Who Is Delivering My Package?
This page serves as an information hub for inquiries concerning courier handoff and last mile deliveries. For details on our Shipping Policy, please click here.
When a package is shipped, it may be delivered by a terminal courier that differs from the courier used for initial transit. The terminal courier is the courier that takes care of the final delivery process, directly to the recipient's shipping address. This is a relatively common practice in commercial logistics that streamlines the shipment process to capitalize on shipping speed and efficiency, especially for international shipments.
Because of how shipments are handled, we recommend contacting the terminal courier directly should there be any issues with delivery. Having the tracking number and shipping address ready when reaching out will expedite the process.
We understand that such practices can be confusing and have caused some inconvenience in the past. As a result, we've decided to compile a list of the most common couriers we use, along with tips on how to find the terminal courier responsible for delivering your package.
DHL
We primarily ship via DHL, and in the shipment details, there will be an entry stating “Delivery by [terminal courier].” The hyperlink will lead you to the respective terminal courier’s tracking system.
Deutsche Post
Sometimes the tracking page displays Delivery by DP Packet Plus without a hyperlink attached to the terminal tracking number. This indicates that the parcel is being transported within the global postal network originating from Deutsche Post. Besides the tracking history available on the DHL site, you can also track the parcel through Deutsche Post. Once the parcel arrives in your destination country, it can be tracked using your local post courier.
We recommend using the Global Track & Trace tool provided by the Universal Postal Union to view the complete tracking history once the parcel enters the postal network. Occasionally, a parcel may pass through multiple countries, and a local post courier might not provide the entire history.
S.F. Express
We have decided to suspend shipping via S.F. Express beginning in August 2023. Some remaining pre-orders may still be shipped via S.F. Express. Please see our announcement for further details regarding this change.
Our partnered courier in China, S.F. Express, does not reveal the terminal courier on its consumer-oriented website, but you may visit an internal-use S.F. tracking site to find out which terminal courier is responsible for delivering your package, along with the terminal tracking number.
Using the internal site, input your S.F. tracking number to see if a terminal tracking number is generated. If the number is generated, the shipping updates will have details listing an "Agent tracking number". With this number, you will be able to query it on Aftership, 17Track, or any general-use third-party tracking site to find out the terminal courier.
Agent Tracking Number will only be displayed once the parcel is processed by the local operation center. It's normal if you don't see one right after the package is shipped. Please remain patient as this information will be updated soon.
I can track my package on S.F. Express's public website, but not on the internal-use site.
If you're in Greater China, the package is likely to be sent by SF Express's domestic service. In this case, there will not be a final courier, and you can use the S.F. public website to track your package.
Otherwise, the package may not have been processed yet. Please remain patient and give it a couple of days.
S.F. websites are terrible. Are there any alternatives when shipping from China?
This section is for record-keeping purpose only. Due to the related events, we no longer hold the positions detailed below.
We use S.F. Express for our international shipping since they help us offer significantly lower shipping rates to our customers. Shipping directly from China can result in savings of up to 50% for our European customers and up to 80% for our Asia-Pacific customers, compared to shipping from the US.
In addition, we will at times use S.F. Express to ship to our customers in the Americas to reduce freight time and cost, which helps us keep a lower retail price on some of our products.
Though S.F. Express's development in IT isn't as advanced as we'd like, they are by far the best courier in China and are top quality in domestic services. Their international services are still in a start-up phase, but they've so far maintained quality service. We'd like to see them improve their international service in the future.
We have also tried other Chinese couriers, and honestly speaking, they are much worse. We appreciate your understanding of our efforts to keep our shipping costs low while maintaining good service quality.
USPS
International orders shipping from the United States may be be shipped via USPS, and the tracking number will be in a 13-digit EMS format rather than the domestic 22-digit USPS tracking number. Updates will populate the USPS site while the parcel is moving through the US, but we recommend also using the destination country's postal service site after it has landed in your destination country.
The tracking updates on the destination country's postal service site frequently offer more detailed entries over USPS's services, but this is not always the case. Below is a list of destinations that we frequently ship to, and according to our experience, the tracking updates by the destination postal service perform better than those from USPS.
| Destination | Terminal Courier and Tracking Site |
|---|---|
| Australia | Australia Post |
| Canada | Canada Post |
| Germany | Deutsche Post / DHL |
| United Kingdom | Royal Mail |
| Vietnam | Vietnam Post |
If you are unsure of the terminal courier, or any courier between the original and the destination countries, we recommend using the Global Track & Trace tool provided by the Universal Postal Union. A third-party site like 17Track or Aftership may also be used to find the terminal courier.
