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Lidl order tracking: delivery, returns and problems

9 min read

Lidl has no online shop in the UK: its help centre says the only way to get its products is in a store. In Ireland you can order groceries for Click & Collect at four stores, in the US Lidl's promotional items are sold in store only, and Lidl has no stores in Canada or Australia. Lidl does run online shops elsewhere, among them Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands; in Germany, lidl.de ships with DHL, Hermes and DPD and emails you the tracking number.

Can I order from Lidl online in the UK, Ireland or the US?

Here's what Lidl's own pages offer:

  • UK. Lidl GB doesn't take online orders or deliver: "Currently, the only way to get your hands on our fantastic products is by popping into your local store." On some promotional dates, Click Reserve Collect in the Lidl Plus app lets you reserve selected Middle of Lidl items, then collect and pay for them at the till.
  • Ireland. Click & Collect: you order groceries in the Lidl app and collect them at the Tallaght Main Road, Portlaoise, Ballincollig or Dunshaughlin store. The minimum order is €30 and the service fee €4.99.
  • US. Lidl's help centre says promotional items "are available in store only" and can't be held.
  • Canada and Australia. Lidl's list of the countries where it operates doesn't include them.

Each of Lidl's online shops delivers in its own country only: lidl.de to German addresses, lidl.fr to mainland France and Corsica, lidl.be to Belgium. Lidl Belgium adds that the Netherlands has its own online shop. So from the UK, Ireland or the US, you buy in a Lidl store.

The rest of this guide uses lidl.de, with Lidl's German labels and a translation.

Who delivers a Lidl order in Germany?

lidl.de sends standard parcels with DHL, Hermes and DPD. When an item ships from a direct supplier ("Direktlieferant") or is bulky, another parcel carrier or a freight forwarder ("Spedition") may deliver it. Lidl doesn't name the others.

What you buyWho deliversWhere to
A standard parcelDHL, Hermes or DPDAn address in Germany, a Packstation or a post office
A freight-forwarder item ("Speditionsartikel")The freight forwarder, on a day agreed with youTo the kerb or just inside the front door, as the listing says
An item from a direct supplierAnother carrier or a freight forwarderYour address

Lidl doesn't deliver to Lidl stores, or to some islands such as Sylt, Föhr, Norderney and Helgoland.

  1. Lidl's logistics centreSends the shipping email
  2. DHL, Hermes or DPDOr a freight forwarder for large items
  3. A Packstation, post office or parcel shopNever a Lidl store
  4. YouCheck freight deliveries before you sign

Where is my Lidl tracking number?

When your order leaves the logistics centre, Lidl emails you a shipping confirmation ("Versandbestätigung"). It names the carrier and gives your tracking number ("Sendungsnummer"). Click the number to open the tracking, or type it on the carrier's website.

  • Your account. "Meine Bestellungen" (my orders) shows where each order stands. If you ordered as a guest, everything comes by email.
  • Several parcels. An order can ship in several parcels, each with its own number in the shipping confirmation.
  • No tracking data. Lidl says a shipping confirmation has none in individual cases ("in Einzelfällen"), usually for items sent by a direct supplier or bulky goods ("Sperrgut"). For a freight-forwarder item, the forwarder calls or emails you to agree the exact day.

Other shops: find your tracking number. Not sure whose number you have? Type it here:

Type or paste a number, a link or the whole shipping message: Peek names the carrier from the number’s shape.

Why is my Lidl order late, or why isn't tracking moving?

When nothing moves, it's usually one of these:

  • The delivery time hasn't passed. Each product page gives one. Before you chase, count it in working days from Monday to Friday, as Lidl's help centre does. Some items have a set start date, and the delivery time only starts then. If an item is delayed or out of stock, Lidl tells you by email.
  • A split order. Follow each tracking number in the shipping confirmation. You pay the delivery fee once, however many parcels come.
  • A freight-forwarder item. The forwarder calls or emails you to agree the day, and usually delivers Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. The address can't be changed.
  • Nobody was home. Click the tracking number to choose a preferred place ("Wunsch-Zustellort"), such as a parcel shop or a safe place, or a preferred day ("Wunsch-Zustelltag"): DHL Wunschpaket, Hermes or DPD Wunschzustellung. The tracking also shows whether a neighbour or a post office has the parcel.

Changing your mind. You have about 120 minutes after ordering: in "Meine Bestellungen", press "Stornieren" (cancel) while it's active. Guests use the link in the provisional order confirmation. After that, refuse the parcel at the door.

