Misrouted Package?
Keep An Eye On Your Package Forwarding Shipment
Tracking numbers aren’t just for locating an item if it’s been lost. For example, some people like to watch their package’s international shipping route from origin to destination.
If you use tools like PackageMapping.com to track your package, it can be exciting to see your package move from country to country as it makes its way to your door.
But what if your packages take a little detour on their way around the world? What if, say, you buy from a US store and ship your package to Australia, but you notice that your shipment is on its way to… Russia?
Don’t panic! It doesn’t mean that your package has been misrouted. International shipping carriers use a variety of routes and logistics solutions to send parcels internationally. They work faster than you’d expect, even if the trajectory you see on your tracking tool doesn’t seem like the most efficient one.
International shipping by the not-so-long route
Even if an international shipping route doesn’t look right, likely, your shipment is just being routed to take advantage of the shipping facilities in another country. Mainly if you ship via EMI, the postal services in many countries have contracts to use the infrastructure in nearby countries.
For example, suppose you’re shipping from the US to Malaysia. In that case, your shipment’s transfer could be to the Singapore Postal service and then forwarded to Malaysia (this ends up being cheaper for the USPS and ultimately saves you money on shipping).
Your shipping route also depends on the flight availability. For example, if your package goes from the US to Australia, it could be through Japan if leaving on a Tuesday but through Hong Kong if leaving on a Wednesday. So don’t worry if your most recent shipment takes a different route than your last one.
Sometimes, ship happens
Still suspicious that your package is on the wrong route? Well, it does happen, occasionally. Shipping facilities handle millions of packages. Each one has to be managed for destination and aircraft space, checked for safety, and x-rayed.
Fortunately, commercial services like DHL and UPS usually guarantee delivery within a certain time period. Even if the package misroutes, its rerouting is quick.
In fact, we’ve seen a DHL package leave our Oregon warehouse on its way to Switzerland that crossed the Atlantic Ocean 3 times: Portland -> Indianapolis -> Paris; Paris -> Indianapolis; Indianapolis -> Paris -> Zurich. But the package is on time.
No need to worry about misrouted packages!
Since it’s so easy to track packages online, the risk of actually losing a package is practically nonexistent. Even if your parcel looks like it’s heading in the wrong direction, the chances are it’ll still make its way to you on schedule.
So don’t worry, ship happy.
