Parcelforce tracking status

Parcelforce “Item Received”: what it means

The short answer

Normal

Your parcel is inside the Parcelforce network, scanned at a sorting site on its way to your delivery depot. A National Hub line can mean Coventry or Hatfield. These lines are normal, so check the date on the last one rather than the place.

When to act: If a hub is still the latest line 2 working days after your parcel's due date, file a complaint and we send it to Parcelforce.

Also shown as: “In Transit” · “Your item has reached [hub] and will now be sent to your local delivery office.” · “Your item has reached [hub] and will now be sent to your local delivery office. We expect to deliver it on [date].” · “Coventry PFW National Hub” · “Hatfield PFW National Hub” · “Coventry PFW International Hub” · “COVENTRY PARCELFORCE INT Hub” · “Item has left our International Processing Centre” · “Item Leaving overseas” · “Item Collected” · “We've got it” · “Item was collected as per request on [date].”

What to do now

Check the date on the last line, not only the place. A hub line from today or yesterday is normal.
Work out the due date. express10, expressAM and express24 aim for the next working day and express48 for two working days, longer in some remote postcodes. Also check the date the seller gave you.
Do not travel to a hub. Collection is from your local depot or a Post Office, once the tracking or your card says so.
Keep a screenshot of the tracking history and your order number in case it stops moving.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Parcelforce, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Item Received” mean?

Item Received is the line Royal Mail's tracker gives when a parcel is scanned at a site, and the place under it says where. PFW stands for Parcelforce Worldwide. Coventry PFW National Hub and Hatfield PFW National Hub are sorting hubs, and COVENTRY PARCELFORCE INT Hub or Coventry PFW International Hub handles parcels to and from other countries. Item Collected at the start of a history means the parcel was picked up from the sender or a Post Office. The text at the top can say local delivery office even when the next stop is a Parcelforce depot.

Parcelforce's user guide gives the order for a UK parcel: details from the sender, local depot, hub, delivery depot, out for delivery, delivery. One history shared in July shows Item Collected at Wrexham, Item Received at Deeside PFW Depot, Item Received at Coventry PFW National Hub, then Received at Delivery Depot in south east London the next morning. So a scan far from home is normal. Parcels sold as Royal Mail Tracked 48 can pass through these sites too. The old Parcelforce tracking page said Sorted and Arrived in the UK where this tracker says Item Received, and Parcelforce's help still calls this stage In progress. That old page now redirects.

Why does Parcelforce show it?

Normal sorting between the depot that collected it and your delivery depot
A route through a national hub, sometimes a long way from home
A parcel from abroad moving from the International Hub to a national hub
A parcel going abroad waiting at the International Hub for Item Leaving the UK
A Royal Mail service, such as Tracked 48, passing through Parcelforce sites

How long does it last?

The next line is usually Received at Delivery Depot, followed by Due to be delivered today. Parcelforce aims to deliver express24 by close of business the next working day and express48 within two working days. A date at the top, such as We expect to deliver it on 10 July, is an aim. Histories people share include parcels leaving a hub overnight and others, mostly from abroad or on Royal Mail services, with no new line at a hub for two or three weeks.

Other Parcelforce statuses

Held as Customs fee to payTake action
Due to be delivered todayNormal
Delivery AttemptedTake action
Available for Redelivery or CollectionTake action
Item RetentionKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updating or parcel lateKeep an eye on it
Returned to senderTake action
We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All Parcelforce statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Parcelforce?

Buy online from a business and the seller usually has to sort it out until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act, section 29) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option. Parcelforce's own help also says the retailer has a legal responsibility to make sure you get what you paid for.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is under the joint Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide terms for the service you bought. UK express services include cover of up to £150 per item for loss or damage, and you can add more, up to £2,500 per item. A refund for late delivery depends on the service: 100% of the delivery cost for express10 and expressAM, 50% for express24 and nothing for express48 or express48large.

Questions about “Item Received”

What does Item Received mean on Parcelforce tracking?

The parcel was scanned at the place shown under the line. It does not mean it has reached you or your delivery depot. It often appears several times on one journey.

Where is the Parcelforce National Hub?

The tracking names two: Coventry PFW National Hub and Hatfield PFW National Hub. The International Hub is in Coventry. All are sorting sites, and Parcelforce's help only describes collection from your local depot or a Post Office.

What is the Parcelforce NW Processing Centre?

A sorting centre in the north west of England, which Parcelforce's own pages name as the North West Processing Centre. We found no current tracking history that shows that name, so read the place under your own line.

Why is my Royal Mail parcel at a PFW depot?

Parcelforce and Royal Mail now run as a single network, and parcels with a Royal Mail service such as Tracked 48 can go through Parcelforce sites. A commenter puts it down to size, but people also report small parcels going this way.

Why is my parcel going the wrong way?

Parcels go through a hub before your delivery depot, so a scan far from home is normal in itself. What matters is whether a new line follows by the due date.

Based on

Parcelforce: Track your parcel (single network with Royal Mail, tracking numbers)
Parcelforce: How can I track my parcel?
Parcelforce: About Parcelforce Worldwide (depots and sorting centres)
Parcelforce Worldwide: UK parcel services user guide (journey, notifications, Safeplace, photo on delivery)
Parcelforce: UK parcel delivery services (delivery aims and cover)
Parcelforce: Redelivery (attempts, holding periods, ID)
Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (glossary for the tracker Parcelforce parcels now use)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): one parcel on the old Parcelforce page and on Royal Mail tracking, same day (screenshots)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): the old www7 Parcelforce tracking page now goes to the new site
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Received at Hatfield PFW National Hub on a Royal Mail Tracked 48 (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Hatfield PFW National Hub with an expected delivery date (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): full history from collection through Coventry to a delivery depot (screenshots)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): We've got it and Item Collected on Parcelforce express24 (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Collected at a PFW depot after drop off (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): outbound parcel waiting for Item Leaving the UK
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): parcel from abroad with no new line at Coventry for weeks
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): Tracked 48 at a Parcelforce depot, commenter on parcel size
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): small Royal Mail parcels delivered by Parcelforce
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
Parcelforce: Buying items online, who you should contact
Parcelforce: Enhanced and inclusive compensation
Parcelforce: Refunds for late delivery
Royal Mail: Terms and conditions (Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide)