DorrisTo answer a "where is my order" email, look up the order first, then reply to what the tracking actually says: not shipped, label made, moving, stuck, or marked delivered but missing. Each needs a different reply. Say what you checked, what happens next and when they'll hear from you, and never promise a delivery date you don't control. A template for each case follows.
A reply ready to copy (the label is made but the carrier hasn't scanned it yet). Fill the [blanks]; the other four cases are below.
Hi [first name], thanks for waiting. Order [number] has a shipping label, made on [date], but the carrier hasn't scanned it yet. Tracking can sit still for up to [48 hours] after a label is made, and that's normal. Here's the link to follow it: [tracking link]. If it still hasn't moved by [date], write back and I'll look into it.
Recipes 1 to 3 in the pack cover these five cases, plus nine more and a fill-in policy. Reply recipes, $29 →
Below is one template for each case. Fill the [blanks] from the order and your own shipping policy. They're examples, not legal advice.
Before you reply
- Check the order. Order date, whether it has shipped, the carrier, the last tracking scan and the address. Never fill a blank from memory.
- Pick the case from what the tracking says, not from how worried the customer sounds.
- Give a range, never a day. "Usually [3-5] business days after it ships" is fine. "It'll arrive Thursday" is a promise the carrier makes, not you.
1. Not shipped yet
Hi [first name], thanks for checking in. Order [number] is being packed now. Orders placed [before/after our cut-off] leave [the same day / the next business day], so it should ship by [day]. You'll get a tracking email as soon as the label is scanned.
2. Label made, not scanned yet
Hi [first name], thanks for waiting. Order [number] has a shipping label, made on [date], but the carrier hasn't scanned it yet. Tracking can sit still for up to [48 hours] after a label is made, and that's normal. Here's the link to follow it: [tracking link]. If it still hasn't moved by [date], write back and I'll look into it.
3. Shipped and moving
Hi [first name], good news: order [number] shipped on [date] with [carrier], and the last scan was [scan, place] on [date]. It usually arrives [x-y] business days after shipping. You can follow it here: [tracking link].
4. Stuck in transit
Hi [first name], I'm sorry. Tracking for order [number] hasn't moved since [date]. [If it's past your "treat as lost" rule and your policy covers it: I'm sending a replacement today at no cost, and I'll take it up with the carrier myself, so there's nothing for you to chase.] [If not yet: packages sometimes sit at a sorting hub for a few days. If it hasn't moved by [date], write back and [what your policy says happens].]
5. Marked delivered, but it isn't there
Hi [first name], I'm sorry, that's worrying. The carrier marked order [number] as delivered on [date] at [time] to [street and town, from the order]. Packages marked delivered sometimes turn up a day later, so could you check around the door, with neighbours and with anyone else at the address? If it hasn't appeared by [date], write back and [what your policy says: we'll open a claim / a person will follow up].
What never to send
- "It will arrive on [exact date]."
- "That's the carrier's problem," or "You'll need to contact the carrier."
- "Someone must have taken it."
- A refund or replacement your written policy doesn't already promise. If it doesn't cover the case, say a person will follow up within [one business day], and stop.
- Order details to an email address that isn't the one on the order.
Getting fewer of these emails
Most "where is my order?" emails come from a gap between what the customer expects and what they've been told. Three things close it:
- Say the shipping time on the product page and at checkout as a range from when it ships, the same words your replies use.
- Make the shipping confirmation email say when to worry: "Tracking can sit still for up to [48 hours] after the label is made."
- Write your rules down once, including your "treat as lost" rule, so every reply says the same thing. Reply recipes has three more free templates and the rules behind them.
The rest of the set
This is one of 23 free customer service email templates, by scenario, last updated 2026-10-11.
These five cover one kind of email. Reply recipes, the paid pack, has twelve: these cases plus the wrong item, damaged on arrival, returns inside and outside the window, warranty claims, refund requests, cancellations, angry customers and discount requests. It also has a fill-in policy template and rules for an AI that drafts your replies.
More replies like this: Damaged or wrong item, Cancel an order and Warranty claims. All twelve, with a fill-in policy, are in the Reply recipes pack.
Last reviewed 2026-10-11.
Want all twelve replies and a fill-in policy? Reply recipes ($29). Want the whole back office built for you? Book a demo.
Tim Haines