How long an order takes

The three parts

An order is not one duration, it is three, and most delivery promises go wrong because someone quoted one of them and meant all three.

1. Sourcing. Only if the item is bought per order. This is the variable part: shelf stock is quick, made-to-order is not. Factory restock runs 2 to 3 days once production is finished. If you hold stock with us, this stage does not exist.

2. Dispatch. Picking, packing, labelling and handover. Runs sub-24h.

3. Transit. 3 to 10 days on our main lanes. Some destinations run longer.

What this means for your product page

The 3 to 10 days is transit. It is not the whole journey from checkout.

So a realistic promise for a product sourced per order is transit plus dispatch plus sourcing. For a product you hold in stock, it is transit plus dispatch, which is materially faster and is the main reason merchants move a proven product onto stock.

Write the number you can keep. Promise 10 days and deliver in 7 and you have a happy customer. Promise 5 and deliver in 9 and you have a refund request you pay for yourself. Shortening the number on your product page is the most expensive small decision in this business.

Check your actual market. Our main lanes run 3 to 10. Yours may not be a main lane. Use the Shipping Calculator for the country you actually sell to, rather than quoting the general range.

Making it faster

Hold stock. Removes the sourcing stage entirely. The single biggest change available to you.

Turn on auto-fulfilment. With it off, every order waits for you before anything begins. Overnight orders wait until morning. See Auto-fulfilment.

Keep your balance funded. An order that cannot be funded does not move.

Pick a faster service where the lane offers one, and check whether the cost difference is worth it against your product price.

Where is this order right now

The status tells you which of the three stages it is in. Sourcing means we are buying it. Waiting for Fulfill means it is here and queued. Shipped means it is moving and tracking is live.

See What each order status means.

Frequently asked

Is 3 to 10 days from when my customer orders? No, that is transit. Add dispatch, and sourcing if the item is bought per order. Why did two orders placed the same day arrive days apart? Usually one was in stock and one was sourced. What should I put on my shipping page? Something you can keep, for the market you actually sell to. Does express change the whole timeline? It changes transit, not sourcing or dispatch. My order has been in Sourcing for days. Made-to-order takes longer than shelf stock. If it concerns you, check the order note, then ask.