@Bob: IM S6 posted:All mail systems are delayed these days with Covid19. Patience is required.
... to be sure.
You may recall that the twin-plug engine ingested some molten carb parts a couple of years ago. This is one of the primary drivers behind the 2234 project chronicled elsewhere on this site.
What does this have to do with this thread? Shipping and customs in an age of COVID.
I bought my Intermccanica as a roller, which played to my strengths, and hid my weaknesses (I'm no body man). As time has rolled on-- I (very belatedly) realized that the things I want to do with a replica are too widely varied for one vehicle to be everything I'd like it to be. This cleared some things up, and gave me a clear path with the car I own to make it very, very good at one thing (a GT). The twin-plug engine was just too highly strung to power a GT and not strung highly enough to power something truly frightening.
The idea of something much more raw-boned (an extremely light, extremely powerful, single purpose Speedster) is the genesis of Project X-- the car I hope to build in my retirement. I've wanted to build a car from the ground up since I was 12 years old. If I am ever going to do this, I need to start gathering the hard to find and expensive parts now. If I wait until I have no income, I won't do it.
The twin-plug motor needed torn down anyhow, so it seemed like a good time to begin rebuilding it into something considerably more brutal. The heads were a compromise when I did them, but since they needed torn down and redone anyhow, I decided to have them massaged by Torben Alstrup from Denmark. Torben is a regular contributor on TheSamba, and one of the guys who really has my attention. Torben has a day job, but also has a very complete shop. With COVID, he had the time to fix, and redo the twin-plug heads. The planets lined up.
I boxed up the twin-plug heads in March, and sent them via USPS air-mail. UPS and FedEx wanted $800+ to ship them (screw that). DHL wanted $650, and also for us to be BFFs (I don't want to get married, I want to send a box). Enter the good 'ol postal system, who would do it for $450! I was a genius shopper! I built the box to end all boxes, and sent them off with a USPS tracking number. My customs declaration was just as Torben had instructed me to fill it out. I insured the package for the maximum amount available ($650), and was promised a 6 day delivery.
I sent them off on March 20. They have not been seen in Denmark (or anywhere else) yet.
Of course I tracked them (as well as anybody can track anything through the USPS). They went to St. Louis and sat there for a week. Then they went to Chicago's "export facility". Then they dropped off the face of the earth. More than 70 days have elapsed, and nobody can tell me where my heads are. I had the postmaster try to track it. He told me, "sorry". I started filing a claim, but they want proof of value, and I've yet to find my (5 year old) receipt for the heads. I just want them to show up in Denmark.
I'm not super-high on the international postal system right now.