Lost parcel - who is responsible?

[paranoiaofpufflings]

I bought something online from a small business in Australia. I paid, it was sent in the post with tracking - I am in the UK. It wasn't cheap... so I'm out of pocket and frustrated.

Australia Post tracked the item. The latest update on their tracking page is that it was delivered to the UK and handed over to Royal Mail.
Royal Mail have recorded that they are expecting to receive the item but have not yet received it. The latest update on RM tracking page is that it's in Australia.

Almost a month on - I have contacted both post services. Neither will help because they believe it is with the other.

What should happen now?
Do I suck it up and accept the loss?
Should the seller replace the lost item by sending another at no extra cost to me?
Should I pursue a legal route to one or the other post services?

Seller should just refund you and then chase up compensation.

Your contract is with the seller. They should reimburse you

It's not your job to track down the post, it's the seller's.

Unanimous response - thank you.

My guess it is stuck in customs I have had this happen with a parcel from France.
Customs is a no man's land where there is no tracking and effectively one service has handed it over, but the other service have yet to receive it.

I also think it will be at customs. This has happened to me before and eventually I got an invoice from customs. I've probably still got it somewhere in my emails. I'll have a look.

No, I haven't and thinking about it was probably a letter rather than an email. I know it was months later.

But if in customs wouldn't one or the other tracking pages have that information? The fact that Royal Mail think it's still in Australia made me assume it's lost rather than held in UK customs.

No because it's not in royal mail's possession yet. They haven't received it so they can't scan it into their system or whatever they do.

Absolutely the seller's responsibility. They need to refund you or replace the item.

Does the seller have anything about customs on their website?

Customs is a no man's land between the two postal services.

Customs all over the world are holding up many deliveries right now. As a PP said, it’s no man’s land and they ‘answer to no-one’ - well, no ordinary folk, anyway! Friends in the US (a business) had a really important delivery held up in customs for over 3 weeks. Normally thru in a day or so.

And Royal Mail here are also ‘losing’ many parcels in their sorting offices. I’ve had about 4 go missing in the past couple of months.

unfortunately the independent seller will lose out: they have to reimburse you, and claim from their post office. Independent businesses really suffer in these cases.

It’s just taken a bit over 4 weeks for my usual box of stuff to get to WA from Scotland. It just takes time. It will likely turn up and is stuck in customs somewhere. It’s very likely none of the tracking will work either. Usually the UK stops tracking as soon as the item leaves the UK and Oz never usually kicks in. Could be the same your way round.

Also, if you’ve a customs charge to pay you will get a letter telling you how to pay and then the item will be released for delivery.

Yup, the op will probably be getting a letter soon with a bill for import agents handling costs and VAT.