Why is the Shipment Status "Pending"?

Introduction

When you add a shipment to Ship24, the initial delivery status may show as Pending. This status means we have not yet received any valid tracking events from the courier.

This is normal for new shipments. Below are the most common reasons a shipment stays in Pending longer than expected, and what to do about each one.

What Pending means

In Ship24, Pending indicates that no tracking data has been retrieved yet for the tracking number provided.

The status usually appears right after a tracker is created, and updates automatically once a valid event is retrieved.

Common reasons a shipment stays in Pending

1. The tracking number is incorrect

If the tracking number has a typo or does not exist, Ship24 cannot retrieve any events.

Make sure you are using the tracking number, not an order or reference number.

2. The tracking number is not in the courier system yet

If the shipment is very recent, the tracking number may not be active yet. This often happens when:

The label was only just created
The parcel has not been scanned by the courier

3. Tracking has expired

Some couriers reuse tracking numbers. If the shipment is more than about three months old, the courier may no longer return events for it.

4. Additional information is required

Some couriers need extra data before they will return results:

Destination post code
Destination country code

If either is missing, no events can be retrieved.

Check the courier requirements to see which fields are mandatory.

5. The courier is wrong and cannot be auto-detected

If the selected courier is incorrect and Ship24 cannot auto-detect the right one, no tracking data will be found.

6. The courier is temporarily unavailable

Sometimes the courier system is down or delayed in sending tracking data.

Ship24 keeps retrying automatically and updates the shipment as soon as the data becomes available.

You can also refresh the shipment manually from your dashboard to check again.

How to check and fix a Pending status

If your shipment stays in Pending for more than 48 hours, work through these in order:

Verify the tracking number format.
Add a courier code if you did not provide one.
Add the destination post code or country code if the courier requires them.
Refresh the shipment manually in your dashboard.
Contact the seller or courier to confirm the shipment was handed over.

A shipment that stays in Pending for several weeks with a confirmed handover usually means the tracking number itself is wrong. Check it with the seller before adding it again.

Next steps

To reduce Pending results in the first place, see how to create a good shipment tracker and understanding shipment delivery statuses.

Updated on: 12/08/2026

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