Imagine you are at home the whole day awaiting your AliExpress international package.
The tracking page says that it’s out for delivery and you are excited the whole day that you will be with your parcel in a couple of hours.
However, after a short while, you look at the status of your package and see, “Delivery attempt unsuccessful.”
Welcome to the world of AliExpress shipping, pal. Such a scenario has happened several times for my package, and I hereby present to you an ultimate guide based on my findings on this dreaded update.
Why Does AliExpress Say “Delivery Attempt Unsuccessful?” 5 KEY Reasons
Scanning Error
We have had many incidents where AliExpress had said that a package left the customs clearance process and then an hour later, “Delivery attempt unsuccessful. Delivery time updated.”
When you look at these deeply, there is no way a package could leave the customs clearance and then end up straight to the recipient’s address.
A scanning error explains this sort of problem.
In such scenarios, we have seen such packages ending up getting delivered a day or two later. But at the expense of making the recipients anxious after they were home the whole day or their surveillance cameras didn’t capture any delivery.
The Package Was Handed Over To A Local Courier
In another case, some recipients see the “delivery attempt unsuccessful” tracking status after AliExpress hands over the package to the last-mile local courier.
We didn’t get any response from AliExpress to explain this scenario as it clearly beats logic to say that they attempted to deliver when they actually meant handing over the package.
Such packages end up getting delivered a day or two on the first attempt, even when the recipient does nothing about it.
The Mailbox Is Inaccessible
If your packages are delivered to a mailbox for you to pick them up from there, it’s easy to get this update when there is a car in front of the said mailbox.
Whenever there is a vehicle near the mailbox, most carriers assume that the mailbox is inaccessible for new deliveries.
In such scenarios, we find the packages getting delivered in the next attempt, provided there is nothing near the mailbox.
Incomplete Address
Another reason why your package might fail to get delivered is that the sender didn’t provide the whole address.
While talking about the address being the reason why the delivery failed, AliExpress sometimes mixes up tracking statuses.
Due to an incomplete address, the package might be taken back to your local post office.
In that case, you will have to go to your local post office with the tracking number and ID confirmation showing that you are the right recipient to pick up the package.
The Local Delivery Company Didn’t Make It To Your Address
While the last-mile delivery company might have scheduled your package to arrive at a specific date and time, it sometimes happens that they won’t manage to due to running out of time.
In that case, AliExpress prefers to use “Delivery Attempt Unsuccessful.” This sometimes makes us as the recipients feel worried and at fault. If only they got a better scan to explain such scenarios.
What Should I Do When AliExpress Says, “Delivery Attempt Unsuccessful. Delivery Time Updated?”
Use A Third-party Tracking Service
Under most circumstances, AliExpress doesn’t provide the finest tracking details showing each scanning detail.
We noticed that using free Third-party tracking sites such as 17Track and ParcelsApp comes in handy to give you the right status about your package.
While AliExpress might say that they had an unsuccessful delivery attempt, it could be that it was a scanning error and they meant they handed over the package to a last-mile courier in your country.
In case that is the issue, the free third-party tracking sites capture such moments to tell you where the package is.
Again, you will be in a position to know the last-mile courier company that is responsible for bringing your package, something that AliExpress doesn’t mention. At that point, you can paste your tracking number into that courier’s site and learn more about your package.
If you find that there was indeed an attempted delivery, you could ask the courier to change the delivery location to your more preferred place. You will need to confirm the package really belongs to you before changing the delivery details, though.
Contact The Seller
Since the seller is responsible for ensuring that packages get to the recipients within the estimated delivery date, they are the ones to be contacted whenever there is an issue with the delivery.
Notifying them when you go back and forth without knowing more about the package is a wise idea. You could agree to either receive a replacement package or a refund.
