What Does “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” Mean? (AliExpress)

You’ve just received a tracking update from your latest AliExpress order and it states “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility”.

What does this mean exactly? Where is your package and is there anything you need to do?

Let’s take a look…

Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility – Guide

Generally, the “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” status alert is good news.

For AliExpress orders, you will normally see this update towards the end of the shipment journey.

To help clarify the nature of the update, here’s a quick explanation of the transit process.

• Related Content: Parcel Left the Carrier Facility – Tracking Guide

Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility – Shipments to Europe

Liege Line haul, in Belgium, is the main entry point for AliExpress packages into Europe.

It is here that a consignment will land from China, pass through customs clearance, and be sorted and dispatched toward the destination country. 

However, this journey toward the final address will travel through what is classed as “Transit Countries”, i.e. European countries en route to the destination country.

Take a look at the tracking page screenshot below. After successfully leaving Liege Linehaul in Belgium, the package arrives in a “Transit Country or District”.

For this alert to be created the item clearly has to have entered a “Transit Facility”.

Upon being sorted for dispatch towards the destination country, the “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” is created.

However, whether another “Transit Country” stands in the way of the final address is dependent on where the shipment is.

Unfortunately, the tracking is not specific enough to provide you with location details.

Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility – Shipments to the USA

The same “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” status alerts can also be used for shipments to the USA.

However, instead of being triggered as the package passes through a transit country, you will see this update when a shipment is about to leave a facility in a transit state.

• Related Content: USPS Jamaica NY International Distribution Center – Complete Guide

My Tracking is Stuck on “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility”

Being an AliExpress shipment, there is still room for delay when you receive this update. 

Although a major part of the package journey has already been completed, (the logistics of leaving China and overseas transit), you are not home and dry yet.

It is very likely that you have reached this page because your package has ended up stuck.

The important factor here is that “outbound” doesn’t necessarily mean that the shipment has left.

When you receive the “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” update the package is actually still inside the transit facility.

You are basically being told that it has been sorted and it is in a pile with other packages waiting to leave via the same transportation method toward a similar locale.

In other words, there is ample room for delay.

• Related Content: Arrived at Departure Transport Hub AliExpress

Reasons Your Package is Stuck

The same old logistical reasons (excuses?) for package delays apply here.

If you have seen nothing but the “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” update for multiple days, even into weeks, it is likely that one or more of the following has occurred:

• The carrier is waiting for sufficient shipment volume before items are dispatched from the facility, i.e. until there are enough packages going in the same direction, your package is stuck.
• The service delivery speed for your package is economy and is therefore not a priority in terms of delivery
• High shipment volumes are seeing your item repeatedly shifted to the back of the queue. 
• Your package has been mislaid within the facility and is failing to be dispatched in any relevant way
• Your package has left the warehouse but subsequent scans have not taken place (or you are not receiving them)
• Your package is actually lost or stolen

What to do When Your Tracking is Stuck on “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility”

This being an AliExpress shipment means patience is necessary. When packages take close to an epoch to go from one tracking update to another, there is little you can do but grin and bear it.

For the first 5 weeks of the shipment journey, anyway.

The most important proactive step you can take is to be well aware of your buyer protection period. AliExpress offers 60 days on all orders.

If your package doesn’t arrive within that time you will have the means to open a dispute with the seller, claim a refund, or have a replacement item sent.

So, keep an eye on this protection period and be sure to begin your claim (or ask for an extension from the buyer), before it runs out.

Alternative Tracking Methods

Another proactive step you can take is to punch your tracking details into a universal tracking app.

This is because you may have stopped receiving new updates if the package has been handed over to a different carrier.

This is more than possible once the item has arrived in the destination country, as the local postal service is often in charge of delivery.

Simply searching for your tracking details on a website such as 17Track or ParcelsApp will reveal any new updates that have taken place since you last received your “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” alert.

In any luck, delivery is imminent and you just didn’t know about it.

• Related Content: PostNL “Pre Declaration of the Item has Been Received by Customs”

Final Words

The “Parcel Outbound From Transit Facility” status alert means that the shipment is about to leave a facility within an intermediate transit country. 

The fact this is an AliExpress order does mean delays are still possible. Be patient, be well informed of your buyer protection period, and hopefully, your package will be with you soon.

My fingers are crossed for you.

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