DPD Ireland tracking status

DPD Ireland “We tried to deliver but we couldn't locate you”: what it means

The short answer

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DPD's driver did not hand over your parcel and recorded a reason, such as not finding you or your address. You can choose a new date or a Pickup point in MyDPD. DPD publishes no number of attempts, so do not wait for a second try.

When to act: If you were home when this line appeared, or the new date fails too, file a complaint and we send it to DPD Ireland.

Also shown as: “We tried to deliver but we didn't have the correct address” · “We tried to deliver but couldn't make contact”

What to do now

Look through your email and texts for a DPD message, and ask your neighbours, as DPD's policy is to leave a parcel with a neighbour or in a safe place where it can.
Choose a new date or send the parcel to a Pickup point in MyDPD or the Parcel Wizard app.
Add a safe place at your home in the app, for this and later parcels.
Check the address, Eircode and mobile number on your order.
If you were home, note the time and keep any doorbell footage and a screenshot of the line.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to DPD Ireland, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

Missed delivery or a card left with another courier

What does “We tried to deliver but we couldn't locate you” mean?

DPD's stated policy is to deliver anyway unless you asked in advance for another date or a Pickup point. It says it will leave the parcel with a neighbour or in a safe place at your property and tell you where. So this line means that did not happen. DPD does not define the line or publish how many times it tries. In shared histories the ending varies: 'we couldn't locate you' and 'we didn't have the correct address' are quoted in full, and one person says theirs read 'couldn't make contact'. Several of those people say they were home or that the address was right, so the reason is what was recorded, not proof of what happened.

The parcel should go back to a depot, and you choose what happens next. DPD says you can reschedule, redirect the parcel to a Pickup point, authorise a safe place or change the address up to the day before delivery. It also says it will never ask for payment for a redelivery by phone, text or email. The one exception it names is VAT or duty on a parcel from outside the EU.

Why does DPD Ireland show it?

Nobody was home and no neighbour or safe place could be used
The driver could not reach you on the number given
A wrong or incomplete address, Eircode or mobile number on the label
The parcel was not to be left outside, as one driver said of a console launch
The driver could not find the house or get safe access to it

How long does it last?

In shared histories the next line is 'Returned to Depot' or 'Awaiting delivery - you'll receive your 1 hr delivery text/email on the day of delivery', then 'Your parcel is on a van and due for delivery' on the new date. DPD publishes no limit on how long it keeps trying.

Other DPD Ireland statuses

Your parcel is travelling through the DPD networkNormal
Order received / DPD awaiting parcelNormal
Parcel going through Customs processKeep an eye on it
Non-ConveyableKeep an eye on it
Your parcel is held at the DPD depotTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All DPD Ireland statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from DPD Ireland?

When you buy online from a business, the parcel is normally the seller's responsibility until you have it. Under Irish consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act, section 35), goods stay at the seller's risk until you, or someone you nominated, have them in your physical possession, unless you booked the carrier yourself and the seller did not propose it. Section 36 says the seller must deliver without undue delay, and by 30 days after the contract at the latest, unless you agreed something else. DPD's contract is with the sender, and its terms make the sender answer for claims about delivery from the person receiving the parcel. Customs charges are different: DPD collects them from you before delivery unless the seller took them at checkout.

If you sent the parcel yourself and booked with DPD Ireland directly, your contract is with DPD Ireland, under its Terms and Conditions of Carriage. For a parcel within the Republic, its liability is limited to the lower of the replacement value of the goods or €15 per kilogram, up to €1,500 per consignment, unless you paid for additional cover, and it excludes loss of income and other indirect loss. For a parcel that never arrives, the terms say DPD is not liable unless it is told in writing within seven days of the anticipated delivery date, with a claim form within 21 days. If you booked on the parcel booking site that Parcel2Go runs under DPD's name, that site's terms say your contract is with Parcel2Go and not with DPD Ireland, so its conditions apply instead.

Questions about “We tried to deliver but we couldn't locate you”

What does 'We tried to deliver' mean on DPD?

DPD does not define it. It reads as a driver who could not hand over the parcel or leave it safely, with a short reason after it, such as 'we couldn't locate you'. Choose a new date or a Pickup point.

How many times will DPD try to deliver?

DPD Ireland publishes no number, so do not rely on a second try happening by itself. Set a new date or a Pickup point in MyDPD or the Parcel Wizard app.

I missed my DPD delivery. What now?

DPD says you can reschedule or redirect it on its website or in the app, send it to a Pickup point, or change the address up to the day before delivery. Do it soon, as DPD publishes no depot hold period.

Does DPD charge for redelivery?

DPD says it will never ask for payment for a redelivery by text or email. The exception it names is VAT or duty on a parcel from outside the EU. Treat a redelivery fee request as not from DPD.

I was home but DPD says it could not reach me. What can I do?

Note the time you were home and keep any doorbell footage and a screenshot of the line. Choose a new date, and file a complaint here so it gets looked at.

Based on

boards.ie: history, 'We tried to deliver but we couldn't locate you'
boards.ie: PS5 thread, the same line, no attempt seen
boards.ie: history, 'we didn't have the correct address', then 'Awaiting delivery'
boards.ie: DPD thread, 'we didn't have the correct address'
boards.ie: Pixel thread, tracking said 'couldn't make contact'
boards.ie: Switch 2 thread, driver could not find the house
r/IrelandGaming: DPD Tracker thread (shared lines on a busy launch day)
DPD Ireland: Track Your Parcel (deliver anyway policy, reschedule, change address)
DPD Ireland: Manage My Deliveries (I missed my delivery, safe place)
DPD Ireland: Terms and Conditions of Carriage, Republic of Ireland (Condition 13, access, PDF)
Irish Examiner: DPD on when it asks for payment
Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 35 (passing of risk)
Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 36 (delivery of goods, 30 days)
DPD Ireland: Terms and Conditions of Carriage, Republic of Ireland, National section (Conditions 1, 16, 17 and 18, PDF)
Parcel2Go: conditions of the DPD booking site (the contract is with Parcel2Go)
DPD Ireland: Customs Update for Consumers (who pays VAT and duty)