The COVID crisis makes it almost impossible to predict delivery times – even for close destinations here in Europe. But especially in the US, the crisis is at its peak and there is a backlog from the election and holiday season.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas the volumes of mail processed by USPS & Canada Post are at their highest in the year.
We know you are keen on getting your seeds a.s.a.p. It’s a sentiment we share with you! You may have noticed our response time in shipping your order was quick. But now it’s out of our hands. We have to wait for feedback on where and when the mail reaches safely before we can provide estimates. Your patience and understanding is much appreciated!
Don't forget to share the good news. Send us a smoke signal when your seeds arrive!
Below is a summary of the latest news courtesy of major shipping carriers and our contacts in the USA.
USA
Due to COVID-19 there is still limited air travel between the US and European Union. This impacts the ability of the mail services to ship volumes to the United States. Routes to the USA remain open but delays should be expected. In addition, we are also receiving information that processing and delivery within the US remains affected by COVID-19. Even priority mail sent from the UK, usually the fastest route between Europe and US, can take up to 28 days.
The impact of peak volumes and limited availability/capacity of United States Postal Service entry points (at US airports) appears to be causing significant delays. Some shipping carriers are reporting that these delays could potentially run into a number of weeks.
Since the election USPS has been recovering their services, but is now coping with substantial volume increases due to peak holiday season. This is causing delays – mainly on the West Coast and in the South transit times are deteriorating. Currently there are also issues with flight capacity toward the East Coast and Chicago area although this should be resolved in the coming weeks. Chicago is one of the points of entry for international mail.
CANADA
Restricted access to flights and capacity issues at the only available Canada Post entry point (airport) are causing significant disruption. These factors combined with peak volumes and COVID-19 prevention measures have resulted in backlogs locally at Canada Post and to some extent Canadian customs.
According to a service alert on their website Canada Post (and USPS) are experiencing an “unprecedented volume across (their) networks”.
We are crossing our fingers that everything continues to go smoothly for our Canadian customers, as it always has in the past, despite the longer delivery times.