When waiting is still normal: tracking not updating. Missed the carrier: missed delivery.

How much does Lidl delivery cost?

You pay a flat 5.95 € per order. Large, bulky items add a surcharge, shown on the item and again in the order summary. The Lidl Plus app often has coupons that cancel the flat fee. Returns are free.

Where toWhat Lidl says
An address in GermanyIt can differ from your billing address
A DHL PackstationUp to 60 x 35 x 35 cm; bigger parcels go to a post office where possible
A post office ("Postfiliale")Billing and delivery addresses must be in Germany
A Hermes or DPD parcel shopChoose it in the tracking
A Lidl storeNot possible

Some bulky items can only go to certain addresses; the product page says so.

More: parcel lockers and pickup points, uncollected parcels and delivery times.

Lidl parcel not arrived, damaged or marked delivered: what do I do?

Look first, then report. In order:

  1. Check the trackingFollow every tracking number in the shipping confirmation: a missing item may be in another parcel. For a freight-forwarder delivery without tracking, wait for its call or email.
  2. Look around and askThe tracking shows whether a neighbour or a post office has the parcel. Check your Packstation, and ask neighbours and anyone who takes in parcels for you.
  3. Contact LidlUse the chatbot LiA, call 030 2200 5500 (Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm) or email [email protected], with your order number.
  4. Make a complaintSomething still missing once every parcel has come: tell customer service. Freight-forwarder delivery: before you sign, check the packaging for dents, holes or deformation, count the packages against the delivery note ("Lieferschein") and have any damage confirmed in writing. A signature with no remark confirms the goods arrived in perfect condition. A damaged or faulty item is a "Reklamation": contact Lidl within the 2-year legal guarantee, best through LiA, with the order and article numbers and a short description; by email, add a photo of the item and the packaging. Don't send it back first.
  5. Refund or new itemLidl checks the complaint and tells you what comes next; a repair under the guarantee extends it once by 12 months. To get your money back instead, return the item within 30 days. Lidl doesn't swap items directly: send it back for free and order the one you want.

More: parcel marked delivered but not received, lost parcel and damaged parcel.

How do I return a Lidl order?

You can send a lidl.de order back for free within 30 days of receiving it: 14 days by law and 16 more from Lidl. Some product pages set different terms. Online orders can't be returned or exchanged in a Lidl store.

  1. In "Meine Bestellungen", press "Retoure/Reklamation" (return/complaint), choose the items, the reason and the carrier, then "Retourendokumente anfordern" (request return documents). Guests start from the link in the invoice or delivery confirmation email.
  2. Lidl emails the label within minutes. A DHL return can use the QR code instead.
  3. Stick the label on the outside and drop the parcel at a parcel shop or Packstation, depending on the carrier. Keep the receipt until Lidl confirms the return.

Lidl emails you when the return reaches its logistics centre, and again once it's processed. The money goes back by the payment method you used; a Lidl gift card payment comes back as a new gift card by email.

Large items. For anything delivered by freight forwarder, or a parcel over 31.5 kg or with a longest side over 120 cm, Lidl arranges a pickup. Start the return in your account, or from the link in the invoice, with a daytime phone number. The forwarder calls or emails within a few days to agree a slot (Monday to Friday, 7 am to 1 pm or 12 pm to 6 pm) and brings the label. Take the item apart and pack it to travel. It's collected the way it came: at the kerb or just inside the front door.

How to follow a return: returns tracking.

Can I track a Lidl parcel in Peek?

Yes: paste the tracking number from the shipping confirmation into Peek. Peek recognises these numbers by their shape alone:

  • DHL: most 20-digit numbers starting 00340434, like 00340434100000000007.
  • Hermes: H and 16 to 19 digits, like H1000000000000000.

DHL's 12-digit numbers and the 14-digit numbers of DPD and Hermes share their shape with other carriers. Peek asks the likely carriers and shows the one that knows the number. If several know it, press "Choose"; if it shows the wrong one, press "Change" and pick the carrier named in the shipping confirmation. For a freight forwarder, or a carrier this guide doesn't name, paste its number all the same: Peek follows more than 3,500 carriers. Return numbers work the same way. If your order comes in several parcels, add each number.

If a parcel changes carrier on the way and the first carrier names the one taking over, Peek keeps the history from the start and follows the new carrier. Peek shows what the carrier publishes. Claims, refunds and returns stay with Lidl.

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