How exciting- you must be on pins and needles, David! I know I would be! I hope everything arrives in good condition for everyone :)

Thank you for the update.

Lisa

Ahhhh. My stomach is in knots! Thanks for letting us know, David! It seems like the planets are aligned against hoyas + mail! :O

But, you're right, raging against the machine does nothing to make things go better, so I guess I'll just... go distract myself. Or drink a glass of wine. Or both!

Thanks for the update. I ordered one of the Elliptica clones, I hope it makes it. On a side note, I ordered a hoya mitrata from Greenthumb3000, he shipped it out on the 25th of this month and it is missing. All the USPS shipping info says is that they are expecting a shipment. I hope the plant will survive if it ever gets to me. I wanted to order from Aleyagarden but now I am unsure if I am willing to take the chance again. :( I am just not rich enough to be throwing $60 away, at least when I spend a lot on an ebay auction for a US seller, the plant always arrives alive and healthy.

theplanthoarder,Have you checked using the thai tracking site to see when the plant was actually put on the plane.If you have the tracking number you can use this site to see.One time I had my hoya sit at the Bangkok post office for 3 days before it was sent.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thai tracking

Cpawl,
I have tracked it in the Thai site and the USPS site, here is what I get at the USPS site:

"origin post is preparing for shipment"

and here is what I get on the Thai site, I think it is lost in space or the ocean:

July 26, 2011
01:12:32 SUVARNABHUMI MAIL CENTRE Outgoing International

Michelle

Michelle,Did yop pay for EMS or was it sent by reg mail.I hope you get it soon.I know it can be so upsetting waiting for your package.

Cindy

Cindy,
I paid $35 for EMS. The last time I got a plant from Thai I got it in 4 days. This is very discouraging.

Michelle

Any word on our order? Not pushing, just curious (that and I have a bunch of ants in my pants!)Thanks David!

ELB,,

I just ran the tracking number and it is still showing only that the package is inbound into customs in New York. I did try calling the phone number that I have for (ISC) and all I could get was a recording about an hour long and I never got the option to actually speak to a live person. One thing that the recording did state though was that if I was directed to the ISC by a post office advising me to contact them (ISC) in regards to tracking a package, that I was wrongly advised. I was informed that hundreds of thousands of items roll through their facility on a daily basis and they have no way of tracking down a particular item. I am trying though. I also do know that Jack is tracking the shipment from Thailand as well and if it never arrives he as the shipper will be the one who has to file claim on it with ISC and then who knows what'll happen from there or even how long that'll take.

David

Okay, I just called the last of 3 numbers that I have for the (ISC)actually 1 was for a post office so it really was of no use to me. This time I got a recording as well but it was brief and to the point as far as informing me on what to do. Basically all I had to do was leave a message with the tracking number and they would get back to me. As (BAD) luck would have it I called at 2:04 pm Eastern time and the @#$%^&* place closes at 2:00pm,could I be any luckier than to call 4 minutes late!!!! SO!!! I was told that any messages left after 2pm would be answered the next day.

I don't know if the second number I called is also part of the ISC or something different but hopefully someone there will be able to let me know something tomorrow.

Thanks so much for checking in on the status!
I really appreciate the update!

Waiting anxiously to hear what ISC had to say when they called you back!,,,Debbie

Okay here's today's update. The guy never called me back!!! SO I called him with about 15 minutes to spare!!! He had no more information on the shipment than what I was getting from the USPS website. He did however give me a direct phone number to the plant protection and quarantine department for the U.S.D.A I called them and actually got a live person on the second ring. I explained to the lady why I was calling and she put me on hold while she supposedly looked up my tracking number. After about 2 minutes she comes back on the line and tells me that customs just received the box yesterday even though the postal website tells me that it has been inbound into customs since 8/1.. She then tells me that the package was inspected and released for shipment and was taken to a post office at some point yesterday. So I called my local post office to let them know what was going on and to see if there had been an status update. The answer was no. I had hopes after being told by someone at customs that the box had been released,of coming home and at lest finding a notice of attempted delivery but that didn't happen either.
Now my experience (and i've had a lot) with express shipment packages has always been that once it is released for delivery IT GETS DELIVERED THE NEXT DAY. So one of two things is going on here,someone at customs is lying or the box was taken to the PO too late yesterday to be shipped on time.

