What each tracking status actually means — and when to worry
"In transit" for four days. "Exception." "Held at customs." A plain-language guide to tracking statuses, and which ones need you to act.
On this page
A tracking page is a record of scans. Each time a shipment passes a checkpoint — collected, sorted, loaded, cleared, out for delivery — someone or something scans it, and that scan becomes a status. Gaps between scans are normal, and most of the statuses that alarm people are routine.
The statuses, in plain language
| Status | What it means | Do you need to act? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending / label created | Shipment record exists; goods not yet collected | No — unless it stays this way past the pickup date |
| Picked up | The courier has the goods | No |
| In transit | Moving between checkpoints | No |
| Arrived at / departed facility | Scanned through a sorting hub | No |
| Held at customs | Undergoing clearance | Possibly — watch for a request for documents or payment |
| On hold | Paused, often for a missing detail | Often — check for a message from the carrier |
| Out for delivery | On the final vehicle | Make sure someone can receive it |
| Exception | Something has disrupted the normal route | Yes — check the details |
| Delivered | Handed over or left at the address | Only if you didn't receive it |
Why "in transit" can last for days
International shipments often go quiet for long stretches. Freight on a long-haul flight or an ocean crossing is not scanned until it arrives. A container can sit in a port yard between the vessel discharge scan and the next movement. A shipment showing no update for a few days on an international lane is usually still moving.
What an exception usually is
An exception means the shipment could not continue as planned. The cause is often mundane and fixable:
- An incomplete or incorrect address.
- Nobody available to receive or sign for the delivery.
- Customs needs documents, information or payment.
- Weather or a transport disruption.
- Damaged packaging that needs repacking.
- A delivery refused by the recipient.
The detail attached to the exception normally explains which it is. Most resolve once the missing information is supplied.
When to get in touch
- The status is Exception or On hold and the detail asks for something.
- Customs has requested documents or duty payment.
- The shipment is well past its estimated delivery date with no new scans.
- It shows Delivered but you did not receive it — check with neighbours and around the property first, then report it promptly.
- The goods arrive damaged — note it before signing, photograph it, and keep the packaging.
Have the tracking number ready when you get in touch. It is the reference every party in the chain uses, and it lets the problem be found in seconds.
