Two signals, and they do not arrive together.
The status
The order moves to On its way or On the way, and Open tracking and Track appear. That is the seller saying they have handed it over.
It is a statement, not proof. A seller marks an order shipped; the app does not watch them do it.
The tracking
The courier's own record, which appears once the parcel is scanned into their network — often at the first sorting hub rather than at collection.
That is the real evidence, and it typically lags the status by hours and sometimes by a day.
Why the gap is normal
A seller hands a parcel to a courier at 6pm and marks it shipped. The courier scans it when it reaches the hub that night, or the next morning. For most of a day the status says shipped and the tracking says nothing.
Nothing is wrong in that window. It is the commonest reason people think an order is stuck.
When the gap means something
Status shipped, no tracking number at all — ask. A courier order should have one, and Metzee measures stores on having one. My order has no tracking number
Tracking number showing nothing after two days — ask. Either it was not actually collected, or the number is wrong.
Still Being packed past the dispatch window — courier orders are due 24 or 48 hours after payment depending on the store. That is the case to chase. When will my order be sent?
When there is no tracking by design
Three cases where the status is all there is, and that is correct:
- The seller delivers it themselves — no courier, no scan.
- You are collecting — nothing is in transit; it becomes ready rather than sent.
- You booked the courier — the tracking is in your account, not theirs.
How to ask well
From the order, in one message: "This says shipped — could you send the tracking number when you get a chance?" Most replies arrive with the number attached.
What does not help: asking three times in a day. A seller who posted it on Saturday cannot make the courier scan it faster.
The record that matters later
If an order goes wrong, the dispatch evidence is what a dispute reads — the tracking, its dates, and what the seller said. Which is why a courier order without tracking is a slower conversation even when the seller did everything right. How to raise a problem
More: how to find and track an order, tracking says delivered but nothing came, what if my item never arrives.