Package tracking not updating: what it means and what to do

A tracking history that hasn't changed for days is one of the most common worries. Often it isn't a sign that anything has gone wrong: tracking only updates when the carrier records an event, and on long stretches of the journey there is nothing to record.

Why there are gaps

A tracking event is usually a scan, at pickup, at a sorting center, when a container is loaded or unloaded, when the courier takes the package out for delivery, or another update in the carrier's systems. Between two events the package may be moving or waiting, and the tracking page has nothing new to say. The longer and more international the route, the longer those silent stretches tend to be.

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  Long-haul transport. A truck between two hubs, a flight or a sea container produces no scans on the way. International economy shipments are often grouped with thousands of others and wait until a full load is ready.
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  Customs. Imports may be checked before they are released to the delivery network. This can take a few hours or much longer, and the tracking often shows nothing while it happens.
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  Handover to another carrier. Cross-border shipments are often delivered by a local carrier in your country. The first carrier's tracking may stop at the handover, while the local carrier's tracking continues, sometimes under a different number.
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  Weekends and holidays. Many facilities don't scan on non-working days, and peak seasons such as November and December slow everything down.
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  Delays in the data. Events sometimes reach the carrier's website hours or days late, and several can appear at once.

How long is normal?

It depends on the service and the route, so treat these as rough expectations, not rules:

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  Domestic parcels: a gap of one to three business days between events is common; five business days without any event deserves a question.
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  International express services: usually updated more often than economy services, though gaps still happen, typically around flights and customs.
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  International economy and postal services: a week or two without an update between leaving the origin country and the next event in the destination country is not unusual, especially for orders shipped from Asia.

If the carrier or the shop gives an estimated delivery date, it is a better guide than the time since the last event. It is still only an estimate: it can be out of date, and a problem may not show in the tracking right away.

Keep in mind that the tracking is a record of events, not a live location. A quiet history doesn't prove the package has stopped, and it doesn't prove it is moving either.

What to do when tracking stops

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  Look at the last event. "Departed", "in transit" or "dispatched from origin country" usually means a long leg is under way. "Arrived in destination country" or "handed over" means the next updates may come from a local carrier; see arrived at destination country.
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  Check the local carrier. If the shipment is international and has arrived in your country, look up the same number with your national postal service or the courier named in the last event. Many international postal numbers keep working across borders.
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  Wait for the estimated date, then ask. When the estimate has passed, or there has been no update for well over the times above, contact the seller first. The seller paid for the shipping and can open an inquiry with the carrier; you often can't. Save the latest events and the estimated date to show them.
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  Mind the deadlines. Marketplaces and payment providers give buyers a limited time to report an order that did not arrive. Note the deadline when the tracking goes quiet, not after it has passed.

Let the tracking come to you

Checking the tracking page again and again rarely shows anything new while the history is unchanged. Trackful checks your packages in the background and, in the Android app, sends a notification when the status changes, so a quiet stretch is something you don't have to watch.