An Post tracking status
An Post “We have received information about your incoming item”: what it means
The short answer
NormalThe seller has told An Post your parcel is coming, but An Post does not have the parcel itself yet. You get a new tracking update once An Post receives it. If the wait gets long, that is a matter for the seller.
When to act: If nothing has changed 5 working days after this line, or 15 days for a parcel from abroad, file a complaint and we send it to the seller.
Also shown as: “We have received a notification about your incoming item from the sender” · “Sender/retailer has shared details of your item to An Post”
What to do now
- 1
Check the date of this line and compare it with the delivery date the seller gave you.
- 2
Look at the seller's dispatch message, in case it gives another carrier's tracking number.
- 3
Sign up at An Post with the email address and mobile number you use for shopping, so you see updates as soon as the parcel is scanned.
- 4
Set a safe spot now, so the first delivery does not fail.
- 5
Keep screenshots of this line and your order confirmation.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to the seller, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “We have received information about your incoming item from the sender” mean?
This line comes from the sender's data, not from a scan. An Post's help page words it as 'Sender/retailer has shared details of your item to An Post', and shared histories show it as 'We have received information about your incoming item from the sender'. The help page says the details are the tracking number, where the item comes from and where it is going, and that it receives these for most incoming items. So the parcel may still be at the seller's warehouse, with another carrier or on its way to Ireland.
The order can also look odd. If tracking first says An Post has your item and then shows this line, An Post says the sender handed the item over and sent the details afterwards, and that delivery carries on as normal. For parcels from abroad, another postal service's tracking can show the parcel in Ireland before An Post has scanned it.
Why does An Post show it?
- The seller has prepared the parcel but not handed it over
- The parcel is with another carrier on its way to An Post
- The parcel has been handed over but not scanned yet
- The sender sent the details after handing over the parcel
How long does it last?
The next line should be 'Your item has been handed to An Post' or 'We have received your item', then 'We have your item and will process it for delivery'. An Post gives no time limit for this gap.
Other An Post statuses
- A customs charge has been appliedTake action
- Customs charges have been paidKeep an eye on it
- Your item is being sorted for deliveryKeep an eye on it
- Parcel delayedKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- We tried to deliver your itemKeep an eye on it
- Your delivery is in D.S.U.Take action
- We could not deliver your itemTake action
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from An Post?
A parcel bought online from a business is usually the seller's to sort out until it reaches you. The Consumer Rights Act (section 35) leaves goods at the seller's risk until you, or a person you nominated, physically have them. The exception is a carrier you booked yourself and the seller did not propose. Section 36 requires delivery without undue delay and no later than 30 days after the contract was made, unless you and the seller agreed otherwise. Customs charges are different: An Post's customs terms make the person receiving the parcel liable for them.
When you sent the parcel yourself, you are An Post's customer and the terms of the service you bought apply. For Standard Post, compensation generally covers no more than postage and directly associated costs, often in stamps. For Express it may equal the postage, and Express with Signature is limited to the lower of the item's proven cost and €350. Registered Post is limited to the value you declared (€25 if you declared none), up to €350 plus charges within Ireland and less for places abroad.
Questions about “We have received information about your incoming item from the sender”
What does 'We have received information about your incoming item from the sender' mean?
An Post has the parcel's details from the sender, including the tracking number, origin and destination, but is still waiting for the parcel itself. Its help page calls this 'Sender/retailer has shared details of your item to An Post'.
Does An Post have my parcel?
Not yet, unless an earlier line said so. An Post says you get a new tracking update as soon as it receives the parcel, and then it processes it for delivery.
My tracking said An Post had my item and now says details were shared. Why?
An Post says this means the sender handed over the item and sent the details afterwards. Your parcel should be delivered as normal.
How long can this An Post tracking line stay?
An Post gives no limit. It says a significant delay is one for the sender or retailer. Once 5 working days have passed, or 15 days from abroad, file a complaint here and we send it to the seller.
Based on
- An Post: Track and Trace help (Sender/retailer has shared details of your item)
- An Post: My deliveries (parcels matched to your email and mobile, safe spot)
- An Post: Receiving post (5 working days and 15 days)
- boards.ie: H&M Delivery thread, the line as a person saw it
- boards.ie: a week on this line with one parcel of an order
- boards.ie: full history with this line first
- boards.ie: older form, 'a notification about your incoming item'
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 35 (passing of risk)
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 36 (delivery of goods, 30 days)
- An Post: Terms and Conditions for all services (Standard and Registered Post compensation)
- An Post: Express Terms and Conditions, single piece mail
- An Post: Customs Terms and Conditions (who is liable for customs charges)