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iPhone 3G S Shipments to Arrive Early, Video of iPhone 3G S

It's in Anchorage now, the delivery date has disappeared, but every time I've had a package go through Anchorage I've had it the next day.
 

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davebridget said:
Just realized that the shipment arrival time is no longer showing on the UPS tracking. Wonder if this is the big delay?? Hold till Friday? Or UPS and Apple are tired of taking calls about it?
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Mine has not arrived in Alaska, but still shows a 6/17 delivery date. I'll keep an eye out this evening for any tracking update.
 
D0rk said:
Right. I can understand the possibility IF it gets flown all the way to Florida, as opposed to being dropped off on the west coast.

Then there's the whole customs issue. I really have no clue on how it works for what i'm assuming is a fleet of cargo planes coming into the US filled with these phones, but that certainly has to have some delay to it.
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Typically the plane will come into Anchorage Alaska to clear customs. Given the plane is from one of the major carriers, customs can actually clear the plane within an hour of two. The carrier provides a statement that the cargo has been in their control from loading at the distribution center so it makes it quick. From there the plane goes to another center for final routing to delivery city. This can happen quickly as the carriers have really fine tuned their process. There is a post in another thread on this site with a link that shows several flights called UPSxxx in the air going to Alaska.
 
GeekLawyer said:
Don't they usually include a sticker on the actual shipping package that says: "Do not deliver before 6/19/09"

If so... unless the carrier ignores the shipper's instructions, they won't be delivered until the date prescribed. The tracking computers don't have this information. It's part of the human element of delivery.
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Bingo. We have a winner.
 
From the UPS website regarding express service which according to our tracking pages, the phones are being shipped.


UPS Worldwide ExpressSM
Take advantage of this faster one-to-three day shipping service with guaranteed morning delivery times throughout the world
Delivery Commitment



Import:
Delivery by 10:30 a.m. or 12:00 noon
Next business day delivery from Canada and Mexico
One or two business day delivery from Europe, Asia, and Latin America


Looks like it can be here in one day from China, so I wouldn't be worried if you have not got a tracking number yet. Only get worried if you don't have one on Thursday
 
It moves fast....

Mine shipped as well, but they have removed the "delivery scheduled for 06/17"; however, it's already in alaska as of 1:45PM, so it could be possible to get it tomorrow.
 
crazedbytheheat said:
Why would that be. I've ordered plenty of things shipped from china 2nd day and it arrives on time.
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Customs can happen in an hour to 2 for this type of shipment. UPS and Fedex gave US Customs a heads up to have staffing in place and given that these planes will most likely not be carrying anything else, they will clear quickly. The carrier most likely had staff on site at the distribution center to scan boxes as they when into the container, so the carrier can state that the cargo has been in their possession the whole time. Customs might do a quick walk through with dogs, but it will be quick.
 
As for the loss of scheduled delivery time, it occurs to me that UPS would not be able to make any estimates during the times where the delivery process is not under their control, such as during the stages where clearing customs occurs.

So perhaps on the next leg the scheduled time will be back, along with the visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads...
 
My iPhone also is now in Anchorage, but should I be concerned that the delivery date is gone??

I actually need the iPhone before Friday because I'm leaving for Europe then.

Guess we can just hope..
 
My 3G s is now listed by UPS as in Anchorage, AK as of 1:48 PM... excellent - says it will be here tomorrow, but I'm betting Thursday.
 
alhedges said:
Actually, it does. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldport_(UPS_air_hub)

Although to be technical, everything goes through the port, not the actual HQ.
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But keep in mind that when a container comes into the center, it is scanned. If everything is that container is going to the same place, say new york, the container is rolled directly to the NY plane. The container is not opened to scan each item. They know exactly where each container in a plane is going, so they can process them quickly. A very high percentage of these containers will only be in the center a brief time. If a container has boxes for many destinations, the container is opened and each item scanned and routed. UPS's system sorts everything in China so that containers are optimized when they are loaded. Once UPS picks up the shipment at the dock, they know exactly what goes where and when it will get there.
 
redman042 said:
Uh...no, I SERIOUSLY doubt the delivery date shown is in China time. I think this customer service rep was confused about what you were asking. In general customer service reps don't know jack anyway. You'll find 100 different stories on this same forum.

UPS is no little fly-by-night international shipper. The shipment tracking page is a tool used by customers all over the world to figure out when they will get their packages. I would sure hope UPS got that part straight by now.

The only times in China times are the package progress steps that took place in China.
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Your right. Each time on the scan / status page in in local time at the point of scan
 
Could it be that those that ordered early are seeing later order processing because theirs will be shipping from stateside warehouses with shorter ship times and no customs involvement?

While those that ordered later are getting early ship dates because the US supplies were exhausted by the early buyers, so the later phones are coming straight from China?
 
I seem to remember most stuff from Apple stopping in AK on the way to TN for customs inspection, then out to the different regions...Have they changed?
 
weaponofgod said:
So this is how it works.
The packages are being shipped from China, probably going to Louisville to clear thru customs. Once the all the individual shipments that make up the one big shipments arrives they will be cleared.
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Most incoming flights clear Customs in Anchorage Alaska. Each plane is cleared by itself. It does not have to wait for other planes. Once cleared and refueled, it heads to the distribution center. UPS has several flights ether in the air or getting ready to depart Hong Kong. Here is a link to one that is already on the ground in Anchorage.

LINK
 
ifixit said:
So does that mean they will be held in customs for a day or two (delay them until the 19th)? Or does the tracking information reflect the time spent in customs?
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They will not be held in Customs. When you see the departure scan, you'll see it was not there very long. If they are held (which I bet they will) it would be closer to your house.
 
I feel bad for all of you when you realize your iPhones are not arriving early. I think Apple is pretty gifted when it comes to marketing. When Leopard was available for pre-order....they all arrived the day they became available in the store. For your sake, I hope you get it early. But don't hold your breath.
 
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