“Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending” Meaning?

What does the “Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending” tracking update mean?

This is an alert that you might see when sending a package via USPS. As we shall see, this normally comes at the beginning of the delivery journey.

Is it a reason to be concerned about the progress of the shipment?

Let’s take a look…

Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending – Guide

The USPS “Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending” status update is one of the first alerts that appear in your tracking information.

The shipment has just entered the USPS delivery system and has received an initial scan.

The clue to the nature of the alert is in the words “shipment received”.

This normally suggests that an entire shipment of mail items has been dropped off at a USPS facility; your package being one of them.

This large shipment is scanned into the system in bulk which then triggers the alert.

From here the bulk arrival will move through the USPS facility, with each package sorted and scanned individually.

At this point, the “Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending” alert will be replaced by an “Accepted at Origin Facility” or “Processed Through Regional Facility” update.

• Related Content: Can I Pick Up A Package From USPS Before Delivery?

How Long Should I Expect to See This Alert?

It is not unusual to see this update remain for between 24 – 48 hours.

The length of time it takes until the next scan is dependent on the USPS service used for delivery, business day, and the overall volume of items at the sorting facility.

For example, a 2-day Priority Mail Express package should not be stuck on this update for 48 hours.

Conversely, a 2-day delay would not be an issue for a Retail Ground shipment that might take 5 or more days to arrive.

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What Should I do if my Package is Stuck on The Update?

If the alert persists for over 48 hours (or beyond what would seem reasonable for the service used), you should contact USPS Customer Services to see what has happened to your package.

It could be that the package has not been scanned on the way through the sorting facility and is on the next leg of its journey without the system being updated.

It could also mean that the item has been held up at the origin facility due to a complication.

Either way, USPS will be able to look into why the delivery update has not moved past “Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending“.

What Happens After the “Shipment Received Package Acceptance Pending” Alert?

After the package is scanned and sorted individually for appropriate onward distribution, it will be loaded onto a truck toward the destination address.

For domestic shipping within the USA, this could be via road transit to a regional facility nearer the recipient’s location, (for shorter distances). It could also be toward a facility based at an airport for longer-range domestic transit.

Any international shipments will pass through a USPS International Distribution or Service Center, before being shipped abroad.

Relevant updates include: “In Transit, Arriving on Time“, “Arrived at USPS Regional Facility” and “Jamaica NY International Distribution Center“.

Final Words

Essentially, the alert means that your package is on the first leg of its journey through the USPS delivery infrastructure.

This is to let you know that they physically have the mail item and that it will be going through the sorting facility very soon.

Before long you should receive further updates to show that the package is on its way.

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