# My Amazon purchase has shipped! But it may take 40 days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481 "2013-03-20T19:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/1 "2013-03-20T19:28:24Z")
I ordered an iPhone 5 case from Amazon. A separate business is the actual seller and shipper. I got an email saying that my item has shipped! The estimated arrival date is 11 to 29 April. Wait, what? What kind of shipping takes 22-40 days? By boat? From China? Fourth class mail? Does Amazon allow shipping from foreign countries? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/2 "2013-03-20T19:33:35Z")
By boat, from China, fourth class mail might not be far off. I’ve bought various little bits of electronics and cell phone cases through third-party Amazon sellers, and some have been mailed from Taiwan. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/3 "2013-03-20T19:35:53Z")
It sounds like it’s going to be wandering in the desert… ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/4 "2013-03-20T19:42:37Z")
I recently purchased some small metal tchotchke which was shipped from China via Amazon. I was told that it would take a month or more, but it was closer to a week. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/5 "2013-03-20T19:51:20Z")
Especially with an item like a case, which you probably selected by price point, your fulfillment will come in a slightly smelly\* and battered padded mailer from China. Most do come much faster than the Amazon limit, sometimes amazingly so, but I did have one small widget take four weeks. - What is it with Chinese paper and cardboard, or do I even want to know? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/6 "2013-03-20T20:09:43Z")
When it comes to Amazon third-party sellers, “shipped” doesn’t always means “shipped.” I’ve had multiple cases where I got the “Item has been shipped” notice from Amazon, then later the actual seller e-mails me and says “sorry, turns out that item is out of stock, your payment will be refunded.” ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/7 "2013-03-20T20:59:08Z")
Yup. I’ve had to wait upwards of 8 weeks for some things that ship from China. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/8 "2013-03-20T21:08:55Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > It sounds like it’s going to be wandering in the desert… No, it was 40 years in the desert. The OP’s shipment is going by Noah’s Ark. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/9 "2013-03-20T21:14:42Z")
See if there are other sellers (on Amazon) for the item. I had something similar happen with a very small American-made item. I found a different seller who got it to me in three days instead of six weeks, and for less money. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/10 "2013-03-20T23:55:22Z")
Ok. Wow, I would have thought Amazon would only allow things to be shipped within the states. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/11 "2013-03-21T03:22:59Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > I recently purchased some small metal tchotchke which was shipped from China via Amazon. I was told that it would take a month or more, but it was closer to a week. Yep. Last two things I had projected to take up to six weeks came within three. I think they were both being sent from Hong Kong. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/12 "2013-03-21T03:33:11Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Ok. Wow, I would have thought Amazon would only allow things to be shipped within the states. Thanks. It’ll always list “shipped from \*\*\*\*” below the name of the seller and their rating. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/13 "2013-03-21T05:36:19Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > No, it was 40 years in the desert. Yeah, I guess I should have it was fasting instead of wandering. Doesn’t make much sense, though. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-amazon-purchase-has-shipped-but-it-may-take-40-days/653481/14 "2013-03-21T19:38:00Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > - What is it with Chinese paper and cardboard, or do I even want to know? Well, luckily it isn’t in their [pork buns](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cardboard_bun_hoax) … Actually I don’t know offhand, but China does take in a lot of cardboard and paper for recycling, so perhaps it is just a higher recycled content?