We get a lot of Americans asking us if they could pay extra for tracking. This is very puzzling to the European mind and I wonder if any American members can shed any light on this. Why do Americans want to pay extra for tracking? Is it because it takes so long to travel from Europe or do you suffer a lot of lost mail in the USA?
I think it’s because of the neurotic American obsession with “staying connected.” Doesn’t really make a lot of sense, as there’s not much one can do, if anything, to speed a package in transit. We’ve gotten spoiled by carriers like UPS and FedEx, who always supply tracking numbers. Even the US Postal Service offers package tracking, for an extra fee. Just one of the many reasons you Europeans see us as silly and ignorant. (And all too often, you’re right.) 
everytime it takes forever to get a package you tracking says it’s just stuck in this place. Plus it’s fun to see where the shit goes.
I have to admit I love watching packages as they travel to me. I’ve never paid “extra” for it, as far as I know.
It is nice when I order snus and I know when the package is coming via UPS. I wouldn’t ever ask for it and pay extra. Also, when something is sent through the Royal Mail, it isn’t tracked once it leaves England, right? Shipping stuff from overseas is expensive enough. My last order from Mr. Snuff cost me like $16 in shipping.
I can only speak for myself but in the past I was under the mistaken impression that tracking would somehow make my order more safe. We snuffers have become used to doing postal business via the mail but I think a lot of people are still intimidated by the thought of ordering an online package from overseas. Perhaps its really just an old stigma that persists.
I pay for tracking on ebay purchases because at least that way I know the package got sent. Classic scam is untracked packages that never arrive. Even had one guy try to pull it when he did add tracking but never dropped the item off at the post office. I can explain this (please no flames on this). A general formula in the USA is that stealing from someone and getting away with it is perceived that the stealer is smarter than the victim. I see it a lot here, even in business. The naive get burned all the time. It’s a very predatory environment. With a reputable online seller, there’s less inclination to assume a predator.
LOL, I self moderated and deleted two of my own comments… I’ll just leave it be…
is that like self medication?
@pipensnusnsnuff American obsession??? I don’t think so. lol That looks so bad on us… @Toque It’s because when your order can take anywhere from 5 days to a Month, you want to know if your package is on its way and where it is, or something happened to it. I can totally understand… There’s a huge difference (to me) between a week and a month. With tracking, you can keep an eye on the package to see where it is and/or if it is in the right place, how long it should be, etc. I live in an area that I don’t always trust. I have to keep an eye on my mail because I’ve had some come up missing. If I have tracking, I know when to make sure I check the mail right when it arrives. It will say when it’s gonna reach you and everything! Otherwise, some shmuck could steal my package and I’d never know it even came. Make sense? That’s not always the case, and YMMV, but there’s several reasons I could think of to ask for tracking. (Not just because it’s overseas, but because you have money invested and want to keep an eye on it!) It’s not because they don’t trust you, Roderick.
Being in the UK and having untracked snuss orders come to me over many weeks, I think I understand the tracking thing. It’s nice to know at what stage of the journey the package drops into a black hole never to be seen again. The info is intereresting even if there’s nothing to be done with it.
@petersuki my point exactly
It adds to the…excitment? of the purchase. Every day you don’t recieve your package, you can track it and imagine what you ordered and approxcimate when it will arrive. Plus it helps to learn the location of obsecure American citys.
Tracking always helps me because I know on what day it will arrive and try to plan my day so I don’t miss the post coming by. Or, if I leave the house I can tell someone else in my household I am expecting a package. What does suck about that, is you wake up early in the morning excited because your package is coming, and ever school bus, car, and truck sounds like the big brown truck so sit waiting at the window until it arrives in the evening… *sigh*
plus it’s fun to google map the post offices it’s at.
I’ve never done that, may need to make an order soon and do that! I need to, anyway. As it seems impossible to find snuff in the states right now and what’s in my snuffbox is all I have left. Tragedy! D:
When every I sell something I mail it through USPS Priority mail with signature confrimation. That way the guy can’t say I never sent it to him. If I buy something that is differant. I know Mr snuff and toque are trustworthy and will contenue to due business with them. If I am buying stuff online I usally use paypal because if I don’t get my items I can file through them. If the seller can’t take paypal I use a USPS money order. If you don’t get your item you can file with the post office and they will get Mail Fraud charges filed against them. Never, ever send money threw paypal as a gift. You give up your right to file a claim through them when you do that. edm
As someone said earlier, most of the snuff sites are in the UK. Royal Mail stops tracking, when it leaves the UK, what’s the point in paying for it when all you can see is the last place it was at was eg. East Midlands Airport, or Heathrow, (the 2 biggest freight airports in the UK), all you can see is where the airport is on the map lol. BTW Heathrow is London and East Midlands is at Castle Donnington, between Derby and Leicester, just so you can spot it lol. I understand the concerns but it’s just chucking money down the drain. Stefan
Well, I’m Dutch - And I also like to track my shipment. It’s a good feeling that 1) You know it’s shipped, and 2 you know when it will arrive. That’s why I order now only from MR snuff, also my toque in the future. And the 10 euro extra, well… That 2 packs of smokes which would last me 2 days in the past… For snuff which will last me months… It’s just feels secure and and indeed maybe adds to the exitement
If you get tracking from Royal Mail, then you can see when it was shipped and when it arrives overseas. At that point you have to switch to local tracking; for example usps.com. Some (like usps) are kind of hit and miss and 30% of the time will only show when it is delivered. But when it works it is great. As was pointed out, you can track it as it passes through sorting facilities. Of course you can also see it sitting in customs, should that happen. At least you know that it was mailed for sure, and that it is in-country.