Parcelforce tracking status
Parcelforce “Returned to sender”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionParcelforce could not deliver your parcel or nobody collected it, so it is going back to the sender. It normally holds parcels for 18 days first (21 for international and customs charge parcels), but people also report earlier returns.
When to act: If your address was right and you had no card or chance to collect it, file a complaint now and we send it to Parcelforce.
Also shown as: “Return to sender” · “Delivered to sender” · “Your parcel from [sender] has been returned to the sender” · “Item awaiting re-export for return to sender” · “Your item has been received at Coventry PFW International Hub, international processing centre. Your item is being prepared for despatch overseas.” · “Forwarded to Returns Centre”
What to do now
- 1
Read the line before Returned to sender. It often shows a failed attempt, an address problem or an unpaid charge.
- 2
Check the delivery address on your order, including the flat number and postcode.
- 3
Count the days since the first attempt. If you are within 18 days and the parcel is still at the depot, collect it or book a redelivery.
- 4
Save a screenshot of the tracking with the dates, and your order number, for your complaint.
- 5
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.
Going back to the sender with another courier
- USPS: Insufficient address
- Amazon: Undeliverable
- DHL: Returned to Shipper
- OnTrac: Returning package to the shipper
- GOFO: Delivery Failed
- UniUni: Undeliverable
- SpeedX: Return to Shipper
- Cainiao: Return
- Royal Mail: Returned to sender
- Evri: Returned to sender
- DPD: On its way back to the sender
- Canada Post: Item being returned to sender
- Purolator: Item being returned to sender, determined as undeliverable
- Canpar: Returned to sender
- Intelcom: Sorry, your package was undeliverable
- Australia Post: Returning to sender
- Aramex: Return to sender
- CouriersPlease: Return to Sender In Progress
- Sendle: Returned
- NZ Post: Undeliverable
- An Post: We could not deliver your item
What does “Returned to sender” mean?
Parcelforce returns a parcel when it cannot deliver it or nobody collects it. UK parcels wait at the depot for 18 days first, and international and customs charge parcels wait 21. A parcel sent to a Post Office waits 10 days. A Parcel Locker parcel waits 3 days, then 18 more at the depot. Delivered to sender means it has got back.
On a parcel from abroad, Item awaiting re-export for return to sender, or a line saying it is being prepared for despatch overseas, can mean it is leaving the UK again, so read it even if you were not told about a charge. Parcelforce can only return a parcel that has a return address. Without one, it keeps HM Forces parcels at its parcel recovery centre for 120 days before disposing of them, and its page does not say what happens to others.
Why does Parcelforce show it?
- Nobody collected it or booked a redelivery within the 18 days
- The address or postcode could not be matched
- A customs charge was not paid within 21 days
- Incorrect or missing customs paperwork
- The recipient refused it
- The sender asked Parcelforce to stop and return it
How long does it last?
The parcel travels back to the sender, and the tracking shows when it has been returned. If you bought from a business and your address was right, the seller is responsible until the parcel reaches you (Consumer Rights Act, section 29), so it is for the seller to send it again or refund you.
Other Parcelforce statuses
- Held as Customs fee to payTake action
- Item ReceivedNormal
- 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
- We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
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 “Returned to sender”
Why did Parcelforce return my parcel to the sender?
The usual reasons are an address it could not match, nobody collecting within the holding period, an unpaid customs charge, or the recipient refusing it. The earlier lines in the tracking often show which.
How long does Parcelforce keep a parcel before returning it?
18 days at the depot for UK services and 21 days for international and customs charge parcels. A Post Office keeps it for 10 days. People also report parcels going back sooner, including one on the morning of a booked redelivery.
Can I stop a Parcelforce return to sender?
If the parcel is still at the depot within its holding period, collect it or book a redelivery. Once it has left, Parcelforce's help offers recipients no way to turn it round. Stop and Return is an option for business senders.
Will I get a refund if Parcelforce returns my order?
If you bought from a business, the seller is responsible until the parcel reaches you, so it is for the seller to send it again or refund you. If the address you gave was wrong, or you did not collect it, the seller may ask you to pay for a new delivery.
What happens if there is no return address?
Parcelforce's help says it keeps HM Forces parcels at its parcel recovery centre for 120 days before disposing of them. It does not say what happens to other parcels with no return address.
Based on
- Parcelforce: Return to sender (18 and 21 day holds)
- Parcelforce: Redelivery (attempts, holding periods, ID)
- Parcelforce: Pay a customs charge (customs charges explained, 21 day hold)
- Parcelforce Worldwide: UK parcel services user guide (journey, notifications, Safeplace, photo on delivery)
- Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (glossary for the tracker Parcelforce parcels now use)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
- 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): returned on the morning of a booked redelivery, Delivered to sender (screenshot gone)
- Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item awaiting re-export for return to sender at Coventry
- Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): being prepared for despatch overseas on an inbound parcel
- Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): wrong postcode, failed delivery and going back
- Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): returned after the holding period although the charge was paid
- Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): customs paperwork unresolved, returned
- 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)