DHgate tracking
DHgate tracking statuses explained
DHgate is a marketplace based in Beijing where independent sellers, most of them in China, sell to buyers abroad, in bulk or one item at a time. The seller ships each order with the service named under 'Ship Via', such as a seller-defined standard service or DHLink, and in histories US customers share, the Postal Service or UniUni does the last leg. In the app, the order page shows an order status such as 'Pending delivery confirmation' with the latest tracking line and an estimated time of arrival under it, and 'Track Items' opens the full history under a heading such as 'In Transit', with carrier lines in English and at times in Chinese. DHgate changes these texts from time to time, and its help pages still use some older button names.
Every DHgate tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending delivery confirmation | The seller has marked your order as shipped, and DHgate is waiting for you to confirm that it arrived. | Normal |
| The item is currently awaiting pickup by the carrier | The seller has given DHgate a tracking number, but the carrier has not scanned your package yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Tracking not updating | Your DHgate tracking has shown nothing new for days, or 'Track Items' says no tracking can be found now. | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivered but not received | The carrier has reported your DHgate package as delivered, but it is not with you. | Take action |
DHgate delays
DHgate says delivery can be delayed by holidays or natural accidents, that some delivery methods need 7 to 10 days before a package can be tracked online, and that a carrier can take 5, 7 or 10 business days to show the tracking. It adds that once a package has left China, the online updates from the carrier in your country can lag behind the package. In histories customers share, waits build up at three points: before the first carrier scan, while the order says 'The item is currently awaiting pickup by the carrier', at times for weeks; on the way out of China, where one package was returned after a security check; and with the carrier in your country, where one history stopped on an arrival line for a month.
Is your package from DHgate late or missing?
What goes wrong with DHgate
From 290 complaints about DHgate filed on Complain.biz. One complaint can mention several problems.
Who is responsible for a late or missing package from DHgate?
If you bought on DHgate, DHgate's own rules decide refunds, whichever seller you bought from. DHgate holds your payment and passes it to the seller when you confirm that the order has been received; or, once the seller asks for payment on a delivered order, 5 days after DHgate emails you about it, unless a problem has been raised by then; or by itself 120 days after the order is shipped. Its Buyer Protection page says you are eligible for a refund if an order is not shipped or not received by the estimated delivery date, and that most items can be reported within 21 days of receipt. 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, DHgate was not your carrier: it is a marketplace, not a delivery service you book, so the carrier you chose and its terms apply. For a return sent back to a seller after an agreement on DHgate, its help pages say the refund follows once the seller has the parcel, or 30 days after you add the return's tracking number if the seller does not confirm it.
Questions about DHgate tracking
What does pending delivery confirmation mean on DHgate?
The seller has marked your order as shipped and DHgate is waiting for you to confirm receipt. It does not mean the package is with a carrier or near you; the tracking line under the status says where it is.
What does the item is currently awaiting pickup by the carrier mean on DHgate?
The seller has added a tracking number and marked the order as shipped, but the carrier has not scanned the package yet, or its scan has not reached DHgate. The package may still be with the seller.
Why is my DHgate tracking not updating?
DHgate says carriers need time to record a package, some methods need 7 to 10 days before tracking works, and updates can lag once the package is in your country. It can also mean the carrier does not have the package yet.
DHgate says delivered but I have no package. What should I do?
Search around your home and building, ask neighbors and check the address in the tracking. If nothing turns up by the end of the next day, file a complaint and we send it to DHgate, before its 5 day payment count runs out.
Based on
- DHgate Help Center: Release Payment Policy (the buyer confirms, the seller requests payment on a delivered item, or 120 days after the order is shipped)
- DHgate Help Center: When DHgate releases the payment, will I be notified? (the email and the 5 days)
- DHgate: Buyer Protection (refund if an order is not shipped or not received by the estimated delivery date; most items reported within 21 days of receipt)
- DHgate Help Center: What should I do if it is returned and refunded? (refund when the seller receives the return, or 30 days after the tracking number is uploaded)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)