It‘s a familiar scenario for many online shoppers: You excitedly place an order on Amazon, expecting your package to arrive in a day or two like clockwork, only to see a week go by without any update on your order status beyond the dreaded "Not yet shipped."
While Amazon has built a reputation as the gold standard for fast, reliable shipping (especially for its over 200 million Prime members around the world), the reality is that a small but frustrating portion of orders can still sometimes take a week or more to even leave the warehouse.
Although Amazon does not share detailed data on fulfillment times, their 2022 Q2 report states that "over 85% of orders are shipped within 1-2 business days," which means that up to 15% of the 1.6 million packages they ship per day are taking 3 days or longer – and some portion of those are the extra-unlucky orders that seem to be stuck in limbo for a week or more.
So what‘s really going on when your Amazon order seems to be lost in the abyss for a week? And more importantly, what can you do about it to get your items as quickly as possible without losing your mind? Let‘s dive into some of the most common reasons for those pesky weeklong shipping delays and the steps you can take to investigate and resolve them.
Behind the Scenes of Amazon‘s Massive Fulfillment Machine
To understand how Amazon orders can occasionally go astray for a week despite the company‘s sophisticated logistics network, it helps to grasp the sheer scale and complexity of their fulfillment operations.
Amazon‘s global supply chain is a wonder of modern engineering and efficiency, but it still faces immense challenges in coordinating the storage, packing and shipping of hundreds of millions of products to consumers around the world, usually within 48 hours.
Consider these eye-popping statistics:
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Amazon operates over 175 fulfillment centers worldwide spanning more than 150 million square feet – equivalent to 60 average shopping malls! In North America alone, they manage 110 massive warehouses staffed by over 250,000 full-time employees. (Source: MWPVL International)
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Inside those sprawling facilities are over 14 miles of high-speed conveyor belts transporting billions of products in inventory, from thumb tacks to mattresses to live Christmas trees. Amazon‘s warehouse shelves span an area of 198 million cubic feet – enough to hold over 1,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools. (Source: Amazon Press Release)
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In the first quarter of 2022 alone, Amazon delivered over 2 billion packages to customers in the US and Canada. That averages out to a staggering 7,400 orders shipped every minute, 24 hours a day! (Source: Amazon Q2 2022 Financial Results)
While Amazon‘s investment in cutting-edge robotics, algorithms and automation allows them to achieve lightning speeds for the majority of orders, experts say their uniquely wide selection of products can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to efficient, consistent fulfillment.
"Most traditional retailers sell hundreds or maybe thousands of SKUs from a set catalog in predictable quantities," says Jake Rheude, VP of Marketing for Red Stag Fulfillment. "Amazon sells hundreds of millions of SKUs, many through third-party marketplace sellers with variable inventory and packaging needs. The sheer range of product types they stock inherently leads to some edge cases that don‘t fit neatly into their fulfillment processes."
And when you factor in the huge spikes in order volume Amazon faces during holidays and major sales events like Prime Day, even their unrivaled fulfillment horsepower can hit some speed bumps. Orders on Prime Day 2021 surpassed 300 million – a 60% increase from typical daily volume – while Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring their own tsunami of shoppers. (Source: Amazon Prime Day 2022 Press Release)
"Peak season is always a huge logistical challenge for Amazon where sheer demand can exceed fulfillment capacity in some areas, leading to delays," notes Rick Watson, CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting. "We also tend to see an uptick in marketplace seller issues this time of year as smaller businesses get overwhelmed with orders and struggle to keep up with 2-day Prime promises."
7 Common Causes of Week-Long Amazon Shipping Delays
Now that we have a sense of the intricate ballet that is Amazon‘s fulfillment network, let‘s break down some of the specific issues most likely to throw your particular order off its usually rapid pace and lead to that 7+ day "Not yet shipped" purgatory:
1. Your item went out of stock as orders spiked
By far the most frequent cause of significant shipping delays is a product going out of stock after you place an order due to an unexpected spike in demand. Whether it‘s the hot toy of the holiday season or buzz around a new product launch, items can sell out much more quickly than Amazon‘s inventory systems anticipate.
