You’re expecting a delivery from SF Express and have received a “The Shipment is Being Forwarded, Please Wait Patiently” tracking update.
What does this mean exactly? Where is your parcel being forwarded to and what happens now?
Let’s take a look…
Summary: “The Shipment is Being Forwarded, Please Wait Patiently”
This update from SF Express means that your package is in the process of being forwarded to a third-party carrier inside the destination country. This could be the UPS, FedEX, or even the local postal service operating in that country.
The Shipment is Being Forwarded, Please Wait Patiently – Guide
This update from SF Express is actually a positive one to receive.
It means that the package has arrived in the destination country, has passed through customs clearance (i.e has been successfully imported), and is now waiting to be handed over to the carrier that will complete final delivery.
As mentioned in the summary above, the third-party carrier that SF Express uses in this situation will vary.
The carrier has business relationships with services such as UPS, FedEX, and DHL.
Furthermore, in some instances, the parcel will be handed over to the postal service (USPS in the USA for example, or Royal Mail in the U.K).
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How do I Know What Service My Parcel is Being Forwarded To?
Unfortunately, the SF Express tracking page can be scant on details when it comes to telling you which carrier service the item is being forwarded to.
Just take a look at the screenshot above… the package is in the USA and it is waiting to be forwarded.
At this stage, this is all you will be told.
However, a quick check using a universal tracking app such as 17Track or ParcelsApp will provide you with more information.
Essentially, the third-party carrier is aware of the item and details will be shown elsewhere.
Whichever service your item is to be forwarded to, a universal tracking app will be able to tell you.
You can also try putting the number on the tracking page of the country’s postal service.
In the above scenario, this would be USPS.
- Related Content: What Does “Forwarded to a Third Party Agent” DHL Mean?
Tracking Stuck on “The Shipment is Being Forwarded, Please Wait Patiently”
You may well have reached this article through a Google search because your tracking is stuck on this update.
The issue here is the fact your package can take time to be handed over to the third-party carrier.
If this transfer takes place at the main distribution center at the import location, (a USPS facility such as the New York ISC for example), delays are all too common.
This is because of the sheer volume of packages arriving in the country.
Furthermore, USPS will consider the SF Express parcel as a lower priority.
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This isn’t policy as such, it’s just that in times of high volumes, economy shipments such as SF Express arrivals from China, will be dealt with secondary to higher priority, premium shipments flowing through the distribution center.
The fact is, whichever third-party carrier is dealing with the delivery of the package (in whatever destination country), it can take several days for the package to enter the network of that service.
During that wait time, your package will be stuck on “The Shipment is Being Forwarded, Please Wait Patiently”.
Note: This delay is also the cause of this update being sent on what seems like a loop. Essentially, your tracking will keep updating with this same alert, until the carrier has the item and it is scanned into the network.
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What to do if Tracking Really is Stuck
You only really have two options available to you if the tracking ends up stuck on this update for a week or more.
The first is to contact SF Express to see what the hold-up is.
The second is to use a universal tracker to ascertain who the third-party carrier responsible for delivery in the destination country is, and contact them too.
If this is an eCommerce order and your item ends up missing, you will also need to contact the platform you bought the item from and/or the seller.
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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. 🙂
I’ve been waiting on a package ,says it’s in Bloomingdale, ill since July 29th waiting ups,how long does UT take