Every parcel that leaves a Hive fulfillment center has a delivery status. You can see it on the order page in the Hive App, in the delivery status filter on the orders page, and on your customers' tracking page in the Customer Portal.
Carriers send hundreds of different tracking events. Hive translates each of them into one of the delivery statuses below.
The delivery statuses
| Delivery status | What it means | Final status? |
|---|---|---|
| Data sent to carrier | Hive has created the shipping label, sent the shipment data to the carrier, or handed over the shipment during a carrier collection, but the carrier has not scanned the shipment yet. | No |
| In transit | The carrier has scanned the shipment, and it is moving through the carrier network. | No |
| Out for delivery | The shipment is with the driver and will be delivered today. | No |
| Awaiting customer pickup | The shipment is waiting at a parcel point or locker for your customer to collect it. | No |
| Failed to deliver | The carrier tried to deliver the shipment but could not. Depending on the carrier's policies, the carrier might try to deliver again, put the shipment in storage, or send it back to Hive. We recommend checking the carrier's tracking link to see why the delivery failed. | No |
| Returned to sender | The carrier is sending the shipment back to the Hive fulfillment center. | No |
| Delivered to sender | The shipment has been marked as delivered back to the Hive fulfillment center by the carrier. | Yes |
| Delivered | The carrier delivered the shipment to your customer. | Yes |
| Disposed of | The shipment was damaged in transit, and the carrier deemed it could not be delivered; hence they disposed of it. | Yes |
Statuses that are no longer used
On 12 November 2026, we changed how carrier events are translated into delivery statuses:
- Action required is no longer used. Events that used to show Action required now show the status that describes what happened, for example Failed to deliver, In transit or Returned to sender. Events that do not need your attention are no longer shown.
- Return initiated is no longer used. These events now show Returned to sender.
- Information transmitted to the carrier is renamed Data sent to carrier.
If Hive receives a carrier event it does not recognise yet, the shipment shows In transit until we map the new event.
Older shipments
Shipments from the 23rd of September already show the new statuses. Older shipments are updated by the end of December 2026. Until then, an older shipment can still show Action required, Return initiated or Information transmitted to the carrier.
Why the Hive App can show less detail than the carrier
The delivery statuses in the Hive App are based on the events carriers send us. If a carrier does not send an event, we cannot show it. For the full detail on one shipment, we recommend checking the carrier's tracking link on the shipment page.
If you use the Hive API or an integration
- Failed to deliver, Disposed of and Delivered to sender appear in shipment data and in the delivery status filter on the orders page.
- Action required and Return initiated are no longer sent. If your systems, automations or customer service tools read delivery statuses, add the three new statuses and remove the old ones.
- In Shopify, Failed to deliver is sent as Attempted delivery.
What to do for each status
Awaiting customer pickup
Ask your customer to collect the shipment at the parcel point shown on the carrier's tracking page. If the shipment is not collected within the storage period (usually 7 to 10 days), the carrier returns it to the Hive fulfillment center and the status changes to Returned to sender.
See The parcel could be at the local parcel point center.
Failed to deliver
The carrier tried to deliver the shipment but could not. This is not a final status. Depending on the carrier, the carrier tries again, keeps the shipment at a parcel point, or sends it back to the Hive fulfillment center.
Check the carrier's tracking link to see why the delivery failed. Then follow the article for that reason:
- Your customer was absent
- The address is incorrect or incomplete
- The recipient is "unknown"
- Your customer rejected the parcel
- Your customer did not have cash available for a COD payment
Delivered
The carrier delivered the shipment. When the carrier shares where it left the shipment (for example, in the mailbox or with a neighbour), your customer sees this on their tracking page.
If your customer says they did not receive the shipment, ask them to check with neighbours, at the reception or concierge, and anywhere the carrier may have left it. If they still cannot find it, you can file a Delivered Not Received claim so we can investigate with the carrier. See Hive Claims Policy - Deadlines and Requirements.
Returned to sender
The carrier is sending the shipment back to the Hive fulfillment center. Common reasons include a refused shipment, an address the carrier couldn't deliver to, or a shipment not collected from the parcel point.
If your customer still wants the order, we recommend creating a new one.
Delivered to sender
The shipment arrived back at the Hive fulfillment center. This is a final status: the shipment was not delivered to your customer.
Hive processes the shipment as a return and puts the items back into your stock according to your return settings.
Do not confuse it with Returned to sender, which means the shipment is still on its way back.
Disposed of
The shipment was damaged in transit and the carrier disposed of it. This is a final status. Your customer will not receive this shipment. Not all carriers send this event.
If this is the case, you can file a Damaged claim so we can investigate with the carrier.