Why can't I track my wheels?
This is a common question. Drop shipping from China is not the same as delivery from the United States because international ocean logistics operates on a fundamentally different documentation and tracking system than domestic couriers like FedEx or DHL.
Here is a look at some of the differences.
Different Documentation Systems
Master Bill of Lading (MBL): Ocean carriers issue an MBL to the freight forwarder only after the container is actually loaded onto the vessel and the ship departs.
House Bill of Lading (HBL): The freight forwarder issues this to the wholesaler, which serves as the tracking identifier for the ocean leg, not a standard courier tracking number.
Multi-Stage Logistics Chain
First-Mile Haulage: Goods must first travel from the factory to the export warehouse and then to the port terminal.
Export Customs Clearance: Containers must clear Chinese customs before they can be cleared for loading onto the vessel.
Container Consolidation: For Less-than-Container Load (LCL) shipments, multiple orders are packed together, which delays paperwork until the entire container is finalized.
Last-Mile Courier Handoff
Pre-Generation Limits: If the final delivery utilizes a courier (like UPS or FedEx) after reaching the destination port, those tracking numbers are often not generated until the container clears customs at the destination country.
Label Creation Delays: Wholesalers or forwarders sometimes wait until the ship is nearing the destination port to generate the final domestic shipping labels to avoid system expiration.
Note that by maintaining local inventory, this situation is avoided, but the costs go up considerably.
DIY Wheelchair Supply does everything possible to reduce prices. That means there will be a tradeoff between price and convenience.