Customers and merchants may request mid-transit changes to their orders. It is important to note that many services on Easyship, usually those sold at economical price points, do not support such requests. We break down passive and active service couriers; those that provide support mid-transit and those that don't.
Courier Categories
Shipping services on Easyship exist in three categories. These not only identify liability but also determine the availability of support mid-transit.
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Postal (No Support)- We do not provide in-transit support for shipments sent via the postal network, nor will the courier be responsible if the shipment is lost or damaged in transit. E.G USPS, HKpost, Singpost, GlobalPost, Hermes, RoyalMail, etc.
Postal networks are essential to understand, as they are a commonly used service by merchants looking for an economical solution to fulfill an order. Most postal facilities rely purely on infrequent automatic scans for updates, rendering starting an investigation useless.
Apart from requests in transit, postal services are also limited in pre-shipment generation requests such as shipping DDP (delivery duty-paid). When shipping with postal services, generally, you cannot pre-pay duties and taxes, meaning the customer will be contacted by the local post to facilitate D&T Payment. -
Hybrid (No Support) - We do not provide in-transit support for Hybrid shipments. This solution involves multiple parties bringing a consignment to its destination. The local post usually delivers hybrid solutions upon arrival in the destination country. E.g. DHL eCommerce, Flat Export Rates, Asendia, APC US, Aramex US, SkyPostal, etc. Typically these solutions offer no liability if the shipment is lost or damaged.
The term 'Hybrid' exists because they transit through private and government networks to complete the transit process. Easyship operates a network of consolidation centers that enable these hybrid services to be available on our platform. -
Courier (Provides Support) - Express courier services that fully manage the handover and delivery of a shipment will transit through private networks to ensure a secure and timely journey. In the event of a lost or damaged shipment where the courier is at fault, they will typically compensate up to 100 USD of the customs value and fully waive the shipping cost—E.g. DHL Express, FedEx, UPS, SF Express, DPEX, TNT, etc.
Express couriers set up private transit networks, allowing faster services that accommodate in-transit requests such as returns, changing incoterms (DDU>DDP), address change requests, status updates, and shipment-specific investigations. Due to the fast and secure transit system, these shipments come at a cost, which in some cases are out of reach from many merchants selling low price point items. Because of their high prices, most services by law are liable to compensate if a shipment is damaged or lost in transit. The most standard compensation agreement for express couriers internationally is to cover up to 100 USD of the customs value and waive the entire shipping cost, no matter the price. We still recommend premium insurance for a fast and seamless claim process.
Tracking Ratings
When purchasing a shipment on Easyship, the services will display a tracking rating.
Excellent: Excellent tracking covers all the steps of transit (from pick-up to arrival/departure at customs to the delivery at the final destination), allowing you to closely monitor your parcel while reducing the risk of loss or return.
Regular: With Door-to-Door tracking, Regular covers significant milestones or events along the way whenever the parcel is scanned.
Basic: Much less detailed than Regular tracking. Please expect to be notified of only two events: the departure of your parcel (usually a notice that it's been picked up or dropped off) and the arrival. You won't receive any updates on your package while it is in transit. With basic tracking, neither the Courier nor Easyship can provide any additional information between scans. Please raise an insurance claim if a shipment has passed ten business days from the expected delivery date without an update.
Limited: Refers to services that register few tracking events during transit. Coverage ends before the shipment arrives at the destination for final mile delivery, meaning that the last tracking event could be the arrival at customs. Very few couriers with limited tracking provide liability or insurance for lost parcels. Please file an insurance claim if a shipment passes ten working days over the expected delivery date.
No tracking: You won't receive any tracking number or updates regarding the parcel's journey. For No tracking, investigations are impossible.
Supported Requests
Address Changes
Courier Categories:
- Couriers - Supported
- Postal - Not Supported
- Hybrid - Not Supported
Tracking Rating
- Excellent - Supported
- Regular - Supported
- Basic - Not Supported
- Limited - Not Supported
- No Tracking - Not Supported
Incoterms Changes (Duty and Tax Post-Paid to Pre-Paid)
Courier Categories:
- Couriers - Supported
- Postal - Not Supported
- Hybrid - Not Supported
Tracking Rating
- Excellent - Supported
- Regular - Not Supported
- Basic - Not Supported
- Limited - Not Supported
- No Tracking - Not Supported
Return Requests
Courier Categories:
- Couriers - Supported
- Postal - Not Supported
- Hybrid - Not Supported
Tracking Rating
- Excellent - Supported
- Regular - Supported
- Basic - Not Supported
- Limited - Not Supported
- No Tracking - Not Supported
Service Upgrades (Changing to faster service)
Courier Categories:
- Couriers - Supported
- Postal - Not Supported
- Hybrid - Not Supported
Tracking Rating
- Excellent - Supported
- Regular - Not Supported
- Basic - Not Supported
- Limited - Not Supported
- No Tracking - Not Supported
How to Make a Request
If your shipment supports In-Transit requests, reach out to the support team with your request, and we will take it from there.