
With more and more incoming packages per day, it is really difficult to determine how long will it take for your package to be dropped at its destination. As there has been a tremendous increase in the number of packages being shipped per hour, many customers have been receiving Origin Post is Preparing Shipment as their tracking status. Unlike other statuses which are seemingly easy to understand, this status is something that just might not get through your head. What’s frustrating is the USPS never states the meaning of their tracking status. It is up to the customer to decipher their messages. So what does origin post is preparing shipment mean? We will take a look below…
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

USPS is one of the largest e-commerce networks that facilitate the distribution of inbound and outbound mail across the globe. Every day the number of incoming mails is more than just a few million. As a distributed network, they have created a streamlined process so that the customers can understand what is going on with their packages. Unfortunately, USPS is never crystal clear with what is happening on the backend. The customers receive tracking statuses that have more than just one meaning. One such status is the Origin Post is Preparing Shipment.
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This tracking status is not as common as other tracking statuses that you often keep seeing on your tracking tool. Most people wonder if they are the only ones who have this tracking status displayed on their screens. Well, guess what, you are not the only one who is receiving this message. Now, without further ado, let’s check what this status means…
What Does Origin Post Is Preparing Shipment Mean? What Is Origin Post?
This status means that the items the recipient is waiting for are ready with the tracking information. It means that the tracking information for those mails are created and they are scanned into the tracking system. It also means that the originating post(the origin place of the mail) is having the mails ready for traversing through the USPS system.
To reiterate the meaning of origin post is preparing shipment; the tracking information for the shipments is ready, it is scanned into the tracking system and ready for having it delivered to the next USPS station.
For international mails, it means that the origin post has had the mail successfully scanned, processed, and sent for shipping to the destination post, i.e., the USPS. For instance, if you are receiving a shipment from Australia, and you receive this notification, it means that the shipment has been handed over to the destination post, i.e., to USPS for completing the rest of the delivery.
What Are the Reasons for Receiving Origin Post Is Preparing Shipment Notification?
You must be wondering why you have received this message in the first place. Well, as mentioned before, you receive this notification when the shipment has been entered into the database for carrying the rest of the delivery. But other than this, there are much more reasons why a person receives this message. We will take a look at the possible reasons shortly. Remember that although USPS does its best to send shipments to their rightful place at the right time, there are instances where the USPS’s strategies just don’t work well enough.
some of the reasons why you might receive origin post is preparing shipment notification are:
Package Flow
Among all the possible reasons, the primary reason why many people receive this message is because of the tremendous flow of packages. For the past few years, the flow of shipments has increased at an unimaginable rate. People are having shipments arriving from major domestic and international locations. Other than that, there was also a huge delay in shipping services due to the pandemic, leading to a huge pile-up at the shipping centers and processing facilities.
Most of the time, mails must be loaded into trucks, vans, or flights for transportation. Due to the pile-up, the packages must be left behind at the facility unless they are loaded for transportation. This causes delays and as a result, you might receive this status when you are tracking your mails.
Transport Issues
As USPS air transportation is responsible for carrying mails to major destinations worldwide, you must be aware that in most cases, flights are delayed due to the weather. Other than the issues in weather, you might also encounter delays due to the holiday season where package overflow is a common sight.
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Forgetting the Arrival Scan
This might sound bizarre, but it is something that has happened many times before. As you might already know, all the packages that arrive at USPS facilities do an arrival scan of the packages. In rare cases, the USPS officials simply forget to scan a few mails upon arrival. Although most of the scans are done by automated machines, sometimes the scans are also done manually. Forgetting to do an arrival scan doesn’t mean that your mail isn’t progressing. It is moving, but the status has not been updated in the tracking system.

What to Do if Origin Post Is Preparing Shipment for a Month?
Some unlucky folks get to witness this status every time they check their tracking status. Sometimes, even for months. At this point, you aren’t just frustrated, but you are also anticipating the wellness of your shipment. Now, you probably wouldn’t know what’s wrong with your mails unless you talk to a USPS representative. Giving a call to customer support and asking them for updates does not seem to be a bad idea, however, it only works if they can provide some information about your package. Most of the time, the USPS customer support team might not be able to help give you information about what is going on in the logistic backend.
You can give them a call on their customer support number, which is 1-800-275-8777. You can either use the online chatbots, talk to the automated voice assistant, or talk directly to the customer service representative by saying “Agent” over and over again after placing a call.
Another way to ask for information is by directly calling the local post office supervisor and asking them for information about your package. Make sure to provide the tracking number of your shipment to whoever you are asking for assistance. You can also visit the local post office directly and have a word with the supervisor, but the chances of having a one-on-one contact are low. So, it is advised that you give them a call instead.
As a final resort, you can also try to contact the shipper and request updates on your shipment. You can ask them to contact the USPS services and then revert the information about the latest update to you. This process might sound too overwhelming, but it might work well in your favor.
USPS Origin Facility
When mails are dropped at the USPS facility, the mails are collected by the postmen and these mails are then taken to the local post office facility. In this instance, the post office is known as the origin facility. Sometimes the mails are presorted and directly taken to the largest USPS facility located in the city. In the scenario, the largest USPS facility is known and the origin facility.
Generally, the origin facility is a place from which the mails are introduced into the USPS system. Oftentimes, when you ship mails with USPS, you will receive the tracking status as Arrived at Origin Facility. This is the first status that you might receive when your mails arrive at the USPS system. This status means that your item has successfully entered the USPS network after arriving at the Origin Facility. What you need to know is that the post office isn’t necessarily going to be your origin facility. It could be the post office, or it could be the largest facility in the city.
At the USPS facility, the mails are scanned, processed, and sorted, and then moved to the next facility. This process continues until the mails reach the destination facility and are finally dispatched to the recipient.
How Can You Reach Out to the Usps Customer Support Team?
Receiving the origin post is preparing shipment tracking status continuously for weeks or even a month might have you worried. As mentioned earlier, you can contact USPS customer support in many ways to ask for support. Some of the ways to contact the customer service are:
- Phone: give a call on the phone number 1-800-275-8777
- Virtual Assistant: As soon as you call on this number, you can connected with a virtual assistant.
- Agent: If you do not wish to talk to the virtual assistant, then keep repeating the word “Agent” to connect to an agent
- Email: you can also send usps an email to address your issues.
For more information on how you can connect to USPS customer support, you can check out our previous articles “USPS Customer Service”.

Conclusion
Origin post is preparing shipment is a common tracking status for shipments that are shipped from international origin facilities. Most commonly, this status is seen by people who live in the Northeastern region of the United States. As these are international shipments, they are bound to take some time to reach your location after the scanning and processing are rightfully done. In case, your mails are stuck, then do not hesitate to contact customer support for advice.
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Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)
When the origin post sends the shipment data to the destination post through the EMS service(Express mailing service), then you will receive status as Origin Post Is Preparing Shipment.
If the mails are stuck at the facility, then you need to contact the USPS customer support asap and ask for all the necessary details of your shipment.