USPS International Mail Service Suspensions

Service has been suspended for approximately 75 countries:

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/ser.../welcome.htm

Thank you. Very good information for anyone selling on ebay. Nice to see Europe is unaffected, since most of my overseas sales go there, particularly to Germany and the UK.

Now up to 111 Countries:

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/ser.../welcome.htm

Yes, but mail from Europe is much slower than normal due to COVID-19. The mail's affected...it's just not suspended---that's a big difference!

I guess the effect on mail service to and from Europe is severe. The sky above my house is usually covered with contrails of big Jets about 50% from North America to Europe the sky is now clear and I can actually just hear the odd plane as it crosses the sky above me. Are postal administrations able to insist mail carrying contracts continue?

I think they're chartering flights when that is an option, they've also been diverting some shipments to surface (ship) transportation. Other international shipments are still taking place (UPS, FedEx, container ships, etc) and postal administrations can piggyback on those as available.

I believe there are at least two problems causing the delays.

First, there is the bottleneck of far fewer flights that would be coming into the US from Europe and Asia. I would second Noocassel's observation. Here in the SE suburbs of Philadelphia, the traffic from PHL is way down; we have very few overflights and contrails now, whereas there had been at least 3 or 4 conrails above at all times of the day back BC (before Covid).

But it is not just availability of incoming flights.
The second problem is routing once material is in the US. The USPS International Service Centers also appear to be hideously backed-up for shipments coming from both Europe and Asia.

An item sent registered to me from Portugal on or about March 24 when the tracking number was assigned was processed through the ISC NEW YORK April 12, then must have sat somewhere for on May 6 it is recorded as arrived at USPS Regional Facility NY, NY Distribution Center. it is now in transit to the next facility. Maybe I will get it next week between 50 and 60 days after.
An item from Korea (a proof of a French stamp oddly enough) got a tracking number on Feb 26, and is reported to have reached the New York ISC March 6 and then crickets.

It is not just New York.
Another item from Portugal from another vendor got its tracking number on March 31, seems to have arrived on April 20, 2020 at the Chicago ISC where it still languishes.


- Jonathan