A parcel can travel for days without a scan. Tracking shows where it was last recorded, not where it is, and an unscanned leg looks identical to a stopped one.
So silence is normal before it is a problem.
How long is normal
Two or three days with no update, especially between cities or over a weekend.
Longer around festivals, when networks slow down and nothing in the app can fix it.
Longer to remote PIN codes, where the last leg can be a different, slower carrier. Delivering outside the big cities
What to check first
The dispatch deadline. If the store has not posted it yet, there is nothing to track — that is a different problem with a different answer. Will my order go out today?
The last scan's location. A parcel sitting at a hub is in the network. A parcel with no scan since collection may never have entered it.
Whether it says delivered. That is its own case and a serious one. Tracking says delivered but nothing arrived
When to act
After about a week of silence, message the store. They booked the courier, they have the reference, and they can raise it with the carrier — you cannot. How to message a seller about an order
Sooner if it matters. For a gift with a date, ask early rather than politely.
Raise it from the order if the store does not respond or the courier confirms it is lost.
What you are protected by
Your money is held until the item reaches you, so a parcel that never arrives is refunded. The waiting is annoying; the money is not at risk. How buyer protection works
And an order marked delivered automatically after 7 days is bookkeeping, not a claim that it arrived — it does not end your protection. Why does my order say delivered when I did not confirm?
What not to do
Do not contact the courier yourself. You are not their customer; the store is. They are under no obligation to help you and usually cannot without the booking reference.
Do not assume the store is ignoring you after one day.
Do not go to your bank. Weeks rather than days, and it takes money back out of a small store. What is a chargeback?
More: my parcel has not arrived, how long will it take to arrive, no tracking number.