Every order gets one flag only — the most urgent issue wins. Here's what each flag means and what to do.
| Flag | What It Means | What To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Returned | The carrier tried to deliver but couldn't, and has sent the package back to the sender. The customer will not receive it. | Contact supplier immediately. Customer needs a reship or refund. This is the most urgent flag. |
| Exception | Something went wrong with delivery — customs hold, address problem, damaged package, or a carrier issue. The package is stuck somewhere. | Check the "Last Checkpoint" column for details. May need to contact supplier or notify the customer depending on the issue. |
| Unfulfilled | The order was placed 3+ days ago but hasn't been shipped yet. The supplier hasn't created a shipping label. | Follow up with supplier to ask why it hasn't been shipped. Could be out of stock or processing delay. |
| No Tracking | The order was marked as fulfilled 7+ days ago, but there's no tracking number anywhere — not in Shopify and not in ParcelPanel. | Follow up with supplier. They may have shipped without adding tracking, or it may not have been shipped at all. |
| Stuck | A shipping label was created 7+ days ago, but the carrier has never picked up the package. ParcelPanel shows "Info Received" or "Pending" — the package is sitting in the supplier's warehouse. | Follow up with supplier. Common causes: out of stock (label created but no product), warehouse backlog, or carrier missed pickup. |
| Not Delivered | The order is 16+ days old and tracking shows it's moving (in transit) but hasn't been delivered yet. The package is on its way but taking longer than expected. | Monitor. Check the "Notes" column — it may explain delays (late fulfillment, slow carrier pickup). If 30+ days, likely lost. |
ParcelPanel gives us the real tracking status from carriers like 4PX, YunExpress, Yanwen, and UNIUNI. This is more accurate than Shopify for Chinese carriers.
| Status | What's Actually Happening |
|---|---|
| Pending | ParcelPanel has the tracking number but the carrier hasn't acknowledged it yet. Nothing has happened — the carrier doesn't even know about it yet. |
| Info Received | The carrier has the shipping label info but has not picked up the package yet. The supplier created the label but the carrier hasn't collected it from the warehouse. If this lasts 7+ days, the order gets flagged as "Stuck." |
| In Transit | The carrier has the package and it's moving. Could be at origin country, going through customs, on a plane, or at a sorting centre in the destination country. This is normal — most packages spend 10-20 days here. |
| Out for Delivery | The package is on the final delivery vehicle heading to the customer's door. Should be delivered today or tomorrow. |
| Ready for Pickup | The package has arrived at a pickup point (post office, parcel locker, convenience store). The customer needs to go collect it. Common with UNIUNI for Canadian orders. Shopify may show this as "delivered" even though the customer hasn't picked it up yet. |
| Delivered | Confirmed delivered to the customer. Once an order shows as delivered, we stop tracking it — it's done. |
| Exception | Something went wrong. Most common: customs hold (stuck in customs, usually resolves in 1-5 days), address issue (bad address from customer), package damaged, or carrier problem. Check the "Last Checkpoint" column for details. |
| Failed Attempt | The carrier went to the customer's address but couldn't deliver — nobody home, buzzer didn't work, couldn't access building, or customer refused. The carrier will usually retry 1-2 more times. Time-sensitive — if not collected after retries, it gets returned to sender. |
| Expired | Tracking info has expired. The carrier stopped updating (usually after 30-60 days). The package was either delivered without a final scan, or it's genuinely lost. At this point, the customer likely needs a refund or reship. |
Shopify and ParcelPanel track the same order but show different things. Shopify often shows outdated info for Chinese carriers — ParcelPanel is the source of truth.
| What's Happening | Shopify Shows | ParcelPanel Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier hasn't shipped yet | Unfulfilled | (nothing) |
| Label created, not picked up | Fulfilled / Confirmed | Info Received |
| Carrier has it, moving | Fulfilled / Confirmed (often stuck here) | In Transit |
| On delivery truck | Fulfilled / Out for Delivery (sometimes) | Out for Delivery |
| At pickup point | Fulfilled / Delivered (misleading) | Ready for Pickup |
| Delivered to customer | Fulfilled / Delivered | Delivered |
| Delivery problem | Fulfilled / Failure (sometimes) | Exception or Failed Attempt |
| Package lost / abandoned | Fulfilled / Confirmed (stuck) | Expired or Info Received |
| What You See on Dashboard | What's Going On |
|---|---|
| Stuck + Info Received for 7-14 days | Supplier created the label but the carrier hasn't collected the package. Most common cause: supplier is out of stock (they created the label but don't have the product), or warehouse backlog. Follow up with supplier. |
| Stuck + Info Received for 30+ days | This shipment is almost certainly lost or abandoned. The carrier never picked it up and probably never will. Customer needs a reship or refund. |
| Not Delivered + In Transit for 20+ days | Package is moving but slow. Check the "Notes" column — it may say "Late fulfillment" or "Slow pickup" which explains the delay. Normal transit from China is 10-20 days, so 20+ days means it's running behind. |
| Exception + customs hold | Package is stuck in customs at the destination country. Usually resolves in 1-5 days on its own. If it stays for 7+ days, follow up with supplier. Common with 4PX and YunExpress shipments. |
| Exception + address issue | Carrier can't find the address. Customer gave an incomplete or wrong address. Need to contact the customer to confirm their address, then contact supplier to update delivery. |
| Returned | Most urgent. The carrier returned the package. Reasons: too many failed delivery attempts, customer refused, or address unreachable. Customer needs an immediate reship or refund. Contact supplier to confirm. |
| Unfulfilled + 5+ days old | Supplier hasn't shipped the order in 5+ days. Likely out of stock or there's a production delay. Follow up with supplier — if they can't ship soon, may need to cancel and refund the customer. |
| No Tracking | Order was fulfilled but there's no tracking number at all. Supplier may have shipped without adding tracking to Shopify, or the order wasn't actually shipped. Follow up with supplier to get the tracking number. |
The Notes column shows the order's journey — why it might be delayed. Here's what each note means.
| Note | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Late fulfillment: X days to fulfill | The supplier took X days to ship after the order was placed (normal is 1-2 days). This means the delivery was delayed from the start because the supplier was slow to ship. |
| Slow pickup: X days before carrier collected | The carrier took X days to pick up the package from the supplier's warehouse after the label was created. The supplier shipped on time but the carrier was slow to collect. |
| Waiting for carrier pickup: X days since info received | The label was created X days ago and the carrier still hasn't picked up the package. It's sitting in the warehouse right now. |
| Order is X days old with no delivery | The order is X days old (25+ days) and still hasn't been delivered. This is getting old and may need attention — the customer is probably wondering where their order is. |
| Timeframe | What's Normal |
|---|---|
| 1-2 days | Supplier should fulfill the order (create label, pack, hand to carrier) |
| 3-5 days | Carrier should pick up the package and start moving it |
| 10-20 days | Normal transit time from China to UK/US/Canada/Australia |
| 20-30 days | Slower than normal — may have had delays but could still arrive |
| 30+ days | Likely lost. If tracking still shows "Info Received" or "Expired," the package is probably not coming. Customer needs a reship or refund. |
| Order # | Store | Flag | Tracking Status | Days Old | Last Checkpoint | Carrier | Tracking # | Notes |
|---|