Label created isn't the same as handed to the carrier, and that gap explains most of the tracking complaints we see. A parcel can sit at label created for 48 hours before 1 carrier scan appears, and nothing has gone wrong during that time.
What each tracking status means
Order received means your payment cleared and the order is in the queue. Nothing physical has happened yet, and you can still change an address if you move fast.
Processing means the order is being picked. This is the stage where inventory is reserved against your line items, and it usually takes the shortest amount of time of any stage in the chain.
Label created is the one that causes the most email. It means a shipping label has been generated and the parcel is officially in the system, but it doesn't mean a driver has touched it. Carriers batch their pickups, so a parcel finished on Friday afternoon may not be collected for 72 hours, until Monday.
In transit is when scans start accumulating. Each scan is a physical handoff, and the spacing between them tells you more than the status word itself.
Why dispatch and delivery are different promises
Dispatch time is the window between your order and the moment it leaves the warehouse. Delivery time is everything after that, and it belongs to the carrier, not to us. A shipping policy page that states dispatch windows is being precise on purpose. Transit is measured in business days, and a weekend does not count toward a 2 day service level.
This is also why a tracking number that hasn't moved for 3 days is usually not a lost parcel. A distribution centre scan can lag, and the parcel often resurfaces at the destination hub without any intervening update.
Why your label says what it says
The address on the label is printed from your checkout entry, character for character. That's why an apartment number written on the second address line can end up in the wrong field, and why a small formatting difference between your entry and the carrier database can stall a delivery at the local depot.
Check the confirmation email against the address you meant to give. It takes 10 seconds before dispatch and considerably longer to correct once a parcel is moving.
What to do when tracking stalls
Give it the stated window before you worry. If the tracking hasn't updated past the point where it should have, contact us with the order number, and we can open a trace with the carrier. Traces are more effective when the parcel is genuinely overdue rather than simply unscanned.
Two practical habits help. Keep the tracking link rather than a screenshot, since the page updates and a screenshot doesn't. And if you won't be at the delivery address for a stretch of days, tell the carrier to hold the parcel rather than letting it bounce back and forth.
Planning around the calendar
Order earlier than you think you need to in late November and December. Carrier networks slow down under volume, and a dispatch window that holds in March will stretch in the last two weeks of the year. If you're planning a subscription, setting the first ship date after a known busy period saves a lot of refreshing.
Weather does the same thing in reverse. A storm that closes a regional hub adds two or three days to every parcel routed through it, and no tracking page will say why. The status simply stops updating until the network catches up.
Where to look when something is genuinely late
Start with your confirmation email, because the order number there is what any trace needs. Then open the live tracking page rather than a screenshot, since the page reflects the current scan and the screenshot reflects a moment. If the parcel has passed the stated window with no movement, send us the order number and we'll open an inquiry with the carrier.
Most of these resolve on their own within a day of you asking. The minority that don't are usually address problems, and those are worth catching in the 10 seconds after checkout rather than the 3rd week after dispatch.
Reading the label as a summary
None of this is exciting. It is just the mechanics of a box moving from a shelf to your door, and knowing the stages removes most of the anxiety.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly do orders dispatch?Show answerHide answer
Dispatch timing is stated on the shipping policy page and at checkout.
When do I get tracking?Show answerHide answer
When the label is created, which is when the parcel enters the carrier network.
What if tracking does not move?Show answerHide answer
Carrier scans occasionally lag. Contact us if it has not updated beyond the stated window.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
