I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience.

I’ve purchased from sellers on Etsy for many years, but something odd has happened in the last few weeks.

1. I purchased an item from a seller in late January.

2. I received a shipment notification with a tracking number through something called “Global Express Tracking” on Feb 2nd.

3. I was confused, because the tracking number was a “Y” followed by 12 digits. A format I’m unfamiliar with. I checked the seller’s location. It was the same city as me.

4. 7 days later, the package had not arrived, which I also thought was strange if the seller was in my city.

5. I contacted the seller, and asked who the shipping organization was, and they told me USPS. However, the tracking number is absolutely not a USPS number (at least not one I’m familiar with) and inputting it gets me nothing.

6. I searched Global Express Tracking, and it seems to be international (very strange for a seller in my city), but inputting the tracking number also produces no result.

This entire set of events has left me a bit concerned. The seller has very good reviews, so that relieves the fears a bit, but I am a bit worried I might’ve just paid for an item that might never be coming.

Is there something I’ve missed here that someone else might know?

Hi everyone,

I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. For the USPS employees out there (thank you for your service!), I have a few questions regarding Global Express Guaranteed (GXG):

1. I know it is a partnership between USPS and Fed-Ex and the package's origination is with USPS - I went into a post-office to complete the transaction. At what point does Fed-Ex get involved? Does USPS tender the item to Fed-Ex immediately (e.g., after reaching a USPS distribution center), does the item fly on a USPS plane overseas and then gets tendered to the overseas Fed-Ex branch, or somewhere else along the process?

2. Is there a Fed-Ex tracking number for GXG parcels? I only have a USPS tracking number.

3. I mailed some legal documents to my attorney in Taiwan. I filled out a Commercial Invoice even though I didn't have to (per Publication 141 because I was only sending documents) but I didn't really complete all the required sections in the CI - I only filled in my and the recipient's contact information on the F6182. Wondering if anyone knows whether that will come back to bite me in the butt?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

I've wanted to order some stuff from aliexpress and everytime I'm checking it out to see if it got delivered in my country it keeps getting lowed and highed for no reason and now it got even lower

It's been 22 days by now

I live in regional Victoria and I’ve ordered 3 things using Team Global Express. (Not by my own choice) They have not delivered my item even once. I have been home every time and every time they just pull up, don’t even come to the door, leave a card in the mailbox and then drive off. The 3rd time they didn’t even leave a card, so I think they didn’t even show up that time. I am then sent a text message telling me that it couldn’t be delivered because no one was home even though they have never even shown up at the door. It gets worse however. They take it to the only nearby package pickup location which is about 40 minutes away on public transport. I do not live in the middle of nowhere, it’s a decently sized country town. I am not currently able to drive due to my disability so I have to take the bus there wasting 40 minutes and then waste an hour waiting for the next bus and another 40 minutes coming back. Usually 2 hours and 30 minutes out of my day because some idiot couldn’t be bothered doing his job. Stay far away from them.

My international parcel from Team Global Express has been out for delivery since the 11th of September and all customer service representatives have had the same ‘no update, we’ll update you soon’ response for the past week. Their call centers never seem to pick up and this whole experience is extremely frustrating. Anyone had similar experiences or have any advice on what to do because at this point I’ve lost all hope 😂

Dear US Postal Workers,

First, before delving into concerns of self, I want to say thank you for your service. Too many, take for granted your individual and collective efforts. Much appreciated.

On Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, I mailed out legal documents to my attorney in Taipei, Taiwan via Global Express Guaranteed (GXG). The estimated delivery date is Friday, November 19.

Here are the (limited) scans so far:

November 17, 2021In Transit, Arriving On TimeYour package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered by the expected delivery date. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

November 16, 2021, 3:25 pmArrived at USPS Regional FacilityOAKLAND CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

November 16, 2021, 12:54 pmArrived at USPS FacilityOAKLAND, CA 94611 

November 16, 2021, 12:51 pmUSPS in possession of itemOAKLAND, CA 94611 

As you can see, not a lot has happened. I'm wondering if people have used GXG in the past and have had a similar situation? I know that packages can go without scans and get delivered. But is this normal for a GXG package?

I ask because these originals of legal documents were difficult to obtain and I would hate to have to redo the process if the package is lost.

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: Package was delivered to my attorney in Taiwan on Monday - one business day later than promised by GXG. No additional tracking scans appear on the package. Weird.

There are some bad shipping options out there, and I'd wager most small business owners have shipping horror stories, but Global Express Guaranteed is really a special kind of hell and I think folks deserve a fair warning.

GXG is a joint offering of the US Postal Service and FedEx. The idea is that you pay the USPS for postage and insurance and ship your international package just like you would with regular mail, but at some point the USPS hands it off to FedEx for final delivery.

It's the unholy union of a government entity and a private shipper in a poorly-structured and executed agreement that makes it such a uniquely awful experience. On the surface it looks fairly attractive - the rates are lower than you'd get from FedEx, and it's not quite as fast but the quoted delivery times are still competitive and it's supposed to be a time-definite delivery service.

I've used it several times over the last few years, and more often than not it's gone poorly. For starters, the guaranteed delivery has a whole bunch of catches - you can't even find out what the guaranteed delivery date will be without visiting a post office in person, and only certain post offices will accept GXG packages with a delivery date guarantee. In my town, that's inexplicably the small satellite post office on the edge of town and not the main post office.

It's when there's a problem with the shipment that things really go wrong. If you call the post office, most of the support people there haven't even heard of GXG and don't know how to handle it. Same for FedEx - I had one person there hang up on me because they insisted it had nothing to do with FedEx.

