What does "your order has shipped" mean?

[struggle4progress]

A while ago, I ordered somethin and after a week I got a nice email sayin "your order has shipped" and givin me a trackin number. So I went to the trackin site every day for another week and am greeted with a message sayin "we can't track this til we actually have it in our hands." On day eight or nine, the trackin finally says "item received by shipper." Then the shipper takes a third week to deliver

So I ordered something from a different gang recently and got a nice email this weekend sayin "your order has shipped" and givin me a trackin number. So I went to the trackin site after a day or so and the site says they don't know nothin about that number. So I go back and read all the fine print everywhere and discover a little disclaimer: "orders shipped on weekends or holidays aren't actually shipped until the next business day."

So WTF does "your order has shipped" mean?

[Petrushka]

1. It probably means the shipper meant to say: "Couldn't wait to bill your credit card!!!1!!"

:hide:

[hobbit709]

2. Means it came into the shipping department from the warehouse

They box it up on Monday and wait for the shipper to pick it up. If it takes 3 weeks to get to you then somebody's lying about when. The tracking number is generated automatically by software at the company-not by the shipping service.
Stuff I order online gets to me within 5 business days from when I order and usually in 3.

[HopeHoops]

3. Usually it just means that they printed out the UPS (or whatever) label and put it on the box.

The box is sitting with a pile of other boxes waiting for the delivery truck to pick them up. SOMETIMES it means the item is actually WITH the delivery company, but don't count on it.

[MicaelS]

6. hobbit709 and HopeHoops have it right.

Just because you have a tracking number doesn't mean much. All it means is the order has been picked, packed and the label put on the box.

UPS and Fedex don't pick up after a certain time of day. Usually 6pm-8pm for ground shipments is the cutoff time. Air is earlier, usually no later than 5-6pm. So if it didn't make a truck by the pickup time, it might sit in the shipper's yard, or even on the shipper's loading dock until the next BUSINESS day (not Sat or Sun). Most shippers won't send out a lightly loaded truck since they get charged for a pickup. So it makes economic sense to send out one fully loaded truck as close to the end of the day, than multiple partially loaded ones.

As far as USPS (Post Office), they have started using third party shippers to move trucks cross country. So if you have something shipped from one side of the country to the other by the Post Office, it might never get scanned until it actually hits the local Post Office distribution center in your city, which is shortly before delivery.

The lessons are to order as early in the day as possible, and as early in the week as possible. An order placed on Thursday or Friday might not actually ship out until the following Monday or Tuesday.

[Kali]

4. for me it means I can start obsessively checking the delivery status with the shipping co.

:rofl:

sounds like something got lost on you

[struggle4progress]

7. .

:D

[jobycom]

5. Same thing as "I'll still respect you in the morning."

You won't know until morning if it's true.

I've used companies where I've gotten the "We've shipped your package" on the same day I've gotten the package. (Zappos.com, in case you're curious). Others, I've had the same experience as you.

My favorite was from a company who eventually issued me a refund, saying they never had the item to ship in the first place. After the refund, I got an email asking how I was enjoying the product.

[sarge43]

8. It was dropped off the forklift.

Trust me, that's how it works.