Yodel tracking status

Yodel “Your parcel is in transit”: what it means

The short answer

Normal

Your parcel is moving through Yodel's network, between the sender or drop-off shop, a national hub and your local depot. It is not out for delivery yet, and lines can be a day or more apart at this stage.

When to act: If the tracking has not changed for 72 hours, file a complaint and we send it to Yodel.

Also shown as: “Your parcel is on its way to Yodel. Please check back for updates” · “Your parcel is currently on its way to Yodel” · “Your parcel is on its way” · “Left Sender” · “Parcel collected by courier” · “We've collected your parcel” · “We have collected your parcel” · “Despatched from [depot]” · “In transit to delivery depot” · “Parcel in transit, possible delay”

What to do now

Read the full tracking history on the InPost website or app, where Yodel parcels now appear, and note the date and time of the last line.
If you dropped the parcel at a shop, keep the drop-off receipt and allow until the end of the next working day for the collection scan.
Count 72 hours from the last line, the point at which InPost itself looks into a parcel; before that, a gap between lines is common at this stage.
If the InPost app offers it, set a safe place or divert the parcel to an InPost Locker before it reaches your depot.
Keep a screenshot of the tracking history with your parcel number and order number.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Yodel, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Your parcel is in transit” mean?

These lines cover the part of the journey before your local depot. On Yodel's own tracking pages the usual order was: 'We're expecting your parcel from your sender', then 'Your parcel is on its way to Yodel' or 'Parcel collected by courier', then 'We have your parcel' and 'Your parcel is at our national hub', then 'Your parcel has arrived at your delivery depot'. In many of those histories the step from 'We have your parcel' to the national hub line took more than three days, and in a few about a week, before the parcel moved on as normal. Older pages showed 'Your parcel is in transit' at this stage, and parcels dropped off at a shop showed 'Despatched from' a depot on the way to the hub.

Yodel does not define these lines on its help pages. They do not mean the parcel is out for delivery and they do not give a delivery date. Yodel says a parcel left at a Yodel Store is collected by a driver on the next working day, and the drop-off day does not count as the first day of the delivery time. Yodel is now part of InPost, so Yodel parcels are tracked on the InPost website and app, where this stage usually sits under the 'We have it' heading. InPost's own guide is to look into a parcel once tracking has not changed for 72 hours after it received it.

Why does Yodel show it?

The parcel was collected from the sender or a drop-off shop
It is on a truck to a national hub
It is on its way from the hub to your local delivery depot
A shop drop-off waits for the driver's collection on the next working day
A backlog in busy weeks such as Black Friday or the run-up to Christmas
A missed scan at a hub or depot

How long does it last?

In tracking histories on Yodel's own pages, the next line after 'on its way to Yodel' came about a day later, usually 'We have your parcel'. The national hub line often took three days or more after that, then came 'Your parcel has arrived at your delivery depot', and a driver line on the delivery day.

Other Yodel statuses

At our national hubNormal
We have itKeep an eye on it
Your parcel has been delayedKeep an eye on it
Out for deliveryNormal
Delivery attemptedTake action
Delivered but not receivedTake action
No update or parcel missingKeep an eye on it

All Yodel statuses →

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

If you bought online from a business, the seller is usually responsible until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act), the goods stay at the seller's risk until you have them, unless you chose and booked the courier yourself. If you bought from a private seller on a marketplace such as Vinted, the platform's own rules decide refunds.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with InPost, which now runs Yodel, under its terms. For labels bought in the InPost app or on its website, standard cover is the lower of the item's cost value or £50, and InPost Direct (formerly Yodel Direct) bookings include £50 cover.

Questions about “Your parcel is in transit”

What does 'Your parcel is in transit' mean on Yodel tracking?

Your parcel is moving through Yodel's network, between the sender, a national hub and your local depot. It is not out for delivery yet.

What does 'Your parcel is on its way to Yodel' mean?

The parcel has left the sender or a drop-off point and is heading into Yodel's network. In tracking histories on Yodel's own pages, the next line was usually 'We have your parcel', about a day later.

How long does a Yodel parcel stay in transit?

Lines often come a day apart, but in tracking histories on Yodel's own pages the step to the national hub often took three days or more. InPost, which now runs Yodel, looks into a parcel once tracking has not changed for 72 hours after it received it.

Does in transit mean my Yodel parcel is lost?

No. It means the last scan showed the parcel on the move. If there is no new line for 72 hours, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to Yodel.

Based on

Yodel by InPost: tracking pages on yodel.co.uk, archived copies (journey bar, headers and event lines)
MoneySavingExpert Forum: Yodel crazy routing (shared tracking history with 'In transit to delivery depot')
Yodel by InPost help centre (legacy page): What time does Yodel by InPost deliver until? (7am to 9pm, Yodel Store parcels collected the next working day)
InPost: Yodel by InPost help (move to InPost, tracking, collection, claims)
Gardening Direct: Understanding tracking events ('We Have It', 'Out for Delivery' and 'Delivered' on InPost home delivery)
InPost help: My tracking hasn't updated (contact after 72 hours)
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
Vinted: Refund Policy (2 days to report an issue, lost parcel after 25 business days)
InPost: Terms of Service (compensation and extra cover)
InPost Direct (formerly Yodel Direct): Terms and Conditions (£50 cover)