What Does “Departed Processing Center” Mean In 2023?

You’re waiting for a delivery and received a “Departed Processing Center” tracking update.

Just what does this mean? When you see this update, is your package close to being delivered, and do you need to do anything?

So keep reading…

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What Does “Departed Processing Center” Mean?

This update simply means that a package has left a sorting facility (i.e. Processing centre) and is now on its way.

At the processing centre, it will have been sorted and put on a truck. It is now on its way to the next place in the delivery line.

As we discussed in our article about the “Arrival at Processing Center” update, the processing centre is usually in the destination country. It means that the shipment is almost at the end of its journey.

After the “Departed Processing Center” update, the next step (apart from currently being in transit) will be a location near the recipient’s home.

From here, the delivery will take place.

Tracking Stuck on “Departed Processing Center”?

What should you do if you check your tracking and see that your package is stuck on this update?

First, it’s important to know that it can take a few days for the item to leave the processing centre and be scanned at the following location, which will cause a new update.

Taking this into account, it is normal for the tracking to say “Departed Processing Center” for 3 or more business days.

Unless the order was sent with fast shipping, I would wait 5 business days before you ask for inquiries.

Steps if Tracking is Stuck?

I recommend the following steps if a reasonable amount of time has passed with no sign of progress.

Check Number with Universal Tracking App?

Since the package has now arrived in the country it was going to, the carrier service that sent it may no longer be able to track it.

Most of the time, the shipment will now be the job of the mail service in the country where the package is going (or a third-party carrier hired by the service that sent the package).

If you know the tracking code, you can try it on the tracking page for the area service.

But a universal app like 17Track or ParcelsApp will work better if you want to watch everything.

These services look through the tracking records of many different carrier services.

If your item is being tracked elsewhere, you can find the information with a universal tracker.

Hopefully, the shipment is coming, and the reports must get to you.

Contact the Sender / Origin Carrier?

If the above step doesn’t help or confirms that the package is stuck on the “Departed Processing Center” alert, it’s time to call the sender and the carrier service that the package came from.

First, the seller will want to know why the package is late.

Also, the sender should usually be the one to call the origin carrier since they are the ones who placed the order.

But if the sender doesn’t act quickly, you must call the service yourself.