You’re expecting a delivery from overseas and you have received a “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” tracking update.
What does this mean exactly? Where is your package when you receive this update and is there anything you need to do?
Let’s take a look…
Summary: Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)
The “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” tracking status means that the shipment has begun cross-border transit. It has been sent abroad, (either directly to the destination country or toward an intermediate transit country) and an “Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has taken place. In other words, the details of the shipment have been received electronically by the carrier that will be responsible for transit within the Inward Bound country.
Send Item Abroad (EDI-received) – Guide
There are two fundamental steps going on when you receive the “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” update.
First, the package is in transit abroad. As mentioned, this could be towards the final destination country or a stop-over country en route.
Depending on the carrier service used, this could also be via air, sea, or road transit.
Secondly, information about the shipment has been sent to the country the package is destined for. The acronym EDI stands for “Electronic Data Interchange”.
Essentially, all the details of the shipment (including tracking numbers) have been sent and received by the carrier that will be responsible for the next step of the package journey.
This allows customers to continue tracking the shipment with the original details once it lands.
- Related Content: What Does “Despatched to Overseas” Mean? (AliExpress)
How Long Will My Tracking State: “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)”
Normally, this is the last status alert you will receive until the package lands and is scanned by the carrier after it arrives at the next destination.
How long you see this update, therefore depends on how long the transit route takes.
For example, an expedited air cargo service should see your package landing and be scanned within just a few days.
A package sent via container ship, on the other hand, could take several weeks to arrive in the next country and be scanned.
What Happens After the “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” Update?
If your shipment arrives in the destination country, the next step in the chain of events will be customs clearance.
Therefore you will likely receive tracking updates along the lines of, “Processed Through Office of Exchange“, and “Send item to customs (INB)”.
If the shipment is landing in an intermediate country, it will not necessarily be subject to customs clearance.
The next step will be details of the receiving carrier, and information on where the package is being sent next.
Updates in relation to this include, “The plane entered the port”, “Handed over to Forwarding Agent for Transit” and “Uplifted to Transhipment Hub”.
My Tracking is Stuck on “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)”
It can actually be quite difficult to determine whether your tracking is actually stuck on the “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” update.
This is because the alert can often be the last one you receive for a long time.
Whether it’s a Chinese-based economy air service (after ordering from the likes of Shein or Wish), or standard delivery with AliExpress, you should be prepared for a timespan of several weeks before your package receives its next scan.
In other words, for any economy delivery from the Far East, you should wait it out (in fact just ignore your tracking) until your guarantee periods are running out. (For AliExpress that is a whopping 60 days).
If you make inquiries to either the eCommerce platform or the seller before these gurantee windows are due to finish, you will simply be told to wait longer.
If, however, you have ordered a shipment where fast, air delivery services have been used, you do have reason to complain earlier.
If your tracking does not update within 7 days of receiving the “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” you have definite grounds to contact the platform or the seller, to see what the hold-up is.
Tracking Your Item Once it is Sent Abroad
The fact important data relating to the shipment has been sent to the receiving carrier, means you have a better chance of tracking the item once it receives its next scan.
However, you will not always know who the receiving carrier is.
If this is the case, we recommend that you utilize a free universal tracking service such as 17Track or ParcelsApp.
Simply cut and paste the tracking number into one of these services, and the system will scan hundreds of carriers for any match.
If any of these carriers has scanned your item, these apps will provide you with the all-important details.
- Related Content: What Does “Insert Item Into Bag (OTB)” Mean?
Final Words
It is important to realize that the “Send Item Abroad (EDI-received)” update is one that is triggered close to the beginning of the shipment journey.
Essentially, the item has left for a country abroad and electronic details of the shipment have been received by the receiving carrier.
Whether the package is due to arrive in the destination country, or an intermediate country, there are still a number of steps left in the logistical chain of events.
At the end of the day, patience is key.
