AliExpress tracking
AliExpress tracking statuses explained
AliExpress is Alibaba Group's international online marketplace, where sellers, many of them in China, ship orders to buyers abroad. Many orders travel with Cainiao, Alibaba's logistics company, and a carrier in your country does the last leg: US customers name SpeedX, UniUni, GOFO, USPS and UPS. AliExpress's tracking page shows a delivery window at the top, then a bold stage such as 'In transit', 'Customs update' or 'Collected by destination carrier' with the latest line under it, for example 'Package leaving origin country/region.' AliExpress changes these texts from time to time, and Cainiao's own page often words the same step differently.
Every AliExpress tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Package leaving origin country/region | Your package has left, or is about to leave, the country it ships from, usually China. | Normal |
| Collected by destination carrier | A delivery company in your country has taken over your package after customs, or is about to. | Normal |
| Package arrived at regional carrier facility | Your package is at a hub of the delivery company in your country, after customs. | Normal |
| Awaiting delivery | The seller has shipped your order, and it stays on Awaiting delivery until it is delivered and completed. | Normal |
| Your package arrived at local airport | Your package has landed in the destination country, or at a stop on the way, and waits for import customs. | Normal |
| Package out for delivery | The local carrier has your package on its last leg, and delivery should come soon. | Normal |
| Your package is being inspected by customs | Customs in your country is checking your package before releasing it. | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivered but not received | The local carrier has reported your package as delivered, but it is not with you. | Take action |
AliExpress delays
AliExpress publishes no list of causes of delay, but its tracking page shows some. Around Chinese New Year it has carried a notice that many sellers are on holiday and that order processing and shipping may be delayed, and customers report a note at the 'leaving origin country' step that high demand may delay shipping. Many orders show a small coupon if delivery is late, or a date by which AliExpress refunds if nothing is delivered. In tracking histories customers share, waits build up at four points: at the origin airport, on 'Awaiting flight'; after 'Package leaving origin country/region.' on oversized, land and cheaper services; in customs inspections; and at a regional carrier facility in your country.
Is your package from AliExpress late or missing?
What goes wrong with AliExpress
From 237 complaints about AliExpress filed on Complain.biz. One complaint can mention several problems.
Who is responsible for a late or missing package from AliExpress?
If you bought on AliExpress, AliExpress's own rules decide refunds, whichever seller you bought from. Its Buyer Protection page covers an item that did not arrive, or was lost in transit, within the guaranteed delivery window on your order page, and an item that does not match its description or arrived damaged, within 15 days of receiving it. Many orders also show a refund date on the tracking page for a package that has not been delivered by then. For a UK order from a seller who is a trader, the Consumer Rights Act, section 29, keeps the goods at the seller's risk until you have them.
If you sent a parcel yourself, AliExpress was not your carrier: it is a marketplace, not a delivery service you book, so the carrier you chose and its terms apply. A return you send back through AliExpress's own return process falls under its return rules, and its Buyer Protection page says the refund follows once the returned items have been checked at the warehouse.
Questions about AliExpress tracking
What does departed country of origin mean on AliExpress?
Your package has left, or is about to leave, the country it ships from, usually China. The app shows it as 'Package leaving origin country/region.' It does not mean the package has reached your country.
What does collected by destination carrier mean on AliExpress?
The delivery company in your country has taken over, or is about to take over, your package after customs. The line under the heading says where it is, for example at a regional carrier facility.
What does package arrived at regional carrier facility mean on AliExpress?
The delivery company in your country has scanned your package at one of its hubs, after customs. The next line should be 'Package out for delivery'.
What does awaiting delivery mean on AliExpress?
The seller has shipped your order and it has not been completed yet. It is an order status, not a scan, so the tracking page shows where the package is.
What does arrived at linehaul office mean on AliExpress?
It is Cainiao's wording for the step AliExpress shows as 'Your package arrived at local airport': the flight has landed and the package waits for import customs. It is not a local post office.
Based on
- AliExpress: Buyer Protection (an item that did not arrive within the guaranteed delivery window, 15 days for an item not as described, returns)
- AliExpress.com Terms of Use (an e-commerce marketplace; AliExpress is an Alibaba Group trademark)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
- Reddit r/Aliexpress: a US tracking page with a refund date for no delivery