Item received at Sorting Office

What this status means

Royal Mail has scanned your item in at a sorting office. This is a stage in the middle of the journey, after collection or an earlier processing centre and before the item goes out for delivery. The parcel or letter is physically inside a Royal Mail building, where it is sorted by destination.

Is my package delayed?

No, this message by itself is normal. It is a routine scan and not an exception. It only suggests a problem if the tracking stays on this line for noticeably longer than the previous steps took, with no new update.

What happens next

The item is sorted and passed on, either to another Royal Mail centre closer to the address or to the local delivery office that serves it. Further scans usually follow as it moves along, and the last stage before the door is normally a message that it is out for delivery. Not every step is scanned, so an update can skip a stage.

What you can do

• Wait and keep checking the tracking. Updates appear when the item is next scanned.
• If the status has not changed for longer than usual, contact the seller first, as they are the sender and can start a trace.
• If the seller cannot help, contact Royal Mail.
• Have your tracking number, order details and delivery address ready.