7 Causes of the "Pending" Status
We understand you may get frustrated seeing the "Pending" status. This quick guide is to help you quickly identify what causes "Pending" and make the most out of the publicly available tracking tools on (TrackingMore.com).
Please double-check the tracking number you entered earlier. Our system can't provide tracking updates if the tracking number is incorrect. Make sure to follow the best practices below:
Don't put a space or hyphen ("-") between the characters;
To track shipments in bulk, enter one tracking number per line;
If the tracking number is very long, check whether you missed any characters;
If the tracking number consists of both numbers and letters, don't mix the lookalikes, such as I and 1 (one), as well as O and 0 (zero).
Once you enter a tracking number, TrackingMore retrieves tracking information from couriers in real time. If the tracking number has just been generated, chances are the courier has not picked it up. In this case, even the courier's official Track and Trace tool will respond with a "Pending" error.
In this case, you need to retry after a day or two.
If the issue persists, you'd better contact the online retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer from whom you placed the order. This is because some merchants might be able to generate tracking numbers much earlier before pickup.
TrackingMore's standard data retention time for registered users is 180 days. Suppose you haven't created the tracking number in our system in the past 180 days, and the associated tracking information is no longer available in the courier's system. In that case, TrackingMore won't be able to provide you with any tracking information.
Please note that our public package tracking tools show "Pending" instead of indicating a tracking number is "Expired." Additionally, as for our registered users, the "Expired" status means no tracking updates for 30 days since the last checkpoint event.
For data security purposes, certain couriers require additional information to verify you're the sender or recipient of the package. When TrackingMore shows "This courier requires additional information," click "Add Now." You'll be prompted to submit the required information, such as the postal code, shipping date, and last four digits of the recipient's phone number.
The tracking information will appear after you fill in the correct information and click the "Submit" button.
At TrackingMore, we keep upgrading the courier auto-detection algorithms. Nevertheless, if you use TrackingMore's public universal package tracking tool and the tracking number format fails to be recognized by our algorithms, don't forget to "Select Courier" to indicate the right courier of the package to proceed with the tracking process after entering your tracking number. Otherwise, you'll still get the "Pending" status regardless of how many times you try.
If you pick up the wrong courier, the status will remain "Pending." This often occurs when the courier has a global presence and information isn't shared among their branches or divisions. In this case, you need to be as rigorous as possible. How?
Follow these steps:
Go back to our Couriers page and enter the name of the courier handling your package in the search bar;
Click the search results to check the courier's official website individually. You can easily identify which website you use to send packages if you're the sender.
If you're the recipient, associate it with the location of the online retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer from whom you've made a purchase. Alternatively, contact the customer service and ask for further information. If you have plenty of time available, and the search results list isn't that long for you, try changing the courier one at a time.
Couriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL also support air cargo transportation. Although our universal package tracking tool might allow you to track the house air waybill (HAWB) successfully, the format of master air waybill (MAWB) numbers is not supported. Therefore, you should use our air cargo tracking tool instead.
Despite our continuous efforts in expanding our courier network — up till now, we've integrated over 1,200 couriers worldwide — we haven't covered enough road and ocean couriers. These may also include some lesser-known couriers and freight forwarding companies in Central Asia, South Africa, and South America.
This is because we haven't received enough requests to add these couriers. If you need to track shipments handled by your courier partners but they are not on our courier list yet, kindly ask them to submit a partnership request to TrackingMore's partnership team so we can work this out for you together.
TrackingMore prioritizes the experiences of registered users. For couriers that impose stringent API rate limiting (e.g., DHL) and couriers whose tracking API performances are often under maintenance (e.g., Australia Post), we've closed access to the public tracking tools to avoid making too many requests.
This means that you can't track packages they handle without registration and login on the TrackingMore official website. If you're an online shopper or have just started your online business, consider taking advantage of our free trial. Rest assured, no credit card is required. Moreover, you can stay on the free plan after the free trial.
