How to Track Forwarded Packages: Everything You Need to Know

Online shopping is a thrilling experience, and we all love the excitement of unboxing our precious package to see what our item looks like. If you’re one of the many people who love shipping items to your doorstep, you understand the pain of waiting for your parcel to arrive.

To ease that feeling, most couriers use tracking software to let their customers know about the details of their parcels. However, you probably have seen an unusual shipping status set as ‘forwarded.’ Now, you start wondering what ‘forwarded’ means.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what it means for your parcel and how to track a ‘forwarded’ package effectively.

What Does Forwarded Mean?

When people find an unknown status with their shipment, it usually causes a great deal of panic. However, items marked as ‘forwarded’ shouldn’t raise any concerns. It also doesn’t mean your courier sent the package to a random stranger. 

So, what exactly does ‘forwarded’ mean, and how does it happen in the first place? Packages tagged as ‘forwarded’ mean your shipment might have been delivered to a different address. This is not a common issue for deliveries. But sometimes, it happens partly due to a couple of reasons, such as

• The sender might have put a different postal code when sending the package.
• The sender might have set the wrong address for your package. 

The sender is not always at fault when it comes to forwarded packets.

In some cases, it occurs after the recipient requests a change of address. There are also occasions that a recipient would set a mail forwarding company as the package’s drop-off point.

These package forwarding services allow individuals to use a dedicated holding area for their shipments and send them as a consolidated load. This kind of service opens up the opportunity to buy multiple products from local stores and do bulk shipping to your address. 

Couriers provide a corresponding tracking number to every package they handle and open up a means for their customers to keep an eye on its delivery stage. Using the tracking number, you’ll better understand where your package is and what you need to retrieve it. Packages from a forwarding company will also be given a tracking number to provide you peace of mind every time you entrust a package to them.

It is also best to understand the shipping status when expecting a package. 

Shipping Status: Out for Delivery, Forwarded for Delivery, What It Means

A package will go through different phases before it is on your doorstep. Knowing this information will be critical if you’re expecting multiple parcels at the same time. With that in mind, here are some of the standard tracking notifications prevalent couriers use. 

FedEx Package Tracking Notifications

Picked Up

The sender handed over your package to their local FedEx delivery driver.

Left FedEx Origin Facility

FedEx personnel sorts, consolidate, and prepare for its journey to the company’s main depot.

In Transit

The process where the package is loaded to the plane and ready for its shipping destination. 

International Shipment Release

Your package arrived at the destination country and received clearance from customs.

At Destination Sorting Facility

Your package is being sorted at the destination’s central warehouse. 

At Local FedEx Facility

The package arrived at your area’s local warehouse.

On FedEx Vehicle for Delivery

The recipient should expect a package from FedEx delivery couriers within the day. 

DHL Express Package Tracking Notifications

Shipment Pickup

This is where your shipment starts its journey. This status tells you that the seller already handed your mail to a DHL delivery driver. 

Processed at Local Warehouse

This stage tells you that your package is now getting ready for shipping inside the DHL sorting hub.

Departed from Local Warehouse to Departure Airport

DHL notifies the recipient that their package is now in the process of loading onto the plane.

Custom Status Updated

This status tells you that your package is currently being processed for clearance.

Arrived at Destination Warehouse

Your package is currently sitting at the destination’s primary warehouse.

Clearance Processing Complete

This process shows that Customs just released your shipment, and it is now ready for the delivery partner. 

Departed From Central Warehouse to Local Warehouse

The package arrives at your area’s local sorting hub and is prepared for its local destination. 

Forwarded for Delivery

This is the final process of DHL deliveries. Your package arrives at your doorstep and is ready for unboxing.

UPS Package Tracking Notifications

Pickup Scan

The sender handed your package to the UPS delivery personnel.

Warehouse Scan

The phase where your package is sorted and prepared for shipping.

