{"id":1845,"date":"2024-03-07T16:23:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T16:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/ship-date\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T16:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:13:38","slug":"ship-date","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/ship-date\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipping Dates 101: Which Dates to Track and What They Mean for Ecommerce\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

The 6 most important shipping dates to track<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to take into account when estimating delivering times<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob can take care of your fulfilment and shipping dates<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipping dates FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ship dates, delivery dates, estimated delivery dates, and a host of other dates are incredibly important for ecommerce businesses to both understand and deliver on.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 22% <\/a>of customers abandoning their carts because delivery was too slow, it\u2019s important to let shoppers know the ship date to help increase your conversion rates. Over-communicating shipping dates<\/a> can also help ease customers frustrations, reduce the chance of failed delivery attempts, and even help improve order management<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss different types of ship dates, what factors you need to estimate them, and how an expert partner like ShipBob can help you optimise your shipping strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6 most important shipping dates to track <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re a consumer who is curious about your Amazon Prime delivery, or an ecommerce business owner who wants to figure out the best ship date to present to your customers, here are some timelines you should know about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ship date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A ship date is the date that an order is shipped from the seller or warehouse to the end customer. For example, if you offer 2-day shipping<\/a>, then it\u2019s expected that when the package leaves your warehouse, it will arrive at your customer\u2019s delivery location two days later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that the order date is not always the same as the ship date. In other words, an order may not always ship on the same day that the customer places it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be due to ecommerce stores only working business days and not weekends (for instance, if you place an order Friday night, it\u2019s possible the order won\u2019t ship the next day), or because an order is placed after a shipping cut-off time during the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Estimated shipping date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An estimated shipping date is exactly as it sounds \u2014 an educated guess on when the order will ship out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not always perfect, and may end up being a day or so off because of order fulfilment<\/a> cutoffs (for example, the difference between placing an order at 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM can add a day to the overall delivery timeline). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rare cases, a customer will make a purchase for a product that goes out of stock before the order can be fulfilled. This is known as a backorder<\/a>. When a backorder is placed, merchants should give customers an estimated shipping time to let them know when they can expect their order to ship and then be delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Estimated delivery date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the estimated shipping date, the estimated delivery date is when a customer can reasonably expect the order to arrive. It is usually displayed at the checkout, and may vary depending on the particular shipping option that a customer opts for, as seen in the example below: <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Source: Ecwid<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For shipping methods that are not guaranteed, this date may actually be replaced by a number of days. It may be established once an order is in the courier\u2019s hands (at which point it may also change). Some companies also offer estimated delivery times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Shipping delays<\/a> may happen for a variety of reasons (some controllable<\/a> and others not), but this estimate helps the customer plan for it. This makes ecommerce order tracking<\/a> all the more valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help customers track their orders, many brands provide customers with an order tracking number after they make their purchase. Customers can then use their tracking number to look up their order (either through the assigned courier or through the brand\u2019s website) and follow its progress through fulfilment and delivery.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Source: ParcelPerform<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Invoice creation date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The invoice creation<\/a> date \u2013 which is not always the same as the billing date \u2013 is the date on which the invoice was created, which may be days before order processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Delivery date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The delivery date is the actual date that the shipment is delivered to the customer. Delivery dates don\u2019t always end up matching their estimated delivery date for a variety of reasons. Delivery exceptions<\/a> occur when there are issues with customs, federal holidays, severe weather conditions, damaged or missing labels, failed delivery attempts, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Return date <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The return date is the date the product is returned to the seller. This is not to be confused with a return window, which is the total time a customer has at their disposal to initiate a return and send the product back to the seller. It is also different from a return cutoff, which is the last day a customer has to make an ecommerce return<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to take into account when estimating delivering times <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a perfect world, packages would be delivered with 100% order accuracy<\/a>. However, ecommerce shipping<\/a> can be very complicated, and delays can and will happen for a variety of reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transit times and shipping services <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Transit times differ based on the courier you\u2019re shipping with, the service chosen, the shipping destination, among other factors. Cheaper, slower delivery options are typically not guaranteed and may take several modes of transportation (such as cargo or air to truck), making the journey long and prone to varying conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, the farther the delivery, the longer it will take. If you\u2019re willing to pay for it, fast and guaranteed options like overnight shipping<\/a> can help ensure the ship date and delivery date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal holidays <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Holidays can significantly slow down the pace of shipping times due to many companies taking off on those days. If you\u2019re shipping abroad, the sender or receiver may not be aware of the other country\u2019s federal holiday closures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, many companies wouldn\u2019t be open on: <\/p>\n\n\n\n