TRACKING

What each tracking milestone means, and what to do when a parcel stops moving

A tracking page is a list of scans, and a scan is recorded only when a parcel changes hands or clears a checkpoint. Between scans the parcel is on an aircraft, in a truck or in a queue, and the silence is normal. This guide explains what each status on an ExpressBox tracking page tells you, how long the gap after it should be, and the few cases where the next move is yours.

By Ravi Shrivastav, founder, ExpressBox · Updated 27 Oct 2026

The milestones, in order

Milestone	What has happened	Normal time to the next scan
Order received	Your booking or your forwarded order is registered and a tracking number is issued	1 to 3 days (purchase and receipt at our hub)
Received at origin hub	The parcel is physically with us, weighed and measured	1 to 2 days
Export cleared	Origin customs has released it for export	Same day
Departed origin	Loaded on the aircraft; a flight date is recorded	1 to 3 days in transit, including a connecting hub
Arrived destination	Landed and lodged with destination customs	1 to 3 working days for clearance
Customs cleared	Duty assessed and paid; released to the courier	Same or next day
Out for delivery	With the last-mile courier in your city	Same day
Delivered	Signed for, with the recipient's name or a photo

A USA to India shipment normally completes the whole list in 11 to 17 days from order; India to the USA, the UK or the UAE in 4 to 8 days from receipt at our hub. The ExpressBox tracking page shows an estimated window computed from the current milestone and the time the parcel has already spent at it, so the estimate tightens as the parcel moves.

Pauses that are routine

Two to four days of silence after "Departed origin". Express air into India routes through a carrier hub (often Dubai, Leipzig or Cincinnati) and the parcel is not scanned in flight. The next scan is the arrival.
A weekend or a public holiday at either end. Customs in India does not clear on Sundays or gazetted holidays; US and UK customs run reduced weekend shifts. A Friday arrival often clears on Monday.
"Arrived destination" followed by one or two working days with no change. The entry is filed and in the queue; most clearances complete inside 48 hours without anyone being contacted.

Pauses that need you

Customs hold: KYC or documents requested. The courier has asked for the receiver's ID, a payment proof or an invoice. Nothing happens until it is sent. On ExpressBox shipments we message the receiver on WhatsApp and e-mail with exactly what is needed; sending it the same day usually clears the parcel the next working day.
Duty payment pending. The assessment is done and the carrier is waiting for payment before release. The amount and a payment link are on the tracking page and in the message you receive. Parcels not paid within about seven days start incurring storage charges and are eventually returned.
Delivery attempted: address or phone issue. The last-mile courier could not find the address or reach the receiver. Reply to the courier's message with a landmark and a reachable number, or choose a redelivery day; after three attempts the parcel goes back to the city hub and then to the shipper.

When a parcel is genuinely stuck

A parcel is overdue, not just quiet, when it has sat at one milestone beyond the normal time for that step with no request for documents or payment outstanding. Customs backlogs are the usual cause, and they are seasonal: the weeks before Diwali and Christmas, and the days after a customs system change, routinely add three to five working days at the Delhi and Mumbai courier terminals. We watch every shipment that passes its step allowance, raise it with the carrier, and update the tracking page with what we learn, so the fastest way to know is to check the page or reply on the WhatsApp thread for that order.

What a tracking number tells you

An ExpressBox tracking number is the one reference for the parcel from order to door. Before the parcel is handed to a destination courier the page shows our own milestones; once a last-mile courier has it, their airway bill number appears alongside so you can also follow it on their site. Both numbers refer to the same parcel; the status on our page is updated from the courier's scans, so the two should never disagree by more than a few hours.

Damaged or missing on delivery

Photograph the parcel before and after opening if the outer box is damaged, and report it within 48 hours of delivery with the photos. Claims on express shipments are settled against the declared value on the invoice, which is one more reason to declare the real value: an undervalued parcel is also under-insured.

Questions we are asked

My tracking has not updated for three days. Is the parcel lost?

Almost never. Three days of silence after departure is normal for a connecting air route. If the last scan is an arrival or a hold and nothing has moved for more than three working days, message us with the tracking number and we will chase the carrier.

Why does the delivery estimate on the tracking page change?

It is recalculated from the current milestone. A parcel that clears customs early gets an earlier window; one that sits at a step past its allowance gets a later one. The estimate is a range for this reason.

Can I change the delivery address after shipping?

Within the same city, usually yes, by replying to the last-mile courier's message before the first attempt. A change to a different city after export clearance is a new shipment.

Customs figures are those in force on the date above and are the same as on our lane pages; rates change, so confirm against your quote before paying duty.