Nihonto stuck in USPS foreign center Jersey City

[Nihonto Otaku]

Did anyone have the same problem as what I am encountering now? I commissioned a Shinsaku-to from Japan and it was completed around June of this year. The swordsmith shipped the sword to me via Japan post surface mail in the beginning of July. The sword arrived the USPS facility called foreign center Jersey City on September 9, 2020. But the online tracking status has never changed since then. For two weeks, the online status has stayed as “Your item has been processed through our facility in FOREIGN CENTER JERSEY CITY NJ 099 at 9:50 am on September 9, 2020.” I still have not received my sword. I actually called the US customs office attached to this foreign center with the phone number I found on Google yesterday. But the customs agent who picked up my call said my package is not currently being held by US customs and said USPS is just very slow now… Did anyone have this kind of issue before? If so, how long did you wait to receive your package from Japan?

[Rich S]

Call the Post Master at your local USPS.  Give him/her the tracking Info and ask for help. Explain how long your package has been "stuck". Hopefully the post master can track it and get it moving. I've always had good luck with long delayed packages and "stuck" tracking by doing that. Hope you get your sword soon.  Rich

[Nihonto Otaku]

Thank you for your advice, Rich! I have talked to an officer of my local post office (not the postmaster). She told me to give it another week. If the status is not updated by this Thursday,  I will go back to my local post office and ask to talk to the postmaster directly. 

[Shogun8]

During these times, the postal service has been incredibly slow. I had a kabuto stuck at the post office in Japan for over a month and then when it finally did leave, it got stuck again in the Canadian p.o. for over another month. USPS is just as bad, so I'd give it a little more time.

[Nihonto Otaku]

3 hours ago, Shogun8 said:

During these times, the postal service has been incredibly slow. I had a kabuto stuck at the post office in Japan for over a month and then when it finally did leave, it got stuck again in the Canadian p.o. for over another month. USPS is just as bad, so I'd give it a little more time.

Hello! John,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Have you received your Kabuto in good condition?

 

Like what you suggested, at this point, I will give USPS more time. USPS is now as hopeless as Hidetada during the battle of Sekigahara.

[Nihonto Otaku]

USPS tracking online just got an update. The parcel of my sword has arrived the distribution center of my city. Hopefully that means I can soon receive my baby. 

[Nihonto Otaku]

Sword has arrived safely in good condition on last Saturday. And the US customs didn't charge me any duties tax at all. 😀