AliExpress order tracking: carriers, statuses and disputes

Which carrier delivers AliExpress parcels in your country?

AliExpress says the sellers set up the shipping methods, and you pick one when you order. AliExpress's help also points you to Cainiao's tracking site, global.cainiao.com, for the latest scans. In your country, a local carrier does the last leg: when a parcel shows as delivered but hasn't come, AliExpress tells you to ask "local post offices or the carrier in the destination country".

Who that usually is in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, from USPS to An Post, is in the country table of tracking a parcel from China. On economy shipping, Cainiao warns that its tracking stops once the parcel is handed to that carrier. Whether you owe anything at the border depends on your country: see customs. In Ireland, Revenue says a €2 EU handling fee per item will be added from 1 November 2026.

1. SellerShips within the time on your order page, or AliExpress closes the order and refunds you
2. FlightThe first scan can take up to 11 days to appear
3. CustomsClearance and inspections can push the delivery date back
4. Local carrierTakes over in your country; on economy shipping, the tracking may stop here
5. YouConfirm receipt only once the parcel is in your hands

Where is my AliExpress tracking number?

On the order: My Orders, then the order, then Track Order. Once the order ships, the number also shows on the order details. The same number works on global.cainiao.com.

No tracking yet? "The seller is processing your order" means it hasn't left; you can track it once the order says "The seller has shipped your order". Even then, the first scan can take up to 11 days. Nothing 12 days after shipping? AliExpress says to contact the seller.

One order can come in several packages: AliExpress's shipping guarantee mentions "a single order of multiple items delivered in multiple packages". If several orders suddenly share one number, AliExpress says their shipping was upgraded and they travel together. Both cases, and why a number can change on the way: tracking a parcel from China.

The AliExpress order number is AliExpress's own reference, not a tracking number: no carrier can look it up. Type the tracking number here to see which carrier its shape points to:

Where other shops put the number: find your tracking number.

What do AliExpress order statuses mean?

The order shows AliExpress's own statuses; the lines under Track Order are Cainiao's and the local carrier's scans. AliExpress's help pages explain these:

• "Payment Processing": AliExpress has reserved your items. Don't pay again.
• "Payment being verified": a security check, usually done within 30 minutes and almost always within 24 hours. If it fails, the order closes and the money goes back to your card.
• "Awaiting Shipment": the seller is preparing the goods, and the order details count down the time left to ship. If it doesn't ship in time, AliExpress closes the order and refunds you; items marked "Shipping guarantee" also earn a coupon. You can give the seller longer with Extend Processing Time, or ask to cancel with Request Order Cancellation: within 7 days of payment, the order is cancelled at once; after that, if the seller doesn't answer within 48 hours, it's cancelled automatically and the money comes back.
• "The seller has shipped your order": it's on its way and can't be cancelled any more. Follow it under Track Order.
• In dispute: your Orders list a dispute here, with Dispute in Progress while it runs and Dispute Finished once it's decided.

What Cainiao's scans mean is on the Cainiao page; for the local carrier's wording, see tracking statuses.

The countdown clock. Buyer Protection starts when you pay and counts down on the order details: that's how long you can open a dispute. If you never confirm receipt, the order closes by itself when it ends. Parcel late and time running short? Ask for more. One help page says to request it from the order details on the website, another to message the seller with "Contact the seller". Either way, the seller has to agree.

Confirming receipt. The Confirm Goods Received button ends the wait: from then on, you have 15 days to open a dispute. Press it only once the parcel is in your hands and the items are right.

How long does AliExpress delivery take, and what if it's late?

Each order has its own delivery time. The order details give its deadline in Pacific time (PST), and that date decides when you can open a dispute for a parcel that is still moving.

Choice. In the US, AliExpress's Commitment page promises "Free shipping over $10 on all Choice items", without a number of days. The versions of that page for the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia don't mention Choice.

The "Fast Delivery" label. Items with this label on their page are "assured to arrive by the estimated delivery date", says the same page, in all five countries. If that goes wrong, you can apply for:

• a coupon, 48 hours after the latest estimated delivery date has passed without delivery;
• a refund if the items arrive damaged;
• a refund if the tracking says "lost in transit", and you keep the items if they turn up later;
• a refund if the parcel isn't delivered within 30 days of shipping in the US and Ireland, 35 in Canada and Australia, or 40 in the UK, again keeping it if it comes.

Without the label, you get a refund, and keep the item, if the order isn't delivered within 60, 75, 90 or 120 days of shipping, as the delivery terms state (the US page also gives 60 days on its own). Delays at customs, inspections or strikes move these dates. AliExpress's force majeure terms rule the promises out when disasters, wars, strikes or customs disruption get in the way.

Tracking that sits still for days, or a number that changes when the local carrier takes over, is normal on this route: tracking a parcel from China explains both, and what changes when a seller ships from a warehouse in your country.

AliExpress package not received or marked delivered: what to do

Your window is Buyer Protection. AliExpress lets you open a dispute from the 11th day after the seller ships until 15 days after the delivery time ends, or 15 days after you confirm receipt. If the parcel is still moving normally and the delivery time hasn't ended, you can open one only once it has. If the tracking shows nothing, the parcel went back to the seller, is held at customs or went to the wrong address, you don't need to wait for the end.

Marked delivered but not there? AliExpress's answer is that "the carrier is distributing your package now": wait, or ask your local post office or the carrier. To find that carrier's contact details, look the number up on global.cainiao.com and follow the link to the carrier's website; Cainiao's View Contact Information button shows them when it has them.

1. 1Check the trackingOpen Track Order on the order. Still moving and within the delivery time? Wait for the deadline on the order page.
2. 2Look around and askCheck the address on the order, the mailbox and your neighbours, and ask the local carrier, which may still have it.
3. 3Open a disputeIn My Orders, open the order details and tap Return & Refund (Open Dispute on some help pages). Say the parcel hasn't come, give the reason and send it before the countdown ends.
4. 4AliExpress reviews itThe seller has 48 hours to reply. If it doesn't sort it out, AliExpress steps in. Add photos with Edit Proposal.
5. 5RefundAgreed with the seller, it reaches your original payment method in 1 to 10 business days, sometimes 20. After a finished dispute, 3 to 20.

A dispute keeps your payment from going to the seller and doesn't stop the delivery. If the seller agrees to a refund, the order closes and the refund follows. If the seller agrees to a return, you usually have 10 days to send the item and enter the tracking number; the request page shows your deadline. If the seller disagrees, change your request with Edit Proposal, or wait: after 48 hours, AliExpress steps in.

Not happy with the result? Under Dispute Finished, choose Appeal within 7 days. Don't cancel a dispute once Buyer Protection is over: the money goes to the seller and you can't open it again. After the countdown ends, only the seller can still help. Paid with PayPal? You can also open a case with PayPal, within 180 days of payment.

Who is responsible for a parcel marked delivered, and what evidence to keep: delivered but not received and lost parcels.

Returning an AliExpress order

Start in My Orders: open the order details, choose Return & Refund, say whether you've received the item, give the reason and submit. AliExpress's Commitment page, in all five countries, says you can return an order within its protection period, and the first return of each order is free, up to 5 times a month; a used, damaged or incomplete item gets a smaller refund. Items labelled "Free returns" can go back within 90 days of the order or 7, 15 or 30 days after delivery, depending on where they ship from and what they are. Other returns normally go back to China at your cost.

Once a return is agreed, send the item to the address on the request page by a tracked service and enter the tracking number; Track Return Package on the order details follows it. The seller has 30 days to receive and check it, then the refund is issued. Your return has its own tracking number: return tracking.

Can I track an AliExpress parcel in Peek?

Yes, with the tracking number from the order's Track Order page. Paste it into Peek, which shows these parcels as "AliExpress / Cainiao". It recognises DOFR or CNFR, 13 digits and HD, such as DOFR1234567890123HD, straight away. LP, AP and CNG numbers aren't certain from their shape alone, so Peek asks Cainiao, and any other carrier the shape fits, and shows the one that knows the number. If several do, it asks you to choose; if it shows the wrong one, press "Change" and pick "AliExpress / Cainiao".

A postal number such as RR123456785CN goes to China Post. To follow it through Cainiao instead, paste the global.cainiao.com tracking link.

When the first carrier names the local partner taking over, Peek keeps the first history, follows the partner once its own tracking shows fresh progress, and shows the partner's name and number on the card.

If the order comes in several packages, add each number. The AliExpress order number isn't a tracking number, and Peek can't track it.

Peek shows what the carriers publish. Buyer Protection, disputes and refunds stay in your AliExpress account.