Even if the item page showed it as "In Stock" when you clicked buy, inventory levels are not updated in real-time and your order may get backlogged if it sells out before your purchase is fully processed. These stockouts are a frequent headache for Amazon‘s Vendor and Seller Central teams tasked with keeping adequate supply flowing to warehouses.
"We constantly forecast demand signals for our products on Amazon, but no amount of historical modeling can perfectly predict viral spikes in interest," shares a senior vendor manager at a major consumer goods brand who asked not to be named. "All it takes is one influencer post or media mention to clear out a month‘s worth of inventory in hours."
2. The item has to be sourced from a farther-flung warehouse
While Amazon has fulfillment centers within 100 miles of 95% of the US population, not every item you order is sitting in the warehouse closest to your delivery address. Depending on inventory allocation and demand patterns, your order may have to be routed to a more distant facility.
According to Amazon‘s Inventory Placement Service documentation, products that don‘t have high enough demand to be stocked locally can be housed primarily in "reserve" warehouses in central areas like Indianapolis, Phoenix, or Delaware. If you order one of these slower-moving SKUs, it may have to be internally transferred to a fulfillment center in your region before final shipment to you.
3. Inclement weather or natural disasters are snarling logistics
From blizzards to wildfires to hurricanes, Mother Nature can throw some nasty curveballs at even the most well-oiled logistics machine. If your area (or key transit hubs for your order) are experiencing severe weather events, it can grind fulfillment to a halt, especially for orders requiring transport via plane or long-haul truck routes.
The 2021 deep freeze in Texas, for example, knocked out power to key shipping hubs for FedEx and UPS, stranding thousands of Amazon orders for a week or more. Severe flooding in Pennsylvania and other states in September 2021 similarly washed out roads and shuttered warehouses, creating a cascade of delays that took weeks to unsnarl.
4. Higher-than-usual order volumes are swamping fulfillment centers
Even when the skies are clear, an onslaught of orders from sales events like Prime Day or the holiday shopping blitz can stretch Amazon‘s fulfillment capacity to its limits. Many shoppers don‘t realize that free 2-day Prime shipping is a goal, not an ironclad promise, and delivery estimates can be optimistic.
"Across the retail industry, the huge acceleration in e-commerce driven by the pandemic pushed logistics networks to the breaking point and Amazon was not immune despite its scale," explains Marc Wulfraat, President and Founder of MWPVL International. "They‘ve made massive investments to keep up with demand, but peak times can still bring volatility and delays, especially for large or speciality items that can‘t be easily automated."
5. The product is sold and/or shipped by a third-party seller
It‘s a common misconception that everything on Amazon.com is sold by Amazon itself. In fact, over 60% of Amazon‘s physical gross merchandise sales now come from third-party marketplace sellers rather than Amazon‘s own retail division. (Source: Amazon 2021 SMB Impact Report)
While many of these sellers do use the Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) service to have their items picked, packed and shipped from Amazon warehouses alongside Amazon‘s own inventory, a significant portion (42%) handle their own shipping (known as Fulfilled By Merchant (FBM) or Seller-Fulfilled Prime (SFP)).
When you buy from these sellers, Amazon‘s shipping estimates and tracking can be less reliable than normal, as the third-party seller controls their own fulfillment process. And if a marketplace seller gets slammed with an influx of orders or experiences any internal delays, your order may get caught in the backlog even if Amazon‘s own logistics are humming along.
6. You ordered a bulky, heavy or fragile item that requires special handling
As miraculous as Amazon‘s fulfillment technology can seem, not every product can fly through their automated warehouses and be whisked to your door in 48 hours. Particularly large, heavy or delicate items often have to be hand-picked and specially packed to avoid damage, which takes more time.
Roughly 2% of Amazon orders contain items over 18x14x8 inches, classifying them as "Non-Conveyable," meaning they have to be manually transported around the warehouse. (Source: Amazon Seller Central Help) Appliances, furniture, TVs, fitness equipment and other hefty items are common culprits for these slowdowns.
