Cainiao tracking status

Cainiao tracking not updating: why, and what to do

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Cainiao says tracking usually appears within 11 days of the seller shipping. That covers the first update only. For a later gap it says to wait until the latest promised delivery date, because carriers do not always enter each step.

When to act: If no tracking has appeared 12 days after the seller shipped, or the tracking has stopped and the latest promised delivery date has passed, file a complaint and we send it to Cainiao.

Also shown as: “Not Found” · “Waiting for Carrier to Pick Up” · “Leaving Origin” · “Arrive at Destination” · “Arrival at Destination” · “Delay on delivery” · “Last-mile delivery forecast” · “Arrived at linehaul office” · “Import customs clearance complete” · “Import customs clearance completed” · “Received by local delivery company” · “Collected”

What to do now

Note the date the seller shipped and the date of the last line.
Check your number on Cainiao's tracking page, which covers only Cainiao and AliExpress parcels.
Look for a second tracking number on your order, because customers report more than one number for the same order.
Find the latest promised delivery date on your order page and write it down.
Keep screenshots of the tracking history with their dates.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Cainiao, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

No update for days with another courier

What is going on

Where it stops tells you a lot. 'Not Found' or 'Waiting for Carrier to Pick Up' means the carrier may not have the package yet or has not entered it: Cainiao says the number may be wrong, or the carrier may not have accepted the package. Cainiao gives 11 days at most for tracking to update after the seller ships, and points you to the seller if nothing has appeared after 12. Its FAQ gives those numbers for a package with no tracking information, not for a stall later on. A customer also reports three days on 'collected' with no movement.

'Leaving Origin' means it has left the origin country, and Cainiao says it may pass through other countries. 'Arrive at Destination' means it reached the destination country and has to wait for clearance. Cainiao puts a lack of updates after that line down to the destination country not updating, and adds that a carrier may stop entering tracking after a certain stage, may miss an entry, or that the package may be lost or delayed. Cainiao does not define 'Last-mile delivery forecast' or 'Arrived at linehaul office'. In histories customers share, the forecast line can come in China, straight after the sorting center, so it does not mean the package is close. Customers also report almost a month on 'Import customs clearance complete'.

Why it happens

The seller has shipped but the carrier has not entered the package yet
The package is in the air or passing through another country
The destination country has not sent an update
The carrier stopped entering tracking after a certain stage, or missed an entry
Customs is holding it, or it has cleared and no local carrier has scanned it yet
An invalid address or telephone number, which Cainiao links to 'delay on delivery'
The package is lost or delayed in transit

What usually happens next

Depending on where it stalled, the next line should be 'Leaving Origin', 'Arrive at Destination', a customs line or 'Received by local delivery company'. Cainiao says to wait until the most recent promised delivery date. Its service times, written for merchants, are 5 to 10 calendar days for Premium in markets such as Spain, the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium, 10 to 18 for Standard and 20 to 45 for Economy to key countries. They do not name the US.

Other Cainiao statuses

Out for deliveryKeep an eye on it
Delivery failedTake action
Import customs clearance delayKeep an eye on it
Waiting for Pick UpTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action
ReturnTake action

All Cainiao statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing package from Cainiao?

If you bought online from a business, the seller or marketplace is usually the one to sort it out. The seller chose Cainiao and is its customer, so a late or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Cainiao's own FAQ also points to the seller when no tracking has appeared 12 days after shipment. On AliExpress, the platform's own rules decide refunds: its Buyer Protection covers an item that did not arrive or was lost in transit, within the guaranteed delivery window on your order page. For a UK order, the Consumer Rights Act, section 29, keeps goods from a business at the seller's risk until you have them, unless you hired a carrier the seller did not offer.

If you sent it yourself, Cainiao is unlikely to be your direct carrier, as it describes its cross-border services as primarily for merchants, brands and e-commerce platforms. If you booked through a shipping platform, your contract is likely to be with that platform, under the terms you accepted. We found no public Cainiao terms for private senders, and no standard cover amount.

Questions about “Tracking not updating”

Why is my Cainiao tracking not updating?

Usually the package is between carriers, or the destination country has not sent an update. Cainiao also says carriers can stop entering tracking or miss an entry, and that a package can be lost or delayed.

How long does Cainiao take to deliver?

Cainiao's page for merchants gives 5 to 10 calendar days for Premium in markets such as Spain, the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium, 10 to 18 for Standard and 20 to 45 for Economy to key countries. It does not name the US. Your order page shows the date that applies to you.

Why is there no update after Arrive at Destination?

Cainiao says this is generally because the destination country has not updated the information, and the package has to wait for clearance. If the latest promised delivery date has passed with nothing new, file a complaint and we send it to Cainiao.

What does Last-mile delivery forecast mean on Cainiao?

Cainiao does not define it. In histories customers share it can appear while the package is still at a sorting center in China, so it does not mean delivery is close. One customer read it as naming the carrier that will take over.

Why is my package stuck on Import customs clearance complete?

Customs is done, and the next line should be 'Received by local delivery company'. Customers report almost a month with nothing new at this point. If the latest promised delivery date has passed, file a complaint and we send it to Cainiao.

Based on

Cainiao Help Center: FAQ (no tracking 12 days after shipment, returns, wordings for waiting for pickup)
Cainiao Help Center: Logistics Status Explanation
Cainiao Help Center: Guidance (what the tracking page shows)
Cainiao: Cross-border Express Delivery (service times, written for merchants)
Trustpilot: customer reviews of Cainiao (customers' own accounts)
Reddit r/Aliexpress: a Cainiao history with 'Last-mile delivery forecast' in China
Reddit r/Aliexpress: another history with 'Last-mile delivery forecast' in China
Reddit r/Aliexpress: a customer reading the forecast as naming the next carrier
Reddit r/Aliexpress: a Cainiao history with 'Arrived at linehaul office'
Reddit r/Aliexpress: almost a month after 'Import customs clearance complete'
Reddit r/Aliexpress: almost a month on 'Import customs clearance completed'
Reddit r/Aliexpress: 'Received by local delivery company'
AliExpress: Buyer Protection (item that did not arrive within the guaranteed delivery window)
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)