There are a few reasons why you may not be seeing movement as the shipment travels through the UPS/FedEx/USPS network. Please review the sections below for insight into any movement delays you may be seeing for either a domestic or international shipment.
Due to various supply-chain issues and repercussions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic & the crisis in Ukraine, some carriers are still experiencing higher-than-average shipment volume, with some countries not currently allowing international packages to cross their border. As a result, some packages may take longer than usual to be scanned or delivered. We recommend communicating this to your customers early on to manage expectations.
Domestic Shipments
1. Please allow up to 48 hours for tracking to show movement initially. After tracking is generated and the shipment leaves our facility, whether the shipment starts to show movement or not depends solely on the location of the next hub it travels through where it is scanned. Each time the shipment is scanned, tracking will reflect an update. Typically, tracking is updated every 1-6 days and depends on many factors such as shipping service, destination, and any current peaks in volume the carrier may be experiencing.
2. If tracking shows movement initially, but then suddenly stops showing movement altogether, this is likely due to a similar situation as outlined above - occasionally mistakes with the carriers will occur, and a scan is missed. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the package actually stopped moving! It will continue on its journey and when it is scanned at the next location, tracking will update as usual. We have seen cases where the package is actually delivered, but the delivery driver was unable/forgot to initiate a final scan on the package, so the tracking won't reflect the delivery. Therefore, always confirm with your customer first that they did not receive the package before requesting a reship, and have them follow the steps outlined here.
3. If your customer has yet to receive their package, and tracking hasn't shown movement in 7 days, reach out to help@shipoffers.com and we can assist you with a reship. Keep in mind that it is possible that the original package will be recovered and delivered eventually, but without any recent scans it can be difficult for us to pinpoint exactly when that would be. If we do reship, and your customer ends up receiving the original package as well on a later date, we can always issue a return label for the duplicate (for domestic shipments). Please note that ShipOffers ships the vast majority of orders same-day, and that transit delays occur as a result of circumstances that are outside of our control / due to delays with the carrier. Therefore, the cost for any reships and/or return labels that are requested for transit delays are still client responsibility.
4. A list of tracking updates you may encounter, along with an explanation for each, can be found here. Other possible complications that may explain a lack of tracking updates include the package sustaining damage while in transit, the package becoming lost or misplaced within the FedEx/UPS network, or the scanning barcode becoming damaged. Sometimes packages can be delivered without a delivery scan, so before we reship we would suggest confirming with your customer that they did not actually receive their shipment.
International shipments
1. The first point above still stands for international shipments - tracking speed should not differ too much while the package is still within the continental US, but please allow at least a few days for the first tracking update to be reflected (sometimes an initial scan won't occur until the shipment reaches the border). On average, it takes international packages longer to show that initial scan compared to domestic shipments - this is because it has to travel through a different network due to the added logistical complexities / modes of transportation involved with getting a package overseas.
2. There is usually an alternate tracking number that may be helpful for your customer to reference - it can be found in the "Shipment Details" section if it was shipped UPS, which can be viewed by clicking on the "View Details" hyperlink on the tracking page.
3. Once a shipment reaches the international port in the US (typically in California or Hawaii), this is the last point where the standard tracking number will be valid for UPS shipments. After the shipment leaves the US, it no longer is traveling under the same tracking number and instead starts to show scans/updates under the "Alternate Tracking Number" instead. Typically, the next point of contact is the customer's local post office in the destination country, for which we unfortunately do not have the tracking information for as it is no longer in our carrier's possession. For UPS shipments though, the alternate tracking number referenced above may suffice.
If you have any concerns about this, please reach out to help@shipoffers.com or your Account Manager and we can discuss additional options that best fit your needs.
4. Naturally, as international shipments have more ground to cover than domestic shipments, you can expect the package to take more time to reach your customer. It's difficult to provide an exact timeline of when a shipment should be delivered, as it varies greatly depending on the destination country, the mode of transportation, and the carrier used. If delivery has not occurred in over a month, and tracking shows no recent updates, feel free to reach out and we can take a look and advise next steps!