What Does "Pre-Shipment" Mean at the USPS?

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When you'll get your package & what to do if it's stuck in pre-shipment

Co-authored by Fahim and Seema Mojawalla and Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: March 20, 2025 Fact Checked

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Pre-Shipment Meaning

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Pre-Shipment Delivery Time

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Handling Stuck Packages

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Other USPS Shipping Statuses

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Other Shippers’ Pre-Shipment Statuses

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One of the most frustrating tracking statuses is “Pre-shipment.” In most cases, it means the person or company shipping something to you has informed the United States Postal Service (USPS) about the package but has not yet delivered it to the Post Office. This article gives more details about what this tracking status means along with other statuses the USPS uses. In addition, we’ll tell you what other shipping companies use to let you know a package has not yet shipped.

What Does the USPS Pre-Shipment Tracking Status Mean?

If your tracking status says "Pre-Shipment, USPS Awaiting Item," it means the sender has created a shipping label for your package but has not yet dropped it off at the post office. Once the sender gives the package to the post office, the tracking status will update and your package will be on its way.

Section 1 of 5:

What does "Pre-Shipment" mean for your package?

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Pre-Shipment means the sender hasn't given your package to the USPS yet. If your tracking status says "Pre-Shipment, USPS Awaiting Item," it means your package’s shipping label has been created by the sender, but they have not yet given the package to a mail carrier. The system a sender uses to create the label automatically creates this pre-shipment status.
- Senders may create shipping labels in bulk to help them process multiple orders. In tracking, it appears that the package is ready to go, but they may still be packing it.^{[1]
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- If the sender has scheduled a pickup time with the Post Office, you’ll see the pre-shipment status until the mail carrier picks up the package.
- The USPS is closed on national holidays and Sundays, which also delays picking up or dropping off packages.
- "Shipping Label Created" is another USPS tracking status with the same meaning.

Section 2 of 5:

How long does pre-shipment take?

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Pre-shipment usually takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days. While mail carrier schedules impact the time a package has the pre-shipment status, ultimately, the pre-shipment period is in the hands of the sender. Some retailers take longer to pack and ship USPS packages, and it depends on how long it takes the sender to drop the package off at the post office or schedule a pickup.^{[2]
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- During busy shipping times – especially around the winter holidays – the USPS is so busy they may take a little longer to scan a package once they receive it.
- USPS labels have a barcode. If the barcode doesn’t print properly, it may appear that the package is in pre-shipment even after it has been delivered.

Section 3 of 5:

What if the package is “stuck” in pre-shipment?

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Contact the sender if pre-shipment lasts longer than a few days. If you see the pre-shipment tracking status for more than a few days, contact the sender first. Because the pre-shipment status means the USPS doesn’t have your package yet, the sender may be able to give you more information about where it is.
- Occasionally, a USPS employee misses the initial scan of a package. This makes it look like the package is still in pre-shipment after the Post Office has taken possession of it.
- A package is usually scanned several times during transit, so you may see it skip to another status after spending longer than expected in pre-shipment.
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Submit a Help Request Form with the USPS. If the sender says they’ve delivered the package to the USPS, the next step is to go to the USPS Package Inquiry Page. Enter the tracking number. Then, provide a description of the package, your contact information, and the sender’s information.^{[3]
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- Once you submit the Help Request Form, a Post Office employee will contact you within a few days.
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Request a Missing Mail Search 7 business days after a help request. Go to https://missingmail.usps.com to recover a lost package. Provide the sender’s mailing address, your mailing address, the size and type of packaging, the tracking number, and a description of the contents.^{[4]
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- The sender may also submit a missing mail search. If the package is lost and insured, the sender can file a claim to be reimbursed.

