NZ Post tracking status
NZ Post “Returned to Sender”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionYour parcel is going back to the sender, and NZ Post says it cannot retrieve it once this shows. Common reasons are a refused parcel, a card not acted on, a bad address or a failed customs check.
When to act: If you did not ask for the return and still have no explanation after 5 working days, file a complaint and we send it to NZ Post.
Also shown as: “Returned” · “Arrived at return address”
What to do now
- 1
Read the lines just above 'Returned to Sender' in the tracking history for the reason, such as 'Undeliverable' or 'Delivery attempted'.
- 2
Check the delivery address on your order and whether a Missed my parcel card reached you.
- 3
Look in your order account and inbox for a new dispatch or refund message.
- 4
Watch your bank statement for a refund over the coming days.
- 5
Save screenshots of the tracking page and the address you gave.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to NZ Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “Returned to Sender” mean?
NZ Post says 'Returned to Sender' means there was a problem with the parcel and delivery could not be completed, and that the parcel is on its way back and cannot be retrieved by NZ Post. For parcels it delivers, it names three reasons: the parcel was refused at the address, a Card to Call was left and the parcel was not collected within 14 days, or the address was incorrect, incomplete or invalid. A parcel from overseas may go back if it does not meet New Zealand Customs requirements. 'Arrived at return address' means it has reached the return centre, which is not open to the public.
This line does not mean you have been refunded. Any refund comes from the seller, not NZ Post. On a signature parcel, NZ Post's terms let it charge the sender for transport and storage when a card is not acted on within seven working days. For a shop order, what happens next depends on why the parcel came back. If you gave the right address, did not refuse it and did not miss a card, the delivery guarantee in the Consumer Guarantees Act points to the seller. If the failure is substantial, you can reject the goods and choose a refund or a replacement.
Why does NZ Post show it?
- The parcel was refused at the delivery address
- A Missed my parcel card was left and the parcel was not collected in time
- The address was incorrect, incomplete or invalid
- A parcel from overseas did not meet New Zealand Customs requirements
How long does it last?
NZ Post does not say how long the return takes. Once the parcel arrives, it is for the sender to decide what happens next, and a parcel sent by a shop may be sent again or refunded.
Other NZ Post statuses
- Delivery attemptedTake action
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Parcel delayedKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Processed at depotNormal
- With courier for deliveryNormal
- Ready to collectTake action
- Held for ClearanceKeep an eye on it
- UndeliverableTake action
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from NZ Post?
If you bought online from a business that arranged the delivery, the seller is responsible. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act (section 5A), a supplier who delivers or arranges delivery guarantees that you will receive the goods at the agreed time or, if no time was agreed, within a reasonable time. Your rights are against the seller, and on delivery the Act gives two. If the failure is substantial, you can reject the goods and choose a refund or, if the seller has one in stock, a replacement. The courier losing the parcel does not take that right away, because the Act treats the carrier as the seller's agent on this point. In any case, the seller owes damages for loss that could reasonably be foreseen. NZ Post's contract is with the sender, and it usually pays any compensation to the sender. The Act sets no number of days, and it does not say whether a parcel left at your address counts as received. It covers sellers in trade and goods normally bought for personal or household use, not a private person selling something second hand.
If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with NZ Post, under its Public Contract and Postal Users' Guide, and you are the one who has to raise a problem with it. It promises reasonable care and skill. Its delivery times are targets and its terms say it pays no compensation for delay. If it is liable for a parcel lost or damaged within New Zealand, cover is up to $250 for Economy or $2,000 for Courier, including Courier Economy, plus the postage, depending on its conditions. Its terms set a limit of 21 days from sending for a parcel that never arrived, and 10 days from delivery for damage (7 for a business). NZ Post says Consumer Guarantees Act rights apply alongside these terms, but subject to the Postal Services Act and the carriage rules in the Contract and Commercial Law Act. Those rules limit a carrier's liability for loss or damage to the contract and the rules themselves, unless it caused the loss on purpose (section 244). Government guidance says the same for a carrier you hire yourself, and that the Act can still cover unreasonable delay. A business that sends parcels agrees, as far as the law allows, that the Act does not apply.
Questions about “Returned to Sender”
Why was my NZ Post parcel returned to sender?
NZ Post's reasons are a refused parcel, a card not acted on within 14 days, an incorrect, incomplete or invalid address, or a parcel from overseas that did not meet New Zealand Customs requirements. The lines above it in tracking may show which.
Can NZ Post stop a parcel going back to the sender?
No. NZ Post says that once tracking shows 'Returned to Sender' it cannot retrieve the parcel.
Do I get my money back if a parcel is returned to sender?
Not from NZ Post, which usually pays any compensation to the sender. If you bought from a business, gave the right address, did not refuse the parcel and did not miss a card, the Consumer Guarantees Act points to the seller, and a substantial failure lets you choose a refund or a replacement.
Can I pick up a returned parcel from the return centre?
No. NZ Post says the returns centre is not accessible to the public.
I never got a card. Why was my parcel returned?
NZ Post's terms say a card is left at the address, or at a place the driver thinks appropriate if they cannot get access, so look around too. Keep screenshots, and if nothing is explained after 5 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to NZ Post.
Based on
- NZ Post: My item to NZ shows Returned to Sender (reasons, cannot be retrieved, 14 days)
- NZ Post: What does my tracking status mean? (Returned to Sender, Arrived at return address)
- NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (seven working days for signature parcels, costs, undeliverable items, claim payments)
- Consumer Guarantees Act, section 5A (guarantee as to delivery), section 21 (substantial failure) and section 23 (refund or replacement)
- New Zealand government consumer guidance: Delivery issues
- Consumer Guarantees Act, section 5A (guarantee as to delivery), sections 18, 20, 21 and 23 (rejecting goods, substantial failure, damages, refund or replacement), section 2 (who is a supplier and a consumer)
- Contract and Commercial Law Act, section 243 (carriage of letters by a postal operator is excluded) and section 244 (a carrier's liability for loss or damage)
- New Zealand government consumer guidance: Delivery issues (the shop is responsible for delivery until the goods reach you; a carrier you hire yourself; delay)
- NZ Post: Cover for loss or damage (cover limits, who raises a problem, time limits, no compensation for delay)
- NZ Post: Public Contract (reasonable care and skill, liability caps, Consumer Guarantees Act rights)
- NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (delivery targets, cover limits, Courier includes Courier Economy, time limits, consumer rights subject to other Acts, claim payments usually go to the sender)
- NZ Post: Collect my parcel Terms and Conditions (NZ Post's contract to deliver your parcel is with the sender)
- NZ Post: Delivering together (CourierPost became Courier and Courier Economy, Pace became Express)