s).

Shipments that do not have PN numbers are supposed to be sent back to the shipper.

[Baisao]

Thank you, sir! That was very helpful. I can see that this is going to cause a lot of headaches for people receiving tea, sometimes small samples from vendors. I've received tea samples unexpectedly with shipments of durable goods.

[Teachronicles]

Thank you, sir! That was very helpful. I can see that this is going to cause a lot of headaches for people receiving tea, sometimes small samples from vendors. I've received tea samples unexpectedly with shipments of durable goods.

Ya that's going to be a real hassle. At least we have a year till it goes in effect. Second thanks to you tillerman for the info.