Purolator tracking status

Purolator “Shipper created a label”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

The sender has made a label and passed the details to Purolator, but Purolator may not have your parcel yet. It comes first on every order. If it stays the only line, the parcel may not have been handed over yet, though a missed scan can look the same.

When to act: If it still shows only label lines after 5 business days, file a complaint and we send it to the seller.

Also shown as: “Label information electronically submitted” · “Shipment Label Created”

What to do now

Read the whole history and note the date of the label line, and whether 'Picked up by Purolator' appears anywhere.
Check the ship date the seller gave you, because Purolator may not have the parcel yet.
If your order came in several boxes, look at each tracking number: one can be scanned while another is not.
Check your address and unit number on the order, so a wrong address does not add to the wait.
Keep screenshots of the label lines with their dates, your tracking number and your order number.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to the seller, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Shipper created a label” mean?

These lines come from the sender's side. 'Shipper created a label' and 'Label information electronically submitted' mean a label exists and its details reached Purolator, often within minutes of each other. They do not show that Purolator has the parcel. The first physical scan is 'Picked up by Purolator'.

In tracking histories people share, that scan often follows within a day or so. But some parcels stay on label lines for a week or more, because they have not been sent yet, or because a parcel handed over at a drop-off point was never scanned. People who dropped a parcel at a Staples report no scan days later, and one was told the outbound scan is sometimes missed. 'Label information electronically submitted' can also appear again after real scans, so read the whole history.

Why does Purolator show it?

The seller has made the label but not handed the parcel over yet
Purolator has not picked it up from the sender yet
A backlog means it has not been scanned yet
A drop-off point handed it over without a scan
It went missing before its first scan

How long does it last?

The next line should be 'Picked up by Purolator', then 'Arrived at sort facility'. Purolator publishes no time for this, and the sender decides when it hands the parcel over. In tracking histories people share, the first scan often came within a day or so of the label, and in slower cases after about a week, with one parcel at 12 days in a December rush.

Other Purolator statuses

Delayed in transit due to disruptionKeep an eye on it
Delayed in transit due to rail delayKeep an eye on it
Delayed in transit due to missed connectionKeep an eye on it
Weather delay - service will resume weather permittingKeep an eye on it
Mechanical delayKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
Attempted delivery - receiver unavailableTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action
Shipment available for pickupTake action
Item being returned to sender, determined as undeliverableTake action

All Purolator statuses →

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

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose Purolator and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Purolator's terms also say that only the party obliged to pay it for the shipment can file a claim, which for an online order is normally the seller.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with Purolator, under its Terms and Conditions of Service. Its liability is limited to C$2.00 per pound (C$4.41 per kg) of the shipment's weight unless you declared a higher value and paid the surcharge, up to C$5,000 for a courier shipment. A guaranteed service that arrives late may earn the payer a refund or credit of half the service rate. Standard Ground has no guarantee. No refund applies when the delay comes from events beyond Purolator's control, such as weather or mechanical delays, or when Purolator has suspended the guarantee.

Questions about “Shipper created a label”

What does 'Label information electronically submitted' mean?

The sender created a label and passed the details to Purolator. It does not show that Purolator has the parcel. 'Picked up by Purolator' is the first physical scan.

What does 'Shipper created a label' mean on Purolator?

A label now exists for your parcel. It says nothing about where the parcel is, and Purolator has not scanned it at this point.

Why is my Purolator tracking stuck on shipping label created?

The parcel may not have been handed over yet, or it may have been handed over without a scan. Purolator publishes no time for the first scan. For an online order, the seller is the one to answer for it, so if nothing moves, file a complaint here and we send it to the seller.

Is my parcel lost if it only shows a label?

Not necessarily. Most shared histories go on to 'Picked up by Purolator'. A few people report parcels that were never scanned and could not be found, so keep your order number and screenshots.

Based on

Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): screenshot, Shipper created a label, then Label information electronically submitted, then Picked up by Purolator
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): screenshot, label lines the day before pickup
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): screenshot, Label information electronically submitted after real scans
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): stuck on shipping label created after a drop-off at Staples
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): label lines with no pickup, and a commenter on what they mean
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): Label information electronically submitted, and a commenter on the steps after it
Reddit r/purolator (shared tracking history): stuck at Shipment Label Created for 9 days
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 16 (a poster's label line lasting 11 days, picked up on day 12)
RedFlagDeals forum, Purolator Shipping Support Thread, page 29 (shared tracking history: Shipper created a label)
Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service
Amendment #1 to the Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service (guarantee refunds, undeliverable shipments, events beyond its control, who may claim)
Purolator: Terms and Conditions of Service page (current terms and amendments in force)