You’ve recently ordered some new clothes from Shein and you’ve received an “International Warehouse Final package Sterilization and Inspection Completed” tracking update.
What on earth does this mean? Why is your package being sterilized and what happens next?
Let’s take a look…
Summary: International Warehouse Final Package Sterilization and Inspection Completed
This update means that all the items of the Shein order have been packaged together. The shipment has been sterilized (a Covid-19 precaution) and inspected in preparation for dispatch to the carrier.
International Warehouse Final Package Sterilization – Guide
A normal Shein shipment will actually trigger this tracking update twice.
The first time you see this alert, it will be followed by the words “awaiting shipping”, (see screenshot below)
This is at the point that everything has been packaged together and the details sent to the carrier responsible for pick-up from the Shein warehouse.
However, at this stage, the shipment has yet to leave the warehouse.
The second time you see this update it will be followed by the words, “package shipped”, (see screenshot below).
This means that the carrier now has your package. It also means that you can now begin to track your package via the carrier tracking system or a universal app such as 17Track or ParcelsApp.
- Related Content: Shein Package not Delivered – A Complete Guide
So, is My Shein Package Really Being Sterilized?
The answer is yes, with a capital Y.
With the stringent rules surrounding the coronavirus in China, Shein has strict policies in place. As it states on the Shein website:
“All of our packages and warehouses are rigorously disinfected several times daily using hospital standards. Our employees also get daily checkups by medical professionals. So your packages are totally safe.”
Essentially, these procedures have to take place for your shipment to leave the Shein warehouse and be sent overseas.
What Happens After this Tracking Update?
The second time you receive this update, (followed by the words “package shipped”), the carrier has your package.
You will also now receive the shipment tracking number so that you can follow the progress of your order.
On one of my latest Shein orders, I punched the tracking number into Parcelsapp. This shows me that Yanwen now has my package and that I can expect to receive it within 24 to 30 days.
I have written extensively about Yanwen tracking here, and the speed of the service here.
Basically, this is an economy carrier service (my Shein order qualified for free delivery after all) and I will definitely have a wait on my hands.
So long story short, after this update the package goes through the international transit process where tracking updates will be scarce.
- Related Content: Tracking Guide: “In Dispatch” Meaning Shein
Tracking Stuck on “International Warehouse Final Package Sterilization and Inspection Completed”
If your Shein tracking is stuck on this update after “package shipped” you have little to worry about. You could easily wait weeks before you see another update.
It is best to ignore the tracking pages until you get close to the longest potential delivery date.
However, if the tracking is stuck on the update and “awaiting shipping”, your package could still be inside the Shein warehouse.
Shein customer services are not the most helpful in the world, but it is still worth contacting them if it seems your shipment has actually failed to begin.
To avoid being told to basically wait longer, I would leave it at least 5 to 7 business days from the point of receiving this update before you make inquiries into this.
- Related Content: Shein Next Day Delivery – Is it An Option?
Final Words
The “International Warehouse Final Package Sterilization and Inspection Completed” update is a standard Shein alert that shows the package is prepared to leave the warehouse.
Sterilization is an important Covid prevention policy, and the final inspection is to ensure all items are together and going to the correct address.
The second time you receive this update, it means that the item/s has been handed over to the carrier responsible for shipping out of China.
The journey has begun… expect a wait of at least a few weeks though as Shein standard shipping is slow.
I’m a 25 year veteran of USPS. I’m retired now, but as the editor of Mailbox Master, I can’t quite remove myself from the carrier industry just yet. 🙂