Section 4 of 5:

Other USPS Shipping Statuses

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These statuses mean the package is on its way to you. The arrival and departure statuses are usually accompanied by a city and state that allow you to track where the package is.
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Picked Up by Shipping Partner Facility & USPS Awaiting Item These messages mean another shipper has the package. They will deliver your package to the USPS for processing and delivery.
- You may also see Departed Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item, which means the same thing.
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Out for Delivery The package has reached your local Post Office and will be delivered that day. In rare cases, delivery may be delayed until the following business day.
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Delivered The mail carrier has delivered your package. This message is accompanied by the date, time, and location where the package was delivered. If you see a Delivered status but you don’t have the package, look around your property and check with neighbors. If you still haven’t received the package, submit a Missing Mail Request.
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Insufficient Address or No Such Number The USPS doesn’t have enough information to deliver the package, so it’s being returned to the sender. Contact the sender to determine what to do next.
Your mail carrier was not able to get to your mailbox or a secure place on your property, like your porch or garage. A few possible reasons for this may be that you live in a gated community, there’s street or utility work that blocks your property, or there’s an aggressive animal near your home. The mail carrier will attempt to deliver your package the next day.
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Notice Left This message usually appears with either No Authorized Recipient Available or No Secure Location Available. For the first option, the package requires a signature but no one was available to sign for it. For the second, the mail carrier didn't see a secure location to leave the package.
- When a signature is required, the mail carrier will attempt to deliver the package the next day.
- When there is no secure location, the mail carrier returns the package to the Post Office.
- In both cases, the mail carrier leaves a redelivery notice that allows you to schedule a redelivery, go to the Post Office to pick the package up, or request the package be returned to the sender.
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Available for Pickup This message means package can’t be delivered. However, you’re able to pick it up at your local Post Office. You can’t reschedule a delivery for this package.
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Arrived at Post Office Your package has reached your local Post Office. When you see this message, the package will usually be delivered the same day or the next business day.
The USPS has received or picked up your package. This means the package is on its way.
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Forwarded or Forwarded Processed When you see this message, it means your package is being forwarded to a different address. This could be because you filed a change of address request or the package was accidentally delivered to the wrong local Post Office. It’s still on its way to you.
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Redelivery Scheduled This means you have rescheduled the delivery of your package. If you haven’t yet scheduled delivery, you may receive a reminder to reschedule. In that case, the message reads Reminder to Schedule Redelivery of Your Item.
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Delivery Status Not Updated or Awaiting Delivery Item You may see one of these messages if the status was Out for Delivery for over 18 hours. This means that the Post Office expects to deliver the package the next business day.
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Held at Post office, At Customer Request If you have made a USPS Hold Mail request or USPS Delivery Instructions request, you’ll see this message until you go to the Post Office to pick up the package.
- When you ask for a package to be held at the post office, you can’t schedule redelivery if you change your mind.
When the USPS picks up your package in a container or pallet of multiple packages, you will see Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending before postal employees begin processing individual packages.

Section 5 of 5:

Other Shippers’ Pre-Shipment Statuses

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Packages delivered by UPS show a “Label Created” status. When tracking a package with UPS, you won’t see the term “pre-shipment” as a status. When UPS ships a package, the status used to indicate they have received notification but not taken possession of it is Label Created.^{[5]
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- Once UPS receives the package, the status changes to Shipped/On the Way.
- Other statuses UPS uses are: Out for Delivery, Delivered, Delivered to a UPS Access Point, Transferred to Post Office for Delivery, and Exception.
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The status is “Shipment information sent to FedEx” at FedEx. This status appears when the sender ships the package via FedEx. It lets you know the package is still at the sender’s location. Once FedEx picks up the package, the status changes to In Transit.^{[6]
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- Other statuses used by FedEx are: At a local FedEx facility, Out for delivery, Delivered, Scheduled delivery is now pending, Cancelled, Delivery Exception, Delivery is held unable to collect payment, Clearance delay, Operational delay, Weather delay, and Local delay.
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At DHL the pre-shipment status is “Shipment Information Received.” This status means the sender has assigned a 10-digit DHL tracking number to the package, but it is still at their location.^{[7]
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- Other statuses used by DHL are: Arrived At Sort Facility, Departed Facility, Clearance Processing Complete, Transfer Through, Arrived at Delivery Facility, Shipment is Out with Courier for Delivery, and Delivered.