What Does “At Local Distribution Center” or “At Local Delivery Center” Mean on Aliexpress?

Each AliExpress order goes through multiple supply chain touchpoints from being dispatched by the seller to being delivered to its final destination. Fortunately, AliExpress customers can use order tracking to learn where their order is in the shipping process.

One order status message you may encounter when looking up your AliExpress order is “At Local Distribution Center” or “At Local Delivery Center”. This means your order has arrived at the distribution warehouse of the destination country, where it will be sorted, scheduled, and finally delivered to you.

Once your order reaches this stage, you can expect to receive it within the next 1 to 3 days. If you are experiencing delays in receiving your package, you should contact your local delivery agent to further inquire about it.

Where Is This Status in the Order Process?

AliExpress orders go through multiple stages after an order is successfully placed. You can see where the “At Local Distribution Center” status falls in the shipment update sequence shown below.

1. Order Completed 
2. Dispatched 
3. Outbound in Sorting Center 
4. Hand Over to Carrier (Air/Sea)
5. Clearing Customs (Export)
6. Departure at Origin Country
7. Arrival at Destination Country
8. Clearing Customs (Import)
9. At Local Distribution Center
10. Out for Delivery
11. Delivered 

Once your AliExpress is fulfilled by the seller, it’s handed over to a logistics company, that organizes the international transport. After your order successfully passes the import clearance, it’s picked up by the local delivery company and sent to their local distribution center.

At this stage, you should see the order track page update with a milestone called “At Local Distribution Center” or “At Local Delivery Center”. After all of the processes in the distribution center are completed, your package is delivered to your address.

What Happens When Your AliExpress Package Reached the Local Distribution Center?

Once your order arrives at the local distribution center, it will undergo many processes. This includes being received and unloaded, scanned and sorted, consolidated, checked for quality, and finally scheduled and sent for delivery. Below, you’ll find a more comprehensive description of processes.

Receiving and Unloading

All packages that arrive at the local distribution center (also called sorting or delivery center) are first unloaded from trucks. During this stage, packages are received, checked, and temporarily stored by the warehouse staff.

Scanning and Sorting 

The distribution center’s employees then scan each package before sorting them according to their destination. They typically use destination details such as zip code, city, or state during this sorting process.

Consolidation

Packages that will be sent to the same area are usually consolidated before being loaded onto trucks for final delivery.

Quality Control

The distribution center’s staff then performs a quality control check to ensure each package has a valid labeled and was sorted correctly. During this stage, they may further inspect packages due to security concerns whenever required.

Scheduling & Dispatching

Once sorted, the packages are scheduled for delivery and loaded onto the designated trucks or delivery vehicles. Each truck driver follows a route of various drop-off locations.

What Happens After Your Order Arrives at the Local Delivery Center?

Once your order has undergone each process at the local delivery center, it is scheduled for delivery. As mentioned above, it is loaded onto the delivery agent’s truck and dropped off at the delivery address.

How Long Does It Take To Receive My Order?

In most cases, you should receive your order within 1 to 3 days after it’s received at the local distribution center. However, it is possible for your order to get delayed due to numerous factors. This includes if the center is experiencing a high volume of orders, such as during peak season.

Your order may also get delayed at the distribution center if there is a labor shortage, equipment storage, or if your package has gotten lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section are answered some of the most frequently asked questions about this topic. If you have other questions besides the ones listed below, please feel free to write to us.

Can I Speed Up The Delivery When My Package is At the Local Delivery Center?

It isn’t possible to speed up the delivery at the local delivery center. This is because your package will still need to undergo each of the activities described earlier and will not be allowed to bypass any of these processes.

Logistics providers streamline their processes to ensure everyone receives their orders in good condition and within the stipulated timeframe. For this reason, you should wait for your package to arrive as originally scheduled.

What Can I Do If My Order Is Stuck at Local Delivery Center?

In most cases, your package should go through each of the local delivery center processes without getting stuck and being delayed. However, in the rare event that your package does get stuck (for longer than 2 to 3 days) at the local delivery center, you can contact the local delivery agent.

If the local delivery agent doesn’t respond, you should contact the seller and ask them to inquire about the order. If the seller doesn’t respond, you may reach out to AliExpress’ customer service for assistance.

What Measures Can I Take to Ensure a Timely Delivery?

There isn’t much you can do to ensure your order is delivered on time, especially if a delay is caused by factors out of your control. However, you can ensure you include the right shipping details when completing your AliExpress order.

If you believe you entered incorrect details, you should contact the delivery agent immediately and provide them with the correct details.

Can I Pick Up My Order Directly From My Local Distribution or Delivery Center?

In most cases, you aren’t able to pick up your order directly from the local distribution center, unless the delivery attempt has failed. In this case, the delivery agent may either reach out to schedule a redelivery or may give you the option to collect it at the distribution center.