Ship Date

Ship date is the day your package officially enters the carrier’s possession and begins its journey to the destination. It’s day zero for transit time calculations—the starting point from which delivery estimates are calculated.

Ship Date vs. Order Date

Timeline: Order Date + Processing Time = Ship Date Ship Date + Transit Time = Delivery Date

What Makes an Official Ship Date

A package is considered “shipped” when:

• Carrier scans the package
• Package enters carrier network
• First tracking event appears
• Label creation alone doesn’t count

Common misconception: Creating a label doesn’t mean it’s shipped. The ship date is when the carrier actually has it.

Ship Date Cutoff Times

To ship “today,” packages must be ready by:

After cutoff = next business day ship date.

Ship Date and Business Days

Ship dates only count business days:

• Monday-Friday typically
• Excludes weekends (usually)
• Excludes carrier holidays

Example:

• Drop off Friday evening after cutoff
• Ship date = Monday
• 3-day transit arrives Thursday

Managing Ship Date Expectations

For Sellers

• Set realistic processing time
• Meet your published ship dates
• Communicate delays proactively
• Don’t overcommit

For Buyers

• Understand processing vs. shipping
• Order early for important dates
• Pay attention to cutoff times
• Account for weekends/holidays

Ship Date in E-commerce

Setting expectations:

• “Ships in 1-2 business days”
• “Orders before 2 PM ship same day”
• “Custom items ship in 5-7 days”

Tracking performance:

• On-time shipment rate
• Processing time accuracy
• Customer satisfaction impact

Ship Date Impact on Delivery

A Friday order with 3-day shipping:

One day difference in ship date = two days difference in delivery.

Common Ship Date Issues

Label created, not shipped:

• Shows “label created” only
• Package not scanned yet
• Customer sees no movement
• Confusing for tracking

Resolution:

• Schedule regular pickups
• Drop off same day as label creation
• Communicate actual ship dates