Shipping delays hitting harder in summer 2026

Three of my last five orders arrived later than the estimated window this summer. Talking to others on the forum it seems like this is more widespread than usual, so I want to document what I am seeing.

What the delays look like

The most common pattern is a package that shows no tracking movement for six to ten days after the initial scan, then suddenly jumps to a customs clearance event and proceeds normally. This idle period used to be two or three days for the same routes in spring. The jump from dispatch to the next event is simply longer now.

Two of my packages sat in what tracking showed as a transit hub in Germany for over a week each. One resumed movement on its own, the other did not update for 11 days and then appeared at a US sorting facility with no intermediate events. Both eventually delivered.

Why this is happening

Summer is historically the slowest period for international small-packet shipping. Staffing levels at sorting facilities drop during vacation periods in Europe and Asia, and the volume of e-commerce packages remains high. The combination stretches the usual processing time without the packages being seized or lost — they are just sitting in queues.

US Customs inspection rates also appear higher based on my sample and reports from others. More packages are being physically inspected, which adds four to seven days when it happens.

What to do

If your order has been in transit for more than three weeks with no delivery, contact your vendor. Most have reshipping policies that kick in at around four weeks with no delivery event. Do not demand action at two weeks — that is within normal range right now even if it feels long.

Ordering earlier than you need the card is the simplest mitigation. Add two to three weeks to whatever the vendor estimates for this time of year. Based on current patterns, standard shipping from Asia to the US is running 18 to 28 days rather than the 10 to 18 that was common earlier in the year.