1. The tracking number you entered is wrong.
Please double-check the tracking number you entered earlier. Our system can't provide tracking updates if the tracking number is incorrect. Make sure to follow the best practices below:
Don't put a space or hyphen ("-") between the characters;
To track shipments in bulk, enter one tracking number per line;
If the tracking number is very long, check whether you missed any characters;
If the tracking number consists of both numbers and letters, don't mix the lookalikes, such as I and 1 (one), as well as O and 0 (zero).
2. The tracking number hasn't been registered in the courier's system yet.
Once you enter a tracking number, TrackingMore retrieves tracking information from couriers in real time. If the tracking number has just been generated, chances are the courier has not picked it up. In this case, even the courier's official Track and Trace tool will respond with a "Pending" error.
In this case, you need to retry after a day or two.
If the issue persists, you'd better contact the online retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer from whom you placed the order. This is because some merchants might be able to generate tracking numbers much earlier before pickup.
3. The tracking number is expired.
TrackingMore's standard data retention time for registered users is 180 days. Suppose you haven't created the tracking number in our system in the past 180 days, and the associated tracking information is no longer available in the courier's system. In that case, TrackingMore won't be able to provide you with any tracking information.
Please note that our public package tracking tools show "Pending" instead of indicating a tracking number is "Expired." Additionally, as for our registered users, the "Expired" status means no tracking updates for 30 days since the last checkpoint event.
4. Further information is required.
For data security purposes, certain couriers require additional information to verify you're the sender or recipient of the package. When TrackingMore shows "This courier requires additional information," click "Add Now." You'll be prompted to submit the required information, such as the postal code, shipping date, and last four digits of the recipient's phone number.
The tracking information will appear after you fill in the correct information and click the "Submit" button.
5. You didn't select the right courier.
At TrackingMore, we keep upgrading the courier auto-detection algorithms. Nevertheless, if you use TrackingMore's public universal package tracking tool and the tracking number format fails to be recognized by our algorithms, don't forget to "Select Courier" to indicate the right courier of the package to proceed with the tracking process after entering your tracking number. Otherwise, you'll still get the "Pending" status regardless of how many times you try.
If you pick up the wrong courier, the status will remain "Pending." This often occurs when the courier has a global presence and information isn't shared among their branches or divisions. In this case, you need to be as rigorous as possible. How?
Follow these steps:
Go back to our Couriers page and enter the name of the courier handling your package in the search bar;
Click the search results to check the courier's official website individually. You can easily identify which website you use to send packages if you're the sender.
If you're the recipient, associate it with the location of the online retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer from whom you've made a purchase. Alternatively, contact the customer service and ask for further information. If you have plenty of time available, and the search results list isn't that long for you, try changing the courier one at a time.
Couriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL also support air cargo transportation. Although our universal package tracking tool might allow you to track the house air waybill (HAWB) successfully, the format of master air waybill (MAWB) numbers is not supported. Therefore, you should use our air cargo tracking tool instead.
6. TrackingMore hasn't covered the courier yet.
Despite our continuous efforts in expanding our courier network — up till now, we've integrated over 1,200 couriers worldwide — we haven't covered enough road and ocean couriers. These may also include some lesser-known couriers and freight forwarding companies in Central Asia, South Africa, and South America.
This is because we haven't received enough requests to add these couriers. If you need to track shipments handled by your courier partners but they are not on our courier list yet, kindly ask them to submit a partnership request to TrackingMore's partnership team so we can work this out for you together.
7. You need to register a TrackingMore account to track the package.
TrackingMore prioritizes the experiences of registered users. For couriers that impose stringent API rate limiting (e.g., DHL) and couriers whose tracking API performances are often under maintenance (e.g., Australia Post), we've closed access to the public tracking tools to avoid making too many requests.
This means that you can't track packages they handle without registration and login on the TrackingMore official website. If you're an online shopper or have just started your online business, consider taking advantage of our free trial. Rest assured, no credit card is required. Moreover, you can stay on the free plan after the free trial.
Updated on: 11/10/2024
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