USPS “Origin Post is Preparing Shipment”: what it means

What does “Origin Post is Preparing Shipment” mean?

USPS does not explain this line on its tracking help page or on its list of domestic scans, so this comes from its tracking text and from histories people share. The text reads: We have received notice that the originating post is preparing to dispatch this mail piece. So it is a notice from the postal service of the sending country, not a USPS scan. It shows on mail from many countries, including Japan, Spain, Poland, Germany, India and China. It usually sits above Acceptance and Processed Through Facility lines with a foreign place, such as TOKYO INT, JAPAN or MADRID CAMBIO SUPERFICIE, SPAIN, under a heading such as Pre-Shipment. On a US label, Pre-Shipment means USPS only has the details; here the lines below it usually show that the sending post has accepted the package.

The words suggest the package has not left yet, but it often has. On one package from Spain, Correos showed it leaving for its destination at the same minute USPS showed this line. A customer sending two packages from India reports that India Post shows them unloaded at a New York airport, while USPS has stayed on this line for over a month. The line simply stays until a US scan replaces it. So the package may be waiting for a flight or ship, on its way, or waiting for its first scan in the US. A very long stay can also mean it is lost.

Why does USPS show it?

• The post abroad has shared its data, and the package is waiting for a flight or ship
• It is on a plane or at sea, where nothing scans it
• It has landed and is waiting at US customs or at USPS for its first scan
• The sender chose a slower service, for example one that goes by ship
• Busy weeks: many of these reports come from the run-up to Christmas
• It went missing before anyone in the US scanned it

How long does it last?

The next real change is a US line, such as Inbound Into Customs, Processed Through USPS Facility or, in older histories, Processed Through Facility at ISC NEW YORK NY (USPS). After Inbound Out of Customs the package moves like any other USPS package, and a delivery date can appear. We found no USPS time for this stage. One recent package from Japan moved on in about a day. Customers also report about a week, 3 to 4 weeks, over a month from India, about 7 weeks from Spain and from Poland, and in one case about 3 months. Some of those posts are several years old.