In plain English
The package is no longer going to the person it was meant to reach. Instead, the carrier is taking it back to the person or business that sent it. This describes the shipment's current state.
In context
As a carrier-return status, "return to sender" reports that the shipment is being sent back to the original sender instead of being delivered to the intended recipient.
- Situation
- Handling delivery attempts, address problems, damage, loss, holds, and returns
- What it communicates
- labels a carrier-return status
Meaning limits
By itself, the term does not say why the carrier is sending the shipment back or whether it has already reached the sender.
Examples
“The parcel was listed as return to sender and loaded for the trip back to the original shop, not to Nina's flat.”
“When the tracking update shows return to sender, the seller expects the parcel to come back rather than reach the customer.”