That's about all I have to tell right now and hopefully the customs people were telling the truth and the box will arrive tomorrow

Well, that sounds like forward movement! Thanks again for letting us know the present status! Should be quick from here...
Cheers!

Let's keep our fingers crossed! I hope you get it asap and everything inside is fine- I only have 2 babies in there, but I know some of you guys have a LOT more, and what a loss that would be if they are too badly damaged from spending so much time in a box!

To be honest, i'm not totally convinced that the lady whom I spoke with at customs today,was being truthful with me. The entire story she told me ,in my opinion sounds fabricated. To begin with if the package was released by customs yesterday and taken to a post office,it would have at some point yesterday or for certain today, been scanned by that post office. There's no record of it ever being scanned by a U.S. post office ANYWHERE. Also the guy whom I spoke with who handles express mail directly at JFK airport said at some point it has to go through his hands and he had no record of it. He wasn't able to tell me anymore about the shipment than what I already knew from tracking through the postal website. If in fact the customs people are telling the truth then the box will arrive tomorrow but for some reason i'm just not 100% believing everything that I was told today about this shipment.

Today's (8/11/11) update.

Just as I originally thought,the hoyas were not released from customs day before yesterday as I was told BY a customs employee. The guy at JFK who handles express mail shipments called me at 6:15 this morning to let me know that the shipment had actually cleared customs at 11:44 pm last night. That means that they were not taken to a post office until this morning which means I will have them tomorrow. I have everything ready to repack them and get them shipped out as quickly as possible and will make every effort to get that done tomorrow before the post office closes even if it means me having to leave work early to get it done. At this point though it's too late in the week for any of the boxes to get delivered by the weekend so i'm afraid that they most likely aren't going to be delivered to anyone before Monday.

I have no idea what these plants are going to look like either. I have had hoyas in transit for 2 weeks plus before and they arrived looking very healthy and still green. But there's also been times when I have gotten shipments that didn't travel near as long that arrived totally dead. I will take pictures of all of the plants before I re box them so I have a record of what they look like should I need proof of anything for Jack.

I sincerely apologize to everyone taking part in this order for it taking as long as it has to come full circle but when you're at the mercy of U.S. customs there really is nothing that can be done except sit and wait and hope that you package will clear and be shipped quickly but as we've all seen now with this order,that does not always happen.

Thanks so much for the update, David, and for all the work you've put into shepherding this order through, despite its determination to be a wooly-headed pita. This sure has been one long host-a-headache for you, and I really appreciate all your time and effort and personal sacrifices. You've certainly done your best and even if there have been problems, there isn't anything you have to apologize for. Now, maybe that lady at customs... >_> (jk)

Yes, it's true, these things are always risky. And anyone who isn't willing to stomach that has to limit the range of their wishlist. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the best, though. ^_^

fighting!!

Thank you, David.

Lisa

Thanks a million, David...we all appreciate everything that you've done....just disappointed that you are so frustrated...but, that's the government!! BTW, when are you planning the next "group" order?!?!?! LOL Fondly, Patrick

Thanks so much, David! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone, too! Here's hoping they arrive in good condition :)

Deborah

Thanks for the update, I am hoping for the best. I just received my Hoya mitrata yesterday from greenthumb3000 and aside from one of the vines getting bent and dried up, it survived being in the mail since July 25th. I was expecting a dead plant when I opened the box. I am hoping our plants from epiphytica have held up as well.

Michelle

David my fingers, eyes and legs are crossed all arrive in good condition!! You had to have gotten a few gray hairs with this order!!
We all appreciate you taking on this big feat as well as keeping us posted like you have!
I can't wait to hear your report tonight of their condition as you boxed the orders!
Thank you so much!,,,Debbie

I know the workers at my post office will sure be glad when it arrives!!!! I've been on their A@@ like a diaper for the past week trying to get info on this order or checking to see if it has arrived.

As of the time I am typing this 5:10 am Eastern time,there is no update on the status of the order. Tracking still only shows that it's inbound out of customs. If it doesn't show up today, I GIVE UP!!!! I will start calling the PO just as soon as they open the phone lines though!!!