Glossary
NDR — Non-Delivery Report, explained
NDR vs RTO
The two terms describe different stages of the same failed delivery:
- NDR — the report that an attempt failed. The parcel is still with the courier and an instruction is awaited.
- RTO — Return to Origin: the parcel is travelling back to the seller, either because the seller chose to cancel delivery or because the courier’s re-attempt limit was reached. See the RTO entry.
What a seller can do after an NDR
The actions below are documented by Delhivery (Delhivery One) and Shiprocket; they sit in the seller’s panel, not on the buyer’s tracking page.
- Re-attempt delivery. On Delhivery One a seller can opt for re-attempts up to three times on a forward shipment; if the third attempt also fails the status moves from “Out for Delivery” to “RTO”. Reverse pickups can be rescheduled up to three times before the pickup is cancelled.
- Contact the buyer. Shiprocket lets the seller message the buyer from its panel to clear up issues such as an incorrect address.
- View or edit consignee details. Delhivery shows the delivery address, city and pincode, and lets the seller correct consignee details or the payment mode from the shipment page.
- Initiate RTO. If the consignee is unwilling to accept, or another attempt looks futile, the seller can send the parcel back to origin.
What a buyer can do
Practical steps rather than courier rules — Zlash guidance, not a quoted policy:
- Keep the phone number on the order reachable on the delivery day; “customer not reachable” is one of the commonest failed-attempt remarks.
- Check the address and pincode on the order. If they are wrong, tell the seller straight away so they can correct the consignee details.
- Find the AWB number in the shipping email and use it when you contact the courier or the seller.
- For a COD order, have the amount ready, since a payment problem at the door can itself cause an NDR (see COD vs prepaid).
Questions, answered
- What does NDR mean in courier tracking?
- NDR stands for Non-Delivery Report. Delhivery’s help documentation describes NDRs as orders that were attempted but undelivered or not picked up, and Shiprocket describes an NDR as the notification that flags an order the courier could not deliver to the customer.
- How many delivery attempts happen before a parcel goes back to the seller?
- It depends on the courier. In Delhivery One, a seller can opt to re-attempt delivery up to three times for a forward shipment; if the third attempt also fails, the shipment status moves to RTO. Other couriers and contracts differ.
- Is an NDR the same as an RTO?
- No. An NDR is the report of a failed delivery attempt. RTO (Return to Origin) is the parcel travelling back to the seller, which a seller can initiate from an NDR when further delivery attempts look futile, or which happens automatically after the courier’s attempt limit.
- Can a buyer act on an NDR?
- The NDR actions (re-attempt delivery, contact the buyer, return to origin, edit consignee details) are in the seller’s courier or shipping panel, not the buyer’s tracking page. A buyer’s practical levers are to stay reachable on the phone number on the order, make sure the address and pincode are right, and contact the seller or the courier with the AWB number if an attempt fails.