Port of Destination Arrival – Tracking Guide

You’re expecting an international delivery (maybe from Yanwen) and have received a “Port of Destination Arrival” tracking update.

What does this mean exactly? Where is your package when you receive this alert and what do you do if it is stuck?

Let’s take a look…

Port of Destination Arrival – Guide

It is important to understand that the port of destination doesn’t necessarily mean the destination country of the shipment.

It actually means the destination port that the container ship was heading towards.

For example; a Yanwen shipment from China with a final destination of Croatia (where I live) will likely port in Piraeus (Greece).

That would be considered the “Port of Destination Arrival”.

From there it would travel by road transit into mainland Eastern Europe (and eventual final delivery to me).

So for me, the “Port of Destination Arrival” would tell me that the package has arrived in Greece. Final delivery would still be several days if not weeks away.

Of course, every package will differ depending on the recipient’s address, however, in terms of major ports that accept container ships from China, Greece, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands are major hubs.

• Related Content: Item Posted Over The Counter – Yanwen Tracking

What Happens After a “Port of Destination Arrival” Update?

There are actually a few steps involved before your package will begin moving again after an update of this kind.

For example, if the shipment has arrived at a transshipment hub, it will mean that it will actually be loaded onto another cargo ship, (see uplifted from transshipment hub for more on this). Clearly, the shipment still has a long way to go.

If the port of destination arrival is the final point of sea-bound transit, the shipment will need to be cleared through customs and then be handed over to the carrier responsible for the next leg of the journey.

Depending on backlog, the efficiency of the port of entry, and any potential delays on the part of the carrier, it could be several days or more before you receive any new updates.

Essentially, the fact the package is being shipped via container ship means that it is a low priority in terms of speed.

This is why a carrier such as Yanwen is considered budget shipping and is popular with the various Chinese-based e-commerce platforms that use it.

Package Stuck on the “Port of Destination Arrival” Update

Essentially, you do need to be patient if your package is stuck on this update. 

For example, a standard delivery order from AliExpress can take anywhere between 15 and 45 business days to arrive. That’s over two months.

If your package is stuck on this update yet several weeks remain of the potential delivery window, AliExpress will do very little if you contact them at this stage.

You will be asked to wait for the buyer guarantee period to draw to a close, (which is 60 days).

Only if the package hasn’t arrived by then will you be able to open a dispute for non-delivery.

Similarly, I order from Shein quite often and the delivery window there is around 25 business days.

Any pause in tracking updates I normally ignore until the proposed delivery time reaches an end.

Universal Tracking Apps

One proactive step you can take is to use a universal tracking update.

Simply use the code inside an app such as 17track or Parcelsapp and if your item is being scanned by any other carrier the details should appear.

Again, I use this a lot on my Shein orders.

Where the Shein tracking could easily stop on an update such as “Port of Destination Arrival” a tracking app will locate any new alerts that have been triggered.

Final Words

Overall, the “Port of Destination Arrival” is simply telling you that the cargo ship your package is on has reached its port of destination.

Whether this port is close to the recipient’s address will depend on several factors. It will most likely have further to go via land-based transport, so you should remain patient in terms of delivery.

The shipment could easily still be weeks away from reaching the recipient’s door.

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