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The most misunderstood status is "label created": it means the label exists and the carrier has never touched your parcel. "In transit" means the parcel is moving through the network, which can involve days of silence between scans. Scans happen only where scanners are, so gaps are normal. LetterAgent labels include tracking; here is what each status line actually tells you.
| Status | What it actually means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Label created / Electronic info received | The shipping label was printed or generated. The carrier has no parcel yet. | No, unless it sits like this for many days. |
| Accepted / Item received at post office | The carrier physically has the parcel. Tracking starts here. | No. This is the first real scan. |
| In transit | Moving between facilities. This is a catch-all, not a location. | No, for several days. It is normal. |
| Arrived at / departed from facility | Passed through a sorting hub. | No. |
| Out for delivery | On the vehicle for the final leg today. | No. It should arrive today, barring a failed attempt. |
| Delivery attempted / Notice card left | Nobody was there, or a signature was required. The parcel waits at a pickup point. | Act: go pick it up before the hold period ends. |
| Delivered | Scanned as delivered. Usually accurate within minutes. | Only if you cannot find it: check with household members and neighbours first. |
| Held at post office / Available for pickup | Waiting for you at the counter or a parcel locker. | Act: bring the notice card and ID. |
Because the label and the parcel are two separate events, and tracking only knows about the label. When you buy a label online, the carrier's system registers it instantly: status, "label created." But nothing moves until you hand the parcel over. Sellers who print labels in batches on Sunday and drop parcels on Tuesday create a two-day limbo that looks alarming and means nothing.
As a buyer, the rule of thumb: give the seller a few business days after the label appears before asking questions. As a seller, drop the parcel the same day you print the label whenever you can. The gap between "label created" and "accepted" is the single biggest source of pointless shipping anxiety, and it is entirely within the seller's control.
Tracking is not GPS. It is a series of scans at fixed points: induction, sort hubs, the delivery depot, the delivery scan. Between those points, the parcel is in a truck or a plane, and no scan exists to show you. A cross-country parcel can legitimately show "in transit" with no updates for two or three days while it crosses provinces in the back of a trailer.
Two things make the silence longer. Rural and remote legs have fewer scanning points, so the gaps stretch. And the final leg, from the local depot to your door, often produces no intermediate scan at all: the next update after "arrived at depot" is "out for delivery" or "delivered." Silence between scans is the system working, not the system failing.
Three patterns deserve action. First, "label created" with no acceptance scan after a week: the parcel may never have been handed over. Second, no scan movement for longer than the service's normal window plus a few days: for Xpresspost that is quick, for economy services give it more time. Third, a status that contradicts reality, like "delivered" with no parcel: check with everyone in the household, check neighbours and the usual hiding spots, then contact the carrier.
One more status worth knowing: "address issue" or "incorrect address." Parcels with bad addresses do not bounce immediately; they sit while the carrier tries to resolve them, and eventually they come back to the sender. If you see it, contact the carrier with the correction right away: every day of delay makes a return more likely. This is also why double-checking the address before you print the label is the cheapest insurance in shipping.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com