A package from China to U.S.,can it take a month?

How long should my package take to ship?

• I ordered a new laptop on the 7th of this month and so far it just started shipping yesterday from what I can tell. The fed ex tracking shipment thing told me that the place it is in now is SHENZHEN CN, which I'm guessing is China, since the name is Chinese and the initials fit it. I was wondering how in the world can they tell me that it's going to only take till the 21st when they just shipped it yesterday!!! Doesn't my package have to go through a ton of things like customs and stuff? I was just wondering how because I thought it'd take like 2 weeks for it to come from there. Now I know why it cost so much for tax, $30!, but it was free shipping.

• Answer:

  Yes, foreign shipments must first clear U.S. Customs. Delays of two or more days are not unusual, depending on the volume of packages and where they're coming from. U.S. Customs is particularly vigilant about shipments from China due to the large volumes of counterfeit goods that people buy. So...I wouldn't be expecting my laptop tomorrow if I were you. Odd that you should be charged tax on an international order. I think you are learning a valuable lesson about buying stuff from China, as have many other Americans who are discovering that Chinese merchants are not bound by the same truth-in-advertising regulations that American vendors have to follow. Good luck!