While expecting an international package from AliExpress, it’s not uncommon to see “Tracking Unavailable.”
This is a major cause of concern, especially considering that we rely on the tracking page to know any step a package makes before it gets to us.
Now, we have recently had packages getting stuck on this vague update for several days, which leads to us sharing with our audience what we have gathered based on our experience.
What Does It Mean When AliExpress Says “Tracking Unavailable”?
This AliExpress tracking status means that the seller has created a tracking number for the package, but hasn’t shipped it yet to AliExpress, which makes it impossible for recipients to track the package.
Under this tracking update, AliExpress usually says, “Your order is being processed. The tracking status will update soon” to indicate that when the item gets shipped to them, you will see a new update.
Why Is My Package Tracking Status Stuck On “Tracking Unavailable” For Days?
The Package Hasn’t Been Shipped To AliExpress Just Yet
Some AliExpress sellers tend to create tracking numbers way before they can get packages ready for shipping.
In fact, we have recently seen scenarios where some sellers start working on customers’ orders after they get money from them, while on the AliExpress purchase page, they indicate that such items are in stock.
Other AliExpress sellers are drop shippers and have to wait for the manufacturers to work on their orders before they hand it over to AliExpress for the packages to make it to you.
Depending on the days it takes to create such packages and prepare them for handing over to AliExpress, lots of time might be well spent.
In such a scenario, the tracking page will still show “Tracking unavailable” as the item is still unshipped to AliExpress.
We need to mention that AliExpress gives sellers 10 days to create a tracking label for the package and 14 days after creating the label to ship a package. The seller might decide to work within this timeframe and work on your order before the allowance expires.
From our research, some sellers replace the tracking numbers slightly before these 14 days expire to give themselves more time to work on your package.
Due to such leeways from AliExpress’s side, you can now see how your package can stay stuck on “Tracking Unavailable” for more than 2 weeks.
Invalid Tracking Number
Since AliExpress gives sellers 14 days after creating tracking labels to ship packages, when that number of days pass without AliExpress shipping your package, the tracking label will be rendered invalid.
Now, when you track your package 14 days after the seller created the tracking label, the AliExpress system will tell you “Tracking unavailable”.
If such 14 days pass, there shouldn’t be any cause for alarm from your side as AliExpress systems will automatically detect the non-shipping and process a refund to you.
From the past few months, though, we have noticed that the AliExpress systems don’t always detect non-shipping within 14 days of sellers creating tracking labels, which means recipients might have to wait longer for refunds.
In other scenarios, some sellers create new tracking labels before the provided 14 days are over as they work on extending the shipping days to 14 more. In that case, if you track the item using the original tracking number, you will see the “tracking unavailable” update as such tracking number is already invalid.
We let AliExpress know of these loopholes and hopefully, they’ll take such into consideration. It’s deeply frustrating when sellers keep on extending time to work on shipping packages due to having none in stock in the first place, and they can’t say so.
Suppose AliExpress doesn’t refund you within 14 days after the initial shipping label was created. In that case, we recommend that you wait for the automatic confirmation of delivery and file a non-delivery dispute (within 60 to 90 days after the order was placed).
To go about it:
- Check the “Order details”
- The AliExpress system will show when they automatically confirm your delivery (typically between 60 and 90 days depending on your country)
- File a dispute for non-delivery to get a refund. You can screenshot the tracking package showing “Tracking Unavailable” as evidence that the package never shipped in the first place.
To know how many more days you will get before filing a refund claim, AliExpress will let you know when you click on “Order Details.” Refer to the screenshot below to see how it looks like.
The Seller Chose The Cheapest Shipping Option
When the seller chooses “Economy” or other “Saver” shipping options, it means that there is no tracking available for your package.
If you had gotten in touch with the seller and they told you that they had shipped your package using those cheap shipping options, we recommend that you use third-party tracking sites such as 17Track and Parcelsapp to get better details about the right status of your package.
If you are dealing with large or bulky packages that require special care, services like https://www.shiply.com/
