Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item

This is probably one of the first few statuses that you will receive in the process of mail delivery in the USPS.  There’s a lot that goes into the delivery of mail, and you often receive different kinds of status updates. Let’s discuss one such update that is “Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item”.

Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item: What Does It Mean?

Let’s start from the beginning, when a seller purchases an item and intends to mail it through the USPS  then it is assigned with a shipping label. While the shipping label is created, it doesn’t mean that the seller has dropped the package at the post office. Other times it means that the USPS has not scanned your package into the stream/system, but the seller has dropped the package at the USPS.

What does delivery attempted – no access to delivery location mean in USPS?

This is when you receive the “Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item”. As mentioned earlier, it is one of the first few steps in the process of your package delivery. After this, your package will be scanned, cataloged into the system, and loaded into the truck for delivery which goes through various distribution centers before it reaches you. 

USPS Awaiting Item

When you are tracking your package after the seller has dropped it at a post office, and see the USPS Awaiting Item status, then there is nothing that you have to do, other than waiting patiently for the next update. At such an early stage of shipment, the receiver can only wait, but the seller can check up with the post office to make sure if the product did reach them. 

Most of the time there might be a slight delay in the scanning of the product due to human mismanagement., but it’s not something you need to worry about. Now there are few other things related to the “Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item”, so let us discuss those.

What Does the “Pre Shipment Info Sent to USPS Awaiting Item” Status Mean?

Again, this is similar to the USPS Awaiting Item status. The seller has electronically notified the USPS that they are about to receive a shipment, and the seller might even have dropped the shipment. Then why this message? Just like I said, the package hasn’t been scanned by the USPS. In worst-case scenarios, the package has been lost.

Sometimes the seller might be the one to blame, as he may have forgotten to drop the shipment at the post office. There is one other case, where the package is already at the post office but hasn’t been scanned by the postal clerk. Often due to mismanagement, scanning might get delayed, or the package may have already been left without scanning. This has happened to many, one day the status still shows “Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item”, and the next day, it arrived at your zip code.

Learn about USPS regional origin facility from here.

Pre Shipment or Pre Transit:

The terms pre-shipment or pre-transit carry the same meaning. If it says “USPS Stuck in Pre Transit” or anything like that, then it means a stage before your package goes into the delivery truck for transport. Your package needs to be scanned and cataloged for assigning a delivery truck that has packages with similar destinations.  

All this is done after the package is dropped at the post office by the seller. When all the necessary protocols are followed, your package will be stuffed with others for delivery. This is when you will receive the status “Departed From USPS Facility” or “Package in Transit”.

The Shipping Process of USPS

Let see what goes on with a mail from the point it reaches the post office to its end destination which is the receiver. The below procedures are carried at distribution centers.

• First, either the sender drops the mail/package at the post office or the delivery truck does it for him.
• From the post office, this mail is taken to the processing facility.
• At the facility where processing is done, each mail is divided based on its size, shape, and weight. 
• Then these mails are placed in the same direction when the machine sprays a cancellation mark on the stamps of each mail. Postmark is also applied on the mail.
• Now if you have any doubts regarding scanning then be assured as there are protocols in place for scanning. Like when a barcode is printed on the back of each mail, which is then scanned along with the address. All this info is then sprayed on the front of the envelope.
• The sprayed address is scanned by other machines and then sorts the mails according to the delivery address. These are then taken to the loading docks and loaded into delivery trucks for delivery.

After this, your package leaves the distribution facility and travels across the states while being scanned at different facilities for users to receive status updates. Finally, it reaches your local post office. When you receive the status “Out for Delivery”, be prepared to receive your mail.

In the case of international packages, they are first shipped from the sender’s post office and then transported either by air or ship to the country that needs to be delivered. After that, your package goes from one facility to another, and finally reaches you. 

USPS Awaiting Item for a Week: What to Do?

USPS Awaiting items for weeks is a common issue that happens to a lot of customers. You drop your item, and it doesn’t get scanned for days. Let us see what we can do to solve this issue.

• The seller should usually drop the item and wait till they scan the package so that this doesn’t happen. Most sellers just let the delivery guy drop it at the post office, and sometimes the package gets misplaced or goes unnoticed for scanning. It should always be a seller’s priority to check if the mail has been scanned.
• You should use your tracking number to check the USPS Awaiting Item status and location change if any.
• When the USPS Awaiting Item status has not been updated for more than a week, you should just contact the post office in your region and explain to them what’s happening. They will surely be able to help you with this.
• Due to the COVID-19, many USPS clerks have either lost their jobs or are on leave. Due to this, there is a shortage of workforce, which is leading to mismanagement and packages not being scanned. 
• Some packages are sometimes directly shipped without being scanned, and you may receive all status changes on the day of their delivery. 
• In very rare cases, your mail/package might have been lost or damaged. When this happens you can get a refund if it is a priority mail express or priority mail, and if you still wish to find it then use this lost package USPS link to file a missing mail claim.

Other than these things, you can contact USPS customer support for assistance.

Conclusion

A “Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item” is a simple status that is provided at the very beginning of the shipping process in the USPS. There is nothing you have to do about this unless USPS Awaiting Item status doesn’t change for days. Even if it didn’t, it’s probably due to your package getting mixed with other shipments and has been in transit without being scanned. 

If that’s the case then there is no reason to worry, any other reason and you have to contact either the customer support or the local post office clerk. To differentiate between the two situations you should constantly track your package. Also learn about USPS IMDAS scanner from here.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)