Departed from Facility, Arrived at Facility, and Export Scan

Personnel consolidates and loads packages onto the plane for shipping. 

Arrived at Facility, Departed from Facility, and Import Scan

The package goes into a central sorting facility for processing.

Your Package is Pending Release from a Government Agency

The package goes through customs for clearance processing. 

Your Package is at the UPS Distribution Facility

The package is at your area’s local distribution hub. Your package awaits the delivery driver to drop it off at your address.

Tracking a Forwarded Package

All packages, regardless of their courier, have a unique tracking id that tells all necessary information regarding the shipment. 

Most delivery companies offer multiple portals that allow their customers to view the shipping status of their packages. There are also delivery services that proactively provide updates regarding your shipment. However, if this is not available, you can always contact them through other means, including:

• Via the Delivery Service’s Website – You need your tracking id/number to find out the status of your package. 
• Via Email – You can also check the status of your package through email. Make sure to quote your waybill number and other important details relevant to the shipment. 
• Via Phone – Customer service is always there to help you. Simply provide the appropriate shipping details, including the tracking number, and they’ll provide all the necessary information you need to know. 
• Via Text Message – Not all delivery services offer customer portals through text messages. Make sure your courier has an active text messaging service where you can get all important updates about your shipment.

Official Tracking Websites

For everyone’s convenience, we listed down some of the major courier tracking websites to ensure you track your packages in the best way possible.

DHL Express

https://www.dhl.com/en/express/tracking.html DHL Express is one of the leading delivery service providers in the industry. For forwarded package tracking, visit their online tracking tool.

USPS

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input Packages under USPS can be tracked with their online tracking tool.

UPS

https://www.ups.com/track?loc=en_GB&requester=ST/ Another big player when it comes to handling shipments and packages. You can reliably track your packages through the UPS package tracking tool.

DPD

https://www.dpd.co.uk/service/ Known as one of the biggest parcel delivery brands in the UK, most shipments would go through DPD. You can track any packages handled by DPD using their site.

Royal Mail

https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item Another top package delivery provider in the UK that handles most of the retailer’s shipping needs. Easily track any packages sent through Royal Mail with their tracking tool.

EMS

https://www.ems.post/en/global-network/tracking Shops us EMS for fast and reliable shipping needs.

Things You Need To Do 

After diligently ordering and tracking your package, if it still ends up at the wrong address, don’t fret. There are things you can do to retrieve your shipment. 

Your local post office should be your first contact when recovering a forwarded shipment due to different postal codes. Once they get enough information about your situation and your package, they can dispatch one of their personnel to retrieve your package. 

There are also cases where correspondences aren’t too cooperative during the process of your shipment retrieval. Worst case scenario, they may even deny receiving any form of packages. If you’re in this situation, you can open a lost package case and coordinate it with your local post office and the sender. 

If your package has insurance, the sender may resend everything to your updated address. There are instances where you also need to shoulder the cost of the shipping fee. The seller might ask you to repurchase the product on rare occasions but at a discounted price. 

Dealing with this issue indeed takes up time, effort, and money. It is a serious matter, and you can’t guarantee you’ll retrieve your shipment. Like most people say, prevention is better than cure, and this rule applies to your packages. 

It is recommended to confirm the updated shipping address to the sender before locking in the deal. This would greatly minimize any potential mishaps with your shipment. 

Package Forwarding Services

The online world is full of surprises. You can get almost everything you want to be delivered to your doorstep.

However, there are instances where you shop for a specific product, and the store only offers domestic shipping. That would not be a problem if you’re in the same country, but what will happen if the shop is located overseas? If that’s the case, you might need a package forwarding service provider. 

Let’s say the item you’ve been looking for is only available in the UK and you don’t live anywhere near the country.
To make matters worse, the shop doesn’t offer international shipping, or it costs a fortune to ship it internationally. Using a package forwarding service like MyUKMailbox opens up the opportunity to shop all you want without worrying about the shipping details.