7. Manual processing is needed for custom, handmade or bundled items
If you splurged on a personalized gift or handcrafted item from Amazon Handmade, or bought a multi-pack or bundle of products, chances are your order will require some hands-on TLC from an Amazon worker before it can head your way.
Amazon‘s artisan-focused Handmade category now hosts over 1 million handcrafted products from independent makers around the globe, while the growing Amazon Custom storefront offers endless ways to personalize products like pet accessories, drinkware and apparel. These made-to-order items naturally take a bit more time to produce and fulfill than mass-produced goods sitting ready to ship.
What to Do When Your Amazon Order Hasn‘t Shipped in a Week
Now that you know some of the most common reasons packages can take 7 days or more to ship, let‘s go through some practical steps you can take to investigate delays and get your order ASAP:
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Check your order status and tracking info in Your Orders. The quickest way to diagnose the holdup is to log into your Amazon account and go to the "Returns & Orders" page to view your order details. Look for the expected delivery date, shipping method, and any notes about special handling or stock issues.
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Contact Amazon customer service if no progress after a week. If it‘s been 7+ days with no movement, use the "Problem with order" button or "Contact Us" form to get in touch with Amazon‘s famously helpful customer service team. They can look up specifics on your order status and sometimes even expedite shipping as a courtesy.
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Message the seller directly if fulfilled by a third party. For orders shipped directly by a marketplace seller, you‘ll need to reach out to them through the Amazon messaging system for updates. Go to your order details and click "Contact seller" under their name to send them a note requesting more info on your shipment status.
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Get a refund or reorder if support can‘t resolve. In the rare case that your Amazon rep or seller can‘t help or provide a satisfactory update, consider just cancelling the order for a full refund and placing a new one. You can initiate a cancellation right from your order details page as long as the order hasn‘t physically shipped yet.
5 Ways to Get Amazon Orders Faster Next Time
While shipping snafus are an inevitable reality of our ecommerce-driven world, there are a few proactive steps you can take to minimize delays on your future Amazon orders:
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Filter for Prime-eligible items fulfilled by Amazon. Selecting products badged as "Prime" and "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" is the easiest way to ensure your order will come directly from Amazon‘s fulfillment centers and be first in line for their fastest shipping speeds.
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Choose free No-Rush or Amazon Day Delivery shipping. If you have flexibility on when your order arrives, consider selecting these slower shipping options to earn account credits or consolidate your items into fewer boxes. You‘ll be de-prioritizing your order in a good way, freeing up fulfillment resources for more urgent shipments.
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Place orders early in the week and before holidays. Aim to submit your Amazon orders on Monday-Wednesday whenever possible to avoid potential slowdowns over the weekend. And if buying gifts or seasonal must-haves, build in a buffer of a few extra days to account for holiday backlogs.
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Use Amazon Lockers for large/popular items. If available in your area, choosing an Amazon Locker or Counter pickup location can sometimes sidestep weather and traffic delays for bulky or high-demand products. It‘s also a handy option if you won‘t be home to receive the delivery.
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Break big orders into smaller shipments. Have a cart full of items? Chances are some will be ready to ship much sooner than others, so consider placing them as separate orders. You can always add a gift note requesting they be packed together if going to the same recipient.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, it‘s important to remember that Amazon‘s logistics operation is a modern marvel that delivers the vast majority of orders with astonishing speed and accuracy. But like any system dealing with billions of unpredictable variables (from weather to human behavior to viral TikTok videos), it‘s bound to hit the occasional snafu.
"Amazon shipping delays of a week or more are incredibly rare in the grand scheme of their overall volume, but they can absolutely be maddening when it happens to you," says Jason Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis. "It‘s the downside of the impossibly high bar they‘ve set – we now expect every order to show up in 48 hours and are disproportionately frustrated by the few that don‘t."
The upshot is that in most cases, some savvy troubleshooting and a quick conversation with Amazon‘s customer service ninjas can get your wayward order back on track and on your doorstep before you can say "Alexa, where‘s my stuff?"
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