‍What does the Tracking Status “En Route to DHL eCommerce” mean?

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When a DHL Package’s Tracking status states “En Route to DHL eCommerce Distribution Center or Awaiting Processing” it means your package has not been picked up, or the package is awaiting a scan from DHL.

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So why does this happen, and what are the solutions?

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eCommerce brands often get questions like: "help, why isn’t my package moving?” or “why is my package stuck with tracking status details updating?”

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With DHL, there are two main reasons for this-

Pickup: The package has not been picked up yet.
Package Scan: The package is awaiting DHL’s scan.

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Below, we'll cover various solutions for eCommerce brand owners:

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Pickup: The package has not been picked up

Pre-Pickup & Processing

First, if it’s immediately after the timing of when the label was generated, it’s most likely still awaiting pickup by DHL eCommerce. DHL states, “You should see tracking events within 24-48 hours after you have received the confirmation email. The reason it takes time to see tracking events is because the first event is created once the shipment is handed to us, i.e. once the shipment has departed the fulfillment center of your merchant or online shop.”

After your order is received, your fulfillment provider will generate a label for it, but it may take some time for tracking information to become available. Initially, the tracking status will display "LABEL CREATED." This means that the fulfillment center, 3PL or merchant has created the label.

Following “Label Created,” the status “En Route to DHL eCommerce Distribution Center” or “Awaiting Processing,” is displayed.

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Shipments’ Pick Up & Manifest Scanning

Once the fulfillment center, 3PL, or merchant has generated the Shipping Manifest (a list of all the shipments being picked up by DHL eCommerce for the day), the driver scans it. At this stage, your package will be marked as "DHL ECOMMERCE CURRENTLY AWAITING SHIPMENT," and tracking information will be updated when the package is received.

Please note: This status does not indicate that your package has already been picked up; it simply means that the manifest has been scanned by the driver for the scheduled pickup that includes your package.

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Package Scan: The package is awaiting DHL’s scan.

If you haven't received any tracking updates in more than 24 hours, there could be several reasons for the delay. For instance, your 3PL might have misplaced your package or loaded it onto the wrong carrier's truck, or the package could still be sitting in the warehouse instead of being sent to the DHL eCommerce facility as intended.

Despite DHL eCommerce processing thousands of packages each day, it's possible for some packages to miss scanning or experience a backlog in processing, which could result in delayed tracking updates.

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Solutions:

Wait 24 Hours: First, we typically recommend waiting 24 hours. If your tracking status still states “DHL eCommerce is Awaiting Shipment,” or “Tracking Will be Updated When Received” and your order's manifest hasn’t been scanned, we recommend reaching out to your 3PL point of contact.
After 10 Days: If there are no tracking updates for over ten days, it's likely that the package is lost. You should contact your 3PL to inquire about the status of your package and get more information on how to proceed.

For more details on carrier tracking, carriers, and what to look for in a 3PL, check out our blog page dedicated to brand owners!

If you’re experiencing this problem more frequently than you’d like, speak with a fulfillment expert at Atomix on how to handle these situations. Atomix provides fulfillment services for 100+ startup to international large-scale brands, and we’d be happy to evaluate if our unique fulfillment model is the right solution for you!