Package!

Before leaving the states I packed some books,  pictures,  coffee mugs,  etc...  These items were basically stuff I kept at my desk and I shipped to my new desk in shanghai.

Originally there were two boxes.  I went to the loading dock,  filled out some customs papers and dropped them off. 

When I got to shanghai FedEx contacted me with some additional customs paperwork.  Since it was in all Chinese I asked the office manager to help.  Then I made my first mistake. When she asked what was in the package I told her "personal items from my desk",  she declared the package as personal instead of business. Customs chose to open the box and found an item they believed was business related a. D refused to release it.  This started a cycle between FedEx suggesting things to me,  I would ask someone to help... it would be incomplete and we would repeat the cycle.

We are in a small office in a suburb of shanghai that doesn't ship a lot materials. I eventually got a lawyer from GEs China corporate headquarters to help. It took him 2 weeks to file all the paperwork and get the box released.

When I look at the FedEx tracking log it shows 2 days from GR to shanghai, 3 months in customs, 7 days to deliver.... with 2 separate attempts.

Delivery took so long because I shipped about 15 textbooks and estimated the replacement value at around 700 dollars.... which led to a 150 dollar tariff... which I paid in cash to avoid further delays. The reimbursement has been approved but I have yet to be paid.... beurocracy at its finest!

BTW.... somewhere along the way someone took the two boxes I packed and combined them into a single box. They also managed to break my toy helicopter!