Help and guides

Straight answers to the questions people ask when a parcel is late, silent or stuck. No filler, and no advice that amounts to "wait and see".

• Tracking number formats

  What each number pattern means and how to identify the carrier from the number alone.

• Why is my parcel stuck in customs?

  What customs clearance actually involves, how long it normally takes, when a delay becomes a real problem, and what you can do about it.

  6 min read

• How long does shipping from China really take?

  Realistic delivery times by shipping method, why the same order can take 8 days or 6 weeks, and how to read the estimate you were shown at checkout.

  7 min read

• My tracking has not updated in days. Is my parcel lost?

  How long tracking silence is normal, what each kind of gap means, and the point at which you should genuinely act.

  5 min read

• Why did my parcel change carrier mid-journey?

  Why a Chinese parcel ends up with your national postal service, what a handover looks like in tracking, and why it is not a routing error.

  4 min read

• Tracking number not found: what it means

  Why a valid tracking number can return nothing, how long to wait before worrying, and how to tell a not-yet-scanned parcel from a fake number.

  4 min read