You’re expecting a delivery and have received an “Item Dispatched” 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…
Summary: Item Dispatched Meaning
The “Item Dispatched Out” tracking update is used by India Post to alert customers that a shipment has been dispatched to the next stage of the delivery process. This could be dispatched from the seller’s warehouse, from an India Post sorting office, or other facilities along the transit route.
Item Dispatched Meaning – Guide
The “Item Dispatched Out” tracking update can be triggered at several junctures along the shipment journey.
This is because anytime the package departs from a particular facility, the alert can be sent.
The wording may change slightly, as examples include “Consignment Dispatch Out…” and “Dispatched to BO”, however, the principle of action remains the same.
Namely, the shipment has left an India Post facility of some kind and is in transit on the next leg of its journey.
- Related Content: “Dispatched for Delivery” Meaning (Tracking Guide)
How Close to Delivery After an “Item Dispatched Out” Update?
Again, this all depends on where the shipment actually is.
As explained, a package can trigger this update at the point it leaves the post office at the origin location, i.e. at the very beginning of the journey.
Halfway through a shipment, the package will naturally pass through a sorting office. When it leaves this, the “Item Dispatched Out” can be sent to customers.
Finally, as the parcel reaches the latter stages of the shipment process, it will be dispatched to BO.
We have covered this update in greater detail here.
It essentially means that the package has been dispatched to the branch office in the vicinity of the recipient.
When this version of the alert is sent, it is clear that delivery is just a day or two away.
- Related Content: Batch Delivery to Carrier: Tracking Guide
Tracking Stuck on “Item Dispatched”
If you find yourself in a situation where your tracking is stuck on an “Item Dispatched” variation, you should leave it a day or two to allow India Post to resolve any delay.
Your item is in transit after you receive the update and depending on the distances involved, may not receive another scan, (and therefore trigger an update) for several days.
That being said, if the shipment is a time-sensitive one and expedited services were purchased, you have grounds to contact India Post for details of the delay.
You can contact customer services here.
- Related Content: What Does “Item Bagged” Mean? Tracking Guide
Final Words
Overall, the “Item Dispatched” status alert is a standard update used by India Post to inform customers that a shipment has left a facility or post office and is in transit on the next leg of the journey.
The good news is that the package is making progress.
If however, the tracking ends up stuck for more than 3 to 5 business days, you should contact India Post for further information.
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. 🙂
