The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center – GLS Tracking

You’re expecting a delivery via GLS and have received a “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center” status update.

What does this mean exactly? Where is your package when you see this alert and what should you do if the tracking is stuck?

Let’s take a look…

The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center – Guide

It is worth understanding that you may receive this alert more than once along the shipment route.

This is because the update can be triggered at a sorting facility close to the sender (an origin facility), or in the region of the delivery address (destination facility).

You will be able to tell whereabouts the package is by actually looking at what update preceded the “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center” alert.

If you recently received a notification stating that “the parcel was handed over to GLS”, there is a good chance that the parcel has now entered a sorting facility close to the origin and is at the beginning of the shipment journey.

Conversely, if the package has already passed through one or more parcel centers, there is a good chance that it has now reached a sorting facility close to the destination address.

This in turn means that the final delivery will be soon.

• Related Content: “Shipment Received at Aramex Origin Sorting Facility” Meaning

What Happens Inside a Parcel Center?

As explained above, a parcel center is actually a GLS sorting facility.

The package enters the facility and is sorted along with other mail and packages (both automatically and manually) for onward dispatch to another facility further along the route.

This is why the “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center” alert can be triggered several times.

Parcel Centers act as hubs throughout the network, and in order to reach the destination address, your package will pass through more than one.

Tracking Stuck on “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center”

There is a very good chance that you have reached this article because your package seems to be stuck.

The last update you received is “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center” and you have Googled it to see what is happening.

The fact is, your package may get held up inside a sorting facility before it is dispatched for onward delivery.

There are multiple causes for this.

Whether it is high seasonal volumes inside the facility, technical or staffing issues, or your package, unfortunately, being shunted to the bottom of a pile; if the tracking remains on this update for more than 3 days one of these issues will likely have taken place.

• Related Content: DPD Parcel Delayed Due to Unexpected Issue – What To Do

In situations where an expedited premium service was used, the 3-day point is where I would recommend contacting GLS to find out what is happening.

In some situations, the parcel may have already left the center, but missed a scan.

Whatever the case, if the package is falling behind the estimated delivery window, you will understandably want to have it moving again.

Where a more budget delivery speed was ordered, I recommend waiting for up to 5 days before contacting GLS. 

Again, this would give the item more time to start moving through the network before you go through the annoying process of contacting customer services to speed things along.

• Related Content: The Parcel Data Was Entered into the GLS IT System – Guide

What Happens After a “The Parcel Has Reached the Parcel Center” update?

Believe it or not, the update you actually want to see that shows that the shipment is progressing is simply, “The Parcel Has Left the Parcel Center”. Ingenious 🙂

Sarcasm aside, this demonstrates that the item is now in transit to the next parcel center in the network.

Once it reaches a center close to the destination address, the next step will be final delivery.

This piece of good news will be communicated via a “The Parcel is Expected to be Delivered During the Day”.

Great stuff, your shipment is very nearly with you.

---