Why are my orders stuck in Pending?

Pending means Parcel Track has the order but no usable carrier tracking information yet. A brand-new fulfillment sitting in Pending for a few hours is normal. If orders stay Pending for more than 24–48 hours, one of the five causes below is almost always the reason.

For a refresher on what each status means, see Shipment statuses explained.

1. No tracking number was added to the fulfillment

Parcel Track auto-syncs fulfillments and tracking numbers from your Shopify orders. If the fulfillment was created without a tracking number — common with manual fulfillments — there is nothing to track yet.

How to fix it:

1. Open the order in your Shopify admin.
2. In the fulfillment card, click Add tracking.
3. Enter the tracking number and (optionally) the carrier, then save.
4. Parcel Track picks up the change automatically within a few minutes.

Tip: If you fulfill through a 3PL or dropshipping app, check that it writes tracking numbers back to Shopify. Parcel Track can only sync what exists on the Shopify order. Dropshippers should also read our dropshipping guide.

2. The carrier has not scanned the package yet

A tracking number exists, but the carrier has no data for it because the package has not entered its network. This is the most common cause during busy periods — labels are printed hours or days before packages are handed over.

How to fix it: usually nothing — the status will move to Info Received or In Transit after the first carrier scan. If nothing changes after 3–4 business days, contact the carrier or your fulfillment partner to confirm the package was actually shipped.

3. Unsupported or misdetected carrier

Parcel Track supports 1,000+ carriers and detects the carrier automatically from the tracking number format. Occasionally two carriers use similar number formats, and the shipment is queried against the wrong one — which returns no events, leaving the shipment Pending.

How to correct the carrier manually:

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → Parcel Track → Orders.
2. Search for the order number or tracking number.
3. Open the shipment and click Edit carrier.
4. Select the correct carrier from the list and save.
5. Parcel Track re-queries the shipment immediately against the new carrier.

Note: If your carrier is genuinely not in the list, email support@parcel-track.com with the carrier name and a sample tracking number — new carriers are added regularly.

4. The order is older than the sync window

When you first install the app, Parcel Track imports recent orders from Shopify. Orders fulfilled before that sync window are not tracked automatically, so anything older may appear Pending or not at all.

How to fix it: open Apps → Parcel Track → Settings and check the order sync range. Old shipments that were already delivered generally don’t need tracking; for the rare old order you do need, re-save its tracking number in Shopify to trigger a fresh sync.

5. Your order quota is exhausted

Parcel Track tracks your first 50 orders free, then bills $0.04 per order. If billing has not been approved or a charge limit has been reached, new shipments queue in Pending instead of being tracked.

How to fix it:

1. Go to Apps → Parcel Track → Billing.
2. Check your current usage and plan status.
3. Approve the usage charge or raise the spending cap.
4. Queued shipments start tracking automatically — no need to re-sync.

Quick diagnostic checklist

If you have worked through all five causes and a shipment is still Pending after 48 hours, contact support@parcel-track.com with the order number and tracking number — the team can inspect the raw carrier response for you.