One of the questions you ask us lately about the status of your order in AliExpress is what do “received by carrier” and “received by line-haul” mean.
Don't you know what this message means?
In the first part of the post we will explain it in detail and we will also see the steps that will follow until your order arrives at home.
On the final part of the article we will see what the order status “received by the carrier for return” means, which actually has nothing to do with the first one.
To check directly the status of your order on AliExpress click here.
What is “accepted by carrier”?
This tracking status means that the package has already been delivered to the carrier in the country of origin (China). In other words, the package is already on its way to the airport to leave for the destination country.
Why is my order stuck at “accepted by carrier”?
If your order is stuck at this point, we recommend you to check if it is a combined delivery from AliExpress.
In combined delivery each seller sends the packages from their warehouse and AliExpress puts them together in a logistics center. So after appearing “received by carrier” it may take a few days because they will give us a new tracking number and it will go to our country.
Why does this status not always appear on all orders?
Most AliExpress shipments go through “accepted by carrier” at least once, but if you get other statuses in the tracking number (which you can check through the AliExpress app or website by clicking here) don't worry. Each carrier can put their own messages, and also the tracking sometimes skips statuses and is not updated in real time.
What are the next steps?
Once your package is accepted by the carrier, these are the statuses that will likely appear on your order:
“Received by line-haul”
The immediate step is “received by line-haul”, which means that the package is about to leave the origin country.
“Airline departure from original country” and “Cleared by customs”
Once the package arrives in your country, it will have to go through customs clearance.
Although this may scare you at first, keep in mind that most packages are not stopped at customs because of the large amount of merchandise they receive every day.
In the post on customs in AliExpress you can read more about this in detail.
“Shipment at local distribution center”
After customs clearance, in case you have chosen an economic shipment (Aliexpress Standard Shipping, Cainiao, SunYou…), the state postal company of your country will accept your order.
If you want to know more about this we recommend our article about this term.
“Arrival at the delivery office”, “delivering” and “mailman starts to deliver”
When you see “arrival at the delivery office” in the status of your order, be aware because in a few days the courier will bring the package to your home. Probably in 1 or 2 days.
Order status “accepted by a local carrier for return”
Although at first glance they may seem similar, “accepted by a local carrier for return” and “received by carrier” have nothing to do with each other.
If the status of your order shows “accepted by a local carrier for return”, this is not good news: your package has arrived in your city… but it is currently being returned to China.
Why is an AliExpress order returned to China?
This can happen for two reasons: if after trying to deliver the package to you and finding no one at home, you have not gone to pick it up at the office or your delivery address is incorrect.
I have not picked up the order at the carrier
The letter carrier will try to deliver the package twice and if after that he does not find you at home, he will leave a notice in your mailbox or on your cell phone telling you to go and pick it up at your local office.
The time you will have to pick it up is 15 calendar days, counted from the second failed delivery attempt.
Therefore, if you do not pick it up, the carrier will send it back to the seller.
Although sometimes, the carrier may contact you before to let you know. But they do not always do it and you should not count on it.
Incorrect or incomplete address
First of all, you should know that it is very important that you include your cell phone number in your delivery address.
If for some reason there is a problem with your address, the courier will be able to contact you very easily and this will save you a lot of trouble if your address is incorrect or incomplete.
In the article how to change the address of my order on AliExpress we explain in detail what you can do if, when making a purchase, you have entered your shipping address incorrectly.
What can I do if my AliExpress package is returned to China?
Unfortunately, if this happens there is little you can do.
If the carrier has already marked your order for return, even if you contact them, they are not going to refund it.
On the other hand, it is not worth your while to open a dispute asking for a full refund. AliExpress considers that this is not the seller's fault, but yours, and does not usually consider the dispute as good.
Negotiate a partial refund
In our opinion, the best option is to contact the seller and apologize for the problems you have had. Tell him that you intend to buy the product again and then open a dispute asking for a partial refund.
This way, if the seller empathizes with you, it is easier for him to accept the dispute from the beginning and AliExpress will not have to mediate between you.