Australia Post tracking status
Australia Post “Label created by sender”: what it means
The short answer
Keep an eye on itThe sender has told Australia Post a parcel is coming, but Australia Post has not scanned it yet. It expects to receive the parcel within 3 business days. More than a week on this line is a reason to act.
When to act: If the tracking has not moved past this line after a week, file a complaint and we send it to the seller.
Also shown as: “The sender is preparing the parcel” · “The sender is preparing your parcel” · “Your parcel is being packed by the sender” · “Your parcel is coming” · “Ready for processing” · “Received and ready for processing” · “Shipping information received by Australia Post” · “Shipping information approved by Australia Post”
What to do now
- 1
Check the date of the first tracking line and compare it with the dispatch time on your order confirmation.
- 2
Look for a second tracking number on the same order, as one order can be split into separate parcels.
- 3
Add the tracking number to the AusPost app or your MyPost account and turn on notifications, so you see the first scan.
- 4
Check the delivery address on your order while the parcel has not moved yet.
- 5
Keep a screenshot of the tracking 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 “Label created by sender” mean?
This first line appears when the sender creates a label or gives Australia Post a list of its parcels, called a manifest. Australia Post then has the address and the service, but not necessarily the parcel. In the app it reads 'The sender is preparing the parcel. We should receive it within 3 business days.'
'Shipping information received by Australia Post' is an older wording for the same stage, and Australia Post says 'The sender is preparing your parcel' has replaced 'Ready for processing'. 'Received and ready for processing' appears in two tracking histories people share, and 'Shipping information approved by Australia Post' in one. Australia Post does not define either on its help pages. In one of those histories the first facility scan came about two hours after 'Received and ready for processing', and in the other it came two weeks later, so these lines do not show for sure that Australia Post has the parcel.
Why does Australia Post show it?
- The sender created the label but has not handed the parcel over yet
- The order is still being packed
- The label was created early, ahead of the sender's pickup
- The parcel was handed over, but only some parcels are scanned at pickup or lodgement, so the first scan comes later
How long does it last?
The next headline is 'It's on its way', with 'Picked up from sender', 'Received by Australia Post' or 'Item processed at facility' underneath. Australia Post says it should receive the parcel within 3 business days, and treats more than a week at this stage as a sign the parcel may not have been sent.
Other Australia Post statuses
- PendingKeep an eye on it
- It's on its wayNormal
- Item processed at facilityNormal
- Onboard for deliveryNormal
- Possible delayKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Attempted deliveryTake action
- Awaiting collectionTake action
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Returning to senderTake action
- Cannot be deliveredTake action
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Australia Post?
If you bought online from a business, it is in most cases for the seller to put right. The Australian Consumer Law (section 36) says a business that took your payment must supply the goods within the time it stated, or a reasonable time if it stated none, unless the failure was due to someone else or a cause beyond its control and it took reasonable precautions and due diligence to avoid it. A seller may argue that a failure by Australia Post falls under that exception. Section 36 does not itself set out a refund, and the Australian Consumer Law does not say in so many words who carries the risk of a parcel lost in the post. Government guidance in Victoria and Western Australia says the seller is responsible for resolving delivery problems with Australia Post, and that you are entitled to a refund if the seller still does not deliver. State sale of goods law and the seller's terms can also matter and are not covered here. Australia Post generally pays the sender for a lost domestic parcel, but its terms leave the claim with the addressee, up to $100, on parcels a business lodges under Business Standard or Business Express Delivery.
If you posted the parcel yourself, you have a contract with Australia Post, and its General Terms and Conditions apply. Most parcel services include compensation of up to $100 plus a refund of the postage when a parcel is lost or damaged and Australia Post is at fault, and Extra Cover bought when posting can raise that. It pays nothing for delays, except a refund of the postage when Express Post misses its next business day guarantee. Its terms say any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law apply in addition to them.
Questions about “Label created by sender”
What does 'Label created by sender' mean on Australia Post?
The sender has created a label and given Australia Post the details, but Australia Post has not scanned the parcel yet. It says it should receive the parcel within 3 business days.
What does 'Shipping information approved by Australia Post' mean?
Australia Post does not define this line on its help pages. In the one tracking history we found, it followed 'Shipping information received by Australia Post' within 30 minutes, which points to the sender's details being accepted, not to the parcel being scanned.
Does Australia Post have my parcel if it says 'Ready for processing'?
Not necessarily. Australia Post has replaced this line with 'The sender is preparing your parcel', which shows what it means: the details are in, but the parcel may still be with the sender.
How long can AusPost tracking stay on 'Label created by sender'?
Australia Post says it should receive the parcel within 3 business days. More than a week at this stage is the point at which it questions whether the parcel was really sent. If that happens, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to the seller.
Based on
- Australia Post: Trusted tracking and notifications guide (notification stages, 'Label created by sender')
- Australia Post: Tracking and notifications for business ('Ready for processing' replaced)
- Australia Post: Improving your customers' tracking experience (typical tracking flow)
- Australia Post help: Taking longer than expected (more than a week on 'Pending' or 'Ready for processing')
- OzBargain: a tracking history a customer shared ('Shipping information approved', 'Received and ready for processing')
- IceInSpace forum: a tracking history a customer shared ('Received and ready for processing', 'In transit to next facility')
- Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act, Schedule 2), section 36: supply within the stated period or a reasonable time
- Government of Victoria: Products missing or damaged in transit (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not supplied)
- Government of Western Australia: Missing or damaged products (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not delivered)
- Australia Post General Terms and Conditions, clauses 3.1 to 3.8 (delays, lost items, included compensation, claims by addressees on business parcels)
- Australia Post: Compensation (generally who is paid, amounts, Express Post refund)