DHL tracking status

DHL “Departure Origin DHL eCommerce Facility”: what it means

The short answer

Normal

Your package has left the DHL eCommerce facility at the start of its journey and is moving on. It is a normal scan. Next comes 'Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility', then usually a handover to a postal service or delivery partner.

When to act: If your package has not arrived 10 days after the expected delivery date, file a complaint and we send it to DHL.

Also shown as: “Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility” · “Package Received at DHL eCommerce Distribution Center” · “Tendered to Delivery Service Provider” · “Tendered to Delivery Service Provider, allow 1-3 days for updates for packages within the US” · “Arrival at Post Office”

What to do now

Find the delivery date the seller gave you. DHL's 10-day limit counts from that date, not from this scan.
Read the city on the line: it is the facility the package left, not where it is now.
Look for 'Tendered to Delivery Service Provider'. If you see it, try the same number on the postal service's tracking page, as the last scans may appear there.
Expect a different driver: in the US the last stretch is USPS, so check your mailbox as well as your door.
If nothing changes for days, save a screenshot of the tracking history and keep your order number.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to DHL, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Departure Origin DHL eCommerce Facility” mean?

DHL does not define this scan. Its place in the journey comes from tracking histories people share on Reddit's DHL forum: 'Package Received at DHL eCommerce Distribution Center', 'Processed', 'Departure Origin DHL eCommerce Facility', 'Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility', then 'Tendered to Delivery Service Provider'. 'Origin' is the start of the DHL eCommerce leg, not your town. The line does not mean out for delivery.

DHL says a package will normally be handed to the local postal company for final delivery. In the US, DHL eCommerce says USPS completes the final mile, and in Canada a postal service or another delivery provider does. One shared history reads 'Tendered to Delivery Service Provider, allow 1-3 days for updates for packages within the US', then 'Arrival at Post Office'. DHL also says most shipments get milestone tracking only, so there can be long gaps, and some packages show no events at all in the destination country.

Why does DHL show it?

The normal step after sorting at the origin facility
The package is on its way to the destination DHL eCommerce facility
A long leg across a country or between countries
Milestone tracking, so little shows until the next stop

How long does it last?

Usually 'Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility', then the handover, then the delivery scan. In two histories people share, arrival came 1 to 2 days after this scan and the handover the same day. In another, a plain 'En route' line with no place came 5 days after it. DHL's FAQ gives 2 to 3 days for neighboring countries and up to 20 days for long distances, depending on the service, and says delays of up to 10 days are possible. The seller's expected date is the one to measure against.

Other DHL statuses

Shipment on holdKeep an eye on it
Clearance EventKeep an eye on it
ExceptionKeep an eye on it
En route to DHL eCommerce Distribution Center or awaiting processingKeep an eye on it
On Hold Awaiting for Payment of Shipment Related FeesTake action
Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action
Delivery attemptedTake action
Awaiting Collection by ConsigneeTake action
Returned to ShipperTake action
Collection eventKeep an eye on it

All DHL statuses →

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

When you buy online from a business, DHL is the seller's courier and the seller is DHL's customer, so putting a late, lost or missing order right, with a replacement or a refund, is in most cases for the seller. DHL's own documents fit that: its eCommerce FAQ calls the merchant its contract partner and says only the merchant can claim for a lost or damaged package, and its Express claims guide says that in almost all situations only the shipper can claim. If you are in the UK, the Consumer Rights Act (section 29) also keeps the goods at the seller's risk until they reach you or someone you named, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option.

If you sent the package yourself, your contract is with DHL, under the terms you accepted when you booked. DHL Express's US domestic terms limit its liability to $100 or the package's actual value, whichever is lower, and its international terms set a limit per kilogram unless you arranged more cover. Both say DHL is not liable for loss caused by delay, apart from a limited money back guarantee on some international services, and that claims must reach DHL in writing within 30 days of the date it accepted the package. Those are DHL Express terms. Sending through DHL eCommerce UK or Evri Premium falls under that service's own terms.

Questions about “Departure Origin DHL eCommerce Facility”

What does 'Departure Origin DHL eCommerce Facility' mean?

Your package left the first DHL eCommerce facility on its route and is heading to the next one. DHL does not define the scan, but in shared tracking histories it comes before 'Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility'. It is normal, and it does not mean out for delivery.

How long after 'Arrival Destination DHL eCommerce Facility' will my package arrive?

DHL gives no figure for this stage. In shared histories the handover follows the same day, and one line then says to allow 1 to 3 days for updates. DHL's FAQ gives overall times of 2 to 3 days for neighboring countries and up to 20 days for long distances. Compare with the date the seller gave you.

Does DHL eCommerce use USPS?

Yes, in the US. DHL eCommerce says it partners with USPS to complete the final mile for all deliveries there, under an exclusive agreement. Its Canadian FAQ names postal providers in the US and Canada, plus other delivery providers in Canada.

What does 'Tendered to Delivery Service Provider' mean?

DHL does not define it publicly. The words and the histories people share point to the handover for final delivery, and in one history the next line is 'Arrival at Post Office'. The full line can read 'allow 1-3 days for updates for packages within the US', so a short gap after it is expected.

Based on

DHL eCommerce: Tracking and Shipment Status FAQ (US)
DHL eCommerce: Tracking and Shipment Status FAQ (Canada)
DHL: Shipment Tracking Status Explained
DHL eCommerce and USPS: press release on the exclusive last-mile agreement
r/dhl: Why does my package say mis-shipped (shared tracking history)
r/dhl: mis-shipped? (shared tracking history, replies from DHL employees)
r/dhl: Stuck in en route after DEPARTURE ORIGIN DHL ECOMMERCE FACILITY (shared tracking history)
Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 29
DHL Express Claims Guide (UK)
DHL Express U.S. Domestic Terms and Conditions of Carriage
DHL Express Terms and Conditions of Carriage (UK)