Although the vast majority of AliExpress packages get to clients on the indicated date without major difficulties, it could happen that you don’t receive your order and, when you track it, you notice that it doesn’t move.
Below, we’ll explain different reasons why orders don’t move and don’t arrive, as well as some tips to solve it.
Instructions for when the order status doesn’t update
When you buy on AliExpress, an approximate delivery date is shown. In case the estimated date has passed, and you still haven’t received your order, don’t waste any more time and follow the next steps, since continuing to wait may cause you to lose your money.
Remember that orders may be delayed a little longer than the estimated date due to causes such as the workload of the shipping company (such as the state mail service), as well as special dates, such as Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Check the tracking number
At the time of purchase, the seller sends your package with a tracking number that you can use to track the location or trajectory of your order. There are several shipping methods, of which some won’t be trackable, but most of the time sellers use AliExpress Standard Shipping which is a trackable shipping method.
Login to your AliExpress account and look in the order list for the tracking number. By hovering your mouse pointer over the order, you’ll be able to see its status. We suggest clicking on the order to view it in more detail or using other sites such as 17track.
In the order status list, you’ll be able to see the route of the package: from the departure from the seller’s warehouse to the delivery at your door. Tracking is intended to record every single movement of the package. If you haven’t received your package yet, you can check where it has stopped. In the following lines, we’ll tell you what can be the causes and what you can do.
Communicate with the AliExpress seller
As obvious as it may seem, the seller is the only one who can make an official complaint to the carrier. So, if your AliExpress package has not arrived, we recommend you contact the seller. You’ll be able to find a good solution then or check with the shipping agency the latest status of the order.
We must remind you that, in the dispute, the first step will be to negotiate with the seller. If there is no agreement, AliExpress will intervene in the dispute. On the other hand, if the seller understands your problem, they’ll accept your dispute proposal, and you’ll get your money back faster.
Initiating a dispute process to get your money back
In case the communication with the seller hasn’t gone well (they don’t answer you or don’t offer a solution), we recommend you to open a dispute on AliExpress here before the protection time runs out. To do this you have to click on “Open Dispute” in the corresponding order. You will find more information in our article on disputes.
If you find that the status of your order is shown as delivered, you’ll need to attach a screenshot confirming that the package hasn’t been received by you. A good way is to go to the Trackitonline website and enter the tracking number, which will allow you to check in which city the package has been delivered.
What’s the reason for the AliExpress order not moving?
Recall that the tracking number will allow you to view the status of the order: whether there are problems with it or, in the best case, whether it’s about to arrive.
However, it can also happen that tracking numbers suddenly stop moving. Most commonly, tracking will show different statuses until at one point it stops for a long time.
However, if you let a few days go by, the package will probably continue on its way, but we’ll explain in which cases you should really worry.
If the order appears as delivered, but you haven’t received anything…
If this happens, after verifying that it has not been delivered to any neighbor either, we can enter a page like Trackitonline, in which, by entering the tracking number, it will tell us in which city the package has been delivered (which can be used as evidence when opening a dispute). You can find more information about this in our article on orders that don’t arrive.
When the shipment has a “cancelled” type message in the tracking that isn’t progressing
This is usually an exceptional case and will require more attention when “cancelled” appears on the tracking number. If this happens, the order will most likely not arrive, since this message tends to appear when the package has been detained in the country of origin, either at customs or at the sorting center, causing it to be returned to the seller in most cases.
In this situation, the seller is the one who would have to send the order back to you with a new tracking number. Another option would be to get your order refunded through a dispute.
If it’s an ordinary shipment without tracking that doesn’t move…
There are many ways in which tracking statuses can be presented. If you buy a very cheap product, it usually happens that it’ll be shipped with AliExpress Saver Shipping or China Post Economy, which means that it’s an ordinary order.
Although these tracking numbers may show some movement even if you’re in China, they’ll stop moving or updating when they leave the country. Even so, if the estimated delivery date has passed or the protection time is about to end, it’s time to initiate a dispute, and even if it’s a non-traceable tracking, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to claim.
If it’s a shipment with tracking that doesn’t move…
It often happens that the seller gives us a tracking number that can be traced, but not that there is no movement.
In this case, you should consider that the tracking can take up to 10 working days to be updated. After this range of time, some tracking status should be shown.
If after the tenth day of tracking there is no trace of any message, you should take action. Especially if you notice that the store has closed or the seller doesn’t communicate or respond to your messages. This could mean that you have been given a false tracking number.
However, if the tracking number is working properly, but suddenly doesn’t move from a particular status, we can analyze different situations:
- If it’s already listed as “Accepted” but doesn’t move, it could be that the seller has registered the package, but they haven’t picked it up from their warehouse yet.
- If the order appears as “Customs entry”, but isn’t updated, it’s important to check the message carefully. It’s possible that the package is in customs, and you need to manage documentation so that it can be released and then reach your home.
- Now, if the order labeled “Airline departure” or “Departure from the country” doesn’t progress, you should be aware that often the order is stopped after leaving the country of origin or after arriving in the destination country. Be patient, this can happen if there’s a large volume of packages in your country. Sometimes orders take longer within our country than it takes to arrive from China. Contacting the shipping company may be a good option.
