Briar Order

[Danskpibemager]

Hi Guys,
I feel like a dumb-ass asking this question, but here goes; this past Feb. 14th I ordered 50 large briar blocks from La Radica, SRL in Calabria, Italy and have yet to receive it. Supposedly it was shipped on Feb. 21st and I was told it would take 10 days to the USA via ship. I've done the obvious and emailed them many times without any reply and I'm growing more pissed by the day. My question is; have any of you ordered from this company and if so how long can one expect the shipment to take? I was told that all neccesary import documents and permits would be provided on the package and they ship regularly to the US so I don't know if it is being held hostage in customs or ended up in the incinerator. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as always.

Regards,
Kevin

[DMI]

There may have been some confusion over the shipping time, if it is going by sea then you are looking at 30 days minimum on the water ( it can take 8 weeks), a standard parcel by air from Italy would be about ten days.

David.

[Danskpibemager]

Thanks David. Everything seemed like it was on the up and up but there's always the language barrier to deal with so maybe something got lost in the translation as they say. They appeared to be great people to deal with so perhaps they may be on one of those European holidays without access to email. I guess I'll give it another week or so before I try contacting them again.

Regards,
Kevin

[Mike Messer]

I have order from European suppliers a few times, and the shipping times by Airmail, took 6 to 8 days, but once, recently, a small package sent by surface mail (by ship, I assume) took 33 days.

[geigerpipes]

We have bought from them several times over the years and never had a problem with shipping but we're in sweden and in the EU ..Normally its quite wet when it arrives and needs at least half a year of drying more before it can be turned into pipes so when it arrives at least it will have cured a little more hope you get your briar.

[Danskpibemager]

Fellow Pipe Makers,
I received the briar today and as Love stated it is wet and moldy. I found a temporary home in the garage until the mold dies off. The order was never shipped at the time of payment but was shipped 22 days ago so that explains the delay. I sanded one of the sides of a block and the grain appears to be very good so we'll see if I can hack out a few smooths as an alternative to the many sandblasted pipes I make. I just wanted to update you guys in the event you order from this company. They are very easy to deal with but be prepared for a few translation snafu's. By the the way Love, will we be seeing you at the Chicago Show this year? Hope so! Many thanks for the comments and help!

Best Regards,
Kevin