Before Royal Mail picks up a package from the sender, one of the tracking statuses they use is “We’re expecting it.”
Many recipients have asked themselves why their packages were stuck on this update, and also what it means.
What Does “We’re Expecting It” On Royal Mail Mean?
This tracking status means that the sender has created a shipping label for the package, and Royal Mail is waiting for it.
Immediately after Royal Mail receives the package from the sender, the tracking status will switch to We’ve Got It, which we covered in its entirety.
Why Is My Package Stuck On “We’re Expecting It” For Days? 5 Primary Reasons
The Sender Hasn’t Handed Over The Package To Royal Mail Just Yet
While the tracking page might be showing that the “sender has dispatched item,” it doesn’t necessarily mean that they handed it over to Royal Mail.
We have seen incidents where the sender created a shipping label, but didn’t hand over the item to Royal Mail.
Since there is no package to be scanned, the tracking status will stay stuck on “We’re expecting it” until Royal Mail scans such a package.
One of the reasons why a sender might delay handing over a package to Royal Mail is when such an item isn’t ready just yet. Such senders create a shipping label as they work on the package, while still buying some time as the recipient assumes that Royal Mail already has it.
Depending on how long it’ll take to work on the item, pass it through QC, and then hand it over to Royal Mail, several days might have passed.
As you can guess at that point, the tracking status won’t move regardless of how long it takes whenever the sender still has the item.
Busy Royal Mail Staff
If the sender agrees with Royal Mail to pick up the package from their store, it can take longer before that happens when the Royal Mail staff are busy.
In another instance, the sender might have decided to hand over the package to one of the Royal Mail receiving facilities.
If there’s a long queue before Royal Mail receives and scans the package, the tracking status won’t move until such a backlog can be cleared.
Due to high volumes of packages to be scanned, especially on peak shopping times such as Christmas, New Year, or Black Fridays, we have seen the “We’re expecting it” tracking status lingering longer than anyone could expect.
Skipped Scans
When Posties get overworked, especially during the peak delivery seasons, we have seen most scans getting skipped as a measure of saving time.
In such scenarios where scans get missed, packages still end up getting delivered on time, and sometimes days earlier. Scanning packages as they make every other step is undoubtedly time-consuming.
While everyone would appreciate it when packages show up earlier than estimated, a balance has to be stricken. It shouldn’t be at the expense of the recipients’ peace of mind when they can’t find the correct status of their items.
Tracking Issue
It’s possible for the Royal Mail’s tracking IT side to have technical hitches, which is one of the reasons we described for the tracking not updating.
While a hitch might mean that the tracking page won’t update as expected, packages still keep moving through the Royal Mail network and will most likely get delivered within the estimated delivery date.
What we noticed after such issues is that Royal Mail eventually ends up filling up all the scans that were made from the start to the delivery. It simply depends on how long it takes before the glitch gets resolved.
Transit Delays
Transit delays also make it hard for a package to move past a specific status.
One of the most common forms of transit delay is when there is inclement weather. For the safety of the package and posties, the weather has to be clear before any movement.
See, the sender can’t go to the local post office to hand over a package to Royal Mail amid severe snowy and icy conditions.
Again, Royal Mail staff can’t go to pick up the item from the sender when it’s pouring.
Transit delays such as bad weather, vehicles getting damaged while going to pick up packages from the senders, or even getting involved in accidents may make it impossible to get a new tracking update until all is better.
What Should I Do When My Package Is Stuck On “We’re Expecting It” For Days?
Track The Package Using Third-party Sites
We usually recommend that you get the real status of your package from a different source instead of relying on what Royal Mail tells you.
Free Third-party tracking sites such as 17Track and Parcelsapp offer deeper updates on the real-time status of your package than Royal Mail.
To know more about the right status of your parcel, just paste the tracking number on the provided button on any of these package tracking sites and learn more.
If you find that the package didn’t move due to a skipped scan, you will be able to relax and keep waiting for it. If you determine that it didn’t leave the sender’s premises, you will then know how to go about it.
Contact The Sender
As the sender is contracted to Royal Mail, it’s a wise idea to contact them whenever your package gets stuck.
From there, they can keep Royal Mail on its toes to prioritize your item.
If you confirm with the Third-party tracking site that the parcel is stuck due to the sender having not handed it over to Royal Mail, you can decide to cancel the order and shop elsewhere.
Also Read: Royal Mail says My Package Is Ready For Delivery Meaning
