"It's close, stay tuned" is the InPost update that arrives just before the one you are actually waiting for, the collection code. It sounds like the parcel is at the end of your street, and in a sense it is, but it does not mean the parcel is in the locker yet. This page explains what the status records in InPost's own words, what comes after it, how long it normally takes, why it sometimes does not change on the day, and what to do if it stalls.
Short answer: "It's close, stay tuned" on InPost means your parcel has left your local delivery centre and is on the last leg to the locker or shop you chose. InPost's published tracking guide describes this step as "It's getting close" and defines it as: "Your parcel is super close, and we will try to deliver it today." The next update is "Delivery day, yay!", which means the parcel is in the locker or shop with your collection code, and InPost UK gives you 3 days to collect it. There is nothing to do yet: wait for the collection notification.
What does "it's close, stay tuned" mean on InPost?
InPost delivers to parcel lockers and shops rather than to a front door (unless you chose home delivery), so its tracking runs to a different finish line from most carriers. The finish is not "delivered to you" but "ready for you to collect". "It's close, stay tuned" is the step just before that line.
InPost UK's own tracking guide, "Track to the Future", lists the updates you see on its website in order, and the one that matches this status reads, in full: "It's getting close. Your parcel is super close, and we will try to deliver it today."
The wording people see and search for is "it's close, stay tuned" (or "its close stay tuned"), while the guide prints "It's getting close". InPost's published guides do not print the exact phrase "it's close, stay tuned", so this page reads it as the same step, the one between "Not long now" and "Delivery day, yay!", and quotes InPost's definition of that step rather than inventing one.
Where it sits in the InPost sequence
InPost's guide, read on 12 November 2026, lists the updates in this order:
| InPost update | InPost's own description | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| It's on the road | "Your parcel is with us now and it's making its way through our network. You might see this a few times" | Moving between InPost depots and sorting centres |
| Not long now | "Your parcel has arrived at your local delivery centre and will be dropped off by our couriers very soon." | At the depot that serves your locker or shop |
| It's getting close ("it's close, stay tuned") | "Your parcel is super close, and we will try to deliver it today." | On the last leg to your pick-up point |
| Delivery day, yay! | "Your parcel has arrived at a locker or shop and is ready for you to collect. Make sure you pick up your parcel within 3 days." | In the locker or shop, collection code issued, clock started |
| Tick tock... | "This is your reminder to pick up your parcel, you have 1 day left." | Last day to collect |
InPost also describes the whole route: "Your parcel will travel from the sender's local depot to a sorting centre, then to your local delivery centre, and finally to your chosen pick-up point." "It's close, stay tuned" is the last of those legs. What the earlier, repeating update means is on its own page, "it's on the road" on InPost.
How long does "it's close, stay tuned" last?
InPost's own description gives the expectation: "we will try to deliver it today." InPost does not publish a time of day for locker or shop drop-offs, so this page does not give one. In practice the update to watch for is "Delivery day, yay!", which comes with your collection code, usually by email and in the InPost app.
If the day ends without that update, InPost's general rule for a quiet tracking feed applies. In its own words: "If the tracking status of your parcel hasn't updated for 48 hours, don't worry. Sometimes they can get slightly delayed - usually this is because of external factors like roadworks or the locker you've chosen is full. But we tend to get things moving again within 24 hours. If you haven't seen an update within 72 hours, then feel free to contact our Customer Care team."
Why the parcel might not arrive on the day
InPost names the two things that usually slow the last leg down: roadworks and a full locker. Both are on the delivery side, not yours, and in most cases the parcel simply moves to the next round. The status does not mean the parcel has gone missing.
There is one case where "it's close, stay tuned" is followed by bad news instead of a code. InPost says a parcel goes back to the sender when "We were unable to deliver the parcel to your pick-up point. This may be due to a malfunctioning locker or roadworks that prevent us from delivering your parcel safely", and in that case it recommends you "contact your seller/ retailer if you wish to repurchase". If your tracking jumps from "it's close, stay tuned" to a return message, what that means and what to ask the shop is in "contact the retailer" on InPost.
What to do while it says "it's close, stay tuned"
- Nothing yet. The parcel is on its way to the pick-up point. Wait for "Delivery day, yay!" and the collection code.
- Keep notifications on. The collection code arrives by email and in the InPost app, and the 3-day window starts when the parcel is ready.
- Plan to collect within 3 days. InPost UK says "Make sure you pick up your parcel within 3 days", with a reminder when 1 day is left. The InPost UK home page puts it the same way: "You've got 3 days to collect it".
- After 72 hours with no change, contact InPost Customer Care. That is InPost's own threshold.
For merchants
"It's close, stay tuned" is a good-news status that still generates tickets, because a shopper who reads "close" expects the parcel today and writes in when the code has not arrived by evening. The real risk for the shop sits one step later, in the 3-day collection window, where an uncollected parcel becomes a return, a refund or a second shipment. Pango puts InPost's statuses, with those of every other connected carrier, onto one plain milestone set on the brand's own tracking page and sends proactive notifications as the parcel moves, so the customer hears about the collection deadline from the shop instead of searching for the status. If you ship to lockers and shops in the UK, the wider carrier picture is in shipping to the UK for ecommerce brands.
The bottom line
"It's close, stay tuned" means the InPost parcel is on its last leg and InPost will try to put it in your locker or shop today. Wait for "Delivery day, yay!" and the collection code, then collect within 3 days. If nothing changes for 72 hours, contact InPost; the full list of InPost updates is in InPost tracking statuses, and the general meaning of a last-leg status is in out for delivery meaning.