My most recent (and final!) experience with GXG has been infuriating. We had a > $2000 order to ship to a big theatrical company doing a special show in Saudi Arabia. These were custom-made props. The shipment went out on August 8, fully insured, with a delivery guarantee of August 17. The total for shipping and insurance was over $960.

The package disappeared from tracking after just 5 hours of movement. A missing mail search turned up nothing. We had to drop everything and build a replacement order that cost $1400 to ship by DHL. That one made it through just in time. DHL has their problems, but they've always gotten packages where they need to go for us, or have paid up on insurance claims when they haven't.

Meanwhile, I was instructed by the USPS to file a claim with FedEx. I followed the instructions to the letter, and have screenshots to show it. FedEx denied the claim because they had never received the package. USPS insisted that it was still FedEx's problem. FedEx wouldn't even talk to me. Eventually USPS said the issue would be escalated to the global business office in DC and that they'd be in touch soon. It's been weeks, and the support ticket has been closed - there's no further escalation path available there.

But this week it got worse. The original package reappeared and was handed over to FedEx and now it's stuck in customs in Saudi Arabia because there's no one there to receive it and pay duties. FedEx refuses to do anything about it because as far as they're concerned it was shipped last Thursday - the day the USPS finally found it and handed it over. They want return postage or it'll be destroyed. At this point the package isn't worth the $900 it'd take to send it back - the items were built to order and at this point would have to be refurbished anyway after so long packed up.

Because FedEx didn't take the money for shipping, they can't even be sued in small claims court. Everyone involved can just stop responding and there's no way to force a resolution short of federal court.

Neither the USPS nor FedEx are bad shippers. Both have their resolution processes and at least a certain amount of accountability. But the GXG program is run so poorly that there's basically no way to resolve issues like this. Avoid the service at all costs.

I've been waiting for a parcel for about a week now even though they say that it'll arrived in 3 to 6 days and when I check the tracking it just been sitting in depot since the 29th of September. Today the tracking just say Electric Billing Transfer can anybody expkain what this meant? This has been a really infuriating experience to deal with since the customer support is very unhelpful and frankly quite useless.

From the beginning, the process of sending something GXG was problematic. I needed to send a package to London from US, and needed to get it there ASAP. At the post office, the rep didn't even know what forms I needed to fill out, which barcodes needed scanning, and if I filled out everything properly. "Guaranteed" Delivery Date was supposed to be yesterday 7/25 (package was sent out 7/21).

On Sunday, 7/24, tracking showed it had departed CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER.

Until late last night, 7/25, it still had the above for the tracking update. Now it just says In Transit, Arriving Late. (Tbh I feel like USPS says this when they have no clue where the package actually is)

When I called USPS, they transferred me to GXG support who transferred me back to USPS because they said "Its not in our (FedEx) possession so we can't help you.

I'm extremely frustrated because there is no clear communication or tracking updates from USPS, and it's concerning that it hasn't been handed off to FedEx. I know customs can take some time, but it would be nice to know if it was even at thr customs office.

I just want my package delivered, so I can deal with what I imagine will be a long and annoying refund process.

UPDATE

I was looking on my Waybill for GXG and found a similar set of numbers to that of the tracking. Entered on FedEx and sure enogh they have posession..possession... but the scheduled delivery date on the FedEx website shows 7/28 instead of the 7/25 USPS promised. It's clear there is a massive disconnect between the two companies.

i got my order and tracking number but there aint much to see in the app.

Btw is it common to ship an item within 24hr. Bought a phone case yesterday, said to be shipped in 13 days but shipped in 20 hours.

Just wanted to share my full experience for anyone else stuck staring at EWE’s useless tracking page, wondering if their order will ever arrive. Hopefull,y this gives you some peace of mind.

Order placed: 12 Sept 2025
Handed to courier: 15 Sept 2025
Destination: Melbourne, VIC

Tracking Timeline

• 2025-09-15 10:22 – Sydney NSW → Package processed at warehouse

• 2025-09-15 11:08 – Sydney NSW → Pick-up by eMetro

• 2025-09-16 10:29 – Sydney NSW → Interstate in transit to VIC

• 2025-09-17 09:26 – Australia → Assigned (super vague – basically means handed into VIC network but not yet scanned)

• 2025-09-18 21:43 – Australia → Pending on Delivery (means it’s at the local depot and waiting to be scheduled for delivery)

• 2025-09-19 – Delivered → No tracking update, no SMS, no call — truck just showed up at my house unannounced.

The reality

• I got zero notification the morning of delivery — no SMS, no “out for delivery,” nothing.

• I just happened to be outside when the truck pulled up. If I hadn’t been home, I probably would’ve missed it.

• Luckily, the driver was awesome — he helped me move the desk inside and even admitted that his own company’s tracking system is complete garbage.

Advice to others

• Don’t panic if your tracking appears to be stuck on “Assigned” or “Pending on Delivery.” It basically means it’s already in VIC, and you’re probably 1 day away from getting it.

• The tracking system may not update properly — you might never see “On Delivery” even though the truck is en route.

• Make sure someone is home once it flips to Pending on Delivery, because that’s your real sign the item is sitting at your local depot and could arrive the next day.

Final thoughts

The product itself (Secretlab) is fantastic, the packaging is premium, but the courier (EWE Global Express) is absolutely hopeless at tracking and communication. The driver himself was friendly and helpful, but the system behind him is, as he put it, “utter dog shit.”

Hopefully, this timeline helps the next poor soul staring at “Assigned” for 48 hours, wondering if their $2k desk has fallen off the face of the earth.

In the page with information on my order, there is a link that shows my sellers shipping method with a link. It goes to something called Global Cainiao However the website only says my package is coming from China to US.