When shipping with whatever shipping carriers, you will always know where your parcel is! Locate your package during transit using your shipment’s unique tracking number. It usually consists of the latest status and prior updates, displayed in chronological order. But, sometimes you may wonder what exactly the tracking status that you receive is.

Keep reading! This post will help you find your answers.

What is tracking?

Tracking for e-commerce order is the monitoring of orders and shipments, and communicating the order status and shipping updates with your customers

Statuses used on tracking frequently confuse customers:

MIS-SENT/MIS-SHIPPED: If your package has been notified as “mis-sent” or “miss-shipped”, it means the shipping carrier sent it to the wrong post office, sorting center or transfer station. The packages are typically rerouted and sent to the correct address within a couple of days. If it has been longer than that, asking your customer to call the post office would be a good idea. The local post office can look the package up by the tracking number and tell you where it is and give you a timeframe. 

DELAYED: Your package experienced a slight delay on its way to you due to the unforeseen events of a logistic nature. The delivery date is probably postponed, but is still en route. No further action is required on your part! Your package will arrive shortly.

RECEPTACLE BLOCKED/FULL: The path to the delivery receptacle was blocked by some physical condition or the receptacle was full. USPS will automatically attempt delivery on the next business day. Please note, if the receptacle is still blocked or full, the package will be returned to your post office for pickup. We recommend reaching out to your local post office, as they can help you figure out the easiest way to retrieve your order!

DELIVERY ATTEMPTED – NO ACCESS TO THE DELIVERY LOCATION: The delivery was attempted but the courier cannot reach the delivery location. The shipping carriers will attempt to deliver the next business day. If over 24 hours have been and gone since you received the “No access to delivery location” message and the package has not been delivered, please contact the local post office for more updates. Maybe your package is just there waiting to be picked up. 

EXCEPTION: An exception occurs when a package or shipment encounters an unforeseen event, which could affect when it arrives at its destination. Examples of exception include address unknown, damage to shipment, or signature not received. We recommend reaching out to your local post office to get the latest update of your package and to pick it up if necessary.

FORWARDED: This means that the package you were waiting for, has been sent to a new address. This is due to forwarding instructions or because the address or ZIP Code on the item was incorrect. You should contact the local post office to change the address before it is sent back to the sender.

FORWARD EXPIRED: If your package is under “FORWARDED” for more than 45 days and you have not responded to change to another address, a temporary change of address will be expired and the package will be sent back to sender.

NOTICE LEFT: There are times when an item can’t be delivered as expected, and is sent to a post office for pickup. This could happen for one of many reasons, such as no one was available to receive the item, but the sender hasn’t approved a Safe Drop or there is no protected, secure location in which to leave it. You must contact the local post office to check your package and to pick it up.

DELIVERY STATUS NOT UPDATED: Your package has already arrived, but the tracking status has not been updated and processed for delivery. It is likely because your package has been handed off from shipping carriers to your local postal provider for the final leg of delivery. After 24 hours, and no more since its arrival and no more updates, please contact the local post office for an update.