Skip to main content
Card class: HeroCategory: Nerve Centre

At a glance

Late Shipments is the real-time alert listing every Depop order that has passed its expected dispatch deadline and is still unshipped. Each item is a buyer already waiting longer than promised and a rating, possibly a dispute, in the making. Where the on-time shipping rate tells you the trend, this card tells you exactly which parcels to pack first to stop the damage.
What it countsThe number of orders currently past their dispatch deadline without a recorded dispatch, listed individually.
Sample typeBackend API data from Depop, refreshed on the standard data refresh, evaluated in real time.
Why it mattersA late dispatch is the single fastest route to a low rating and a refund request on Depop. This is the most urgent fulfilment list in the shop: every entry is actively eroding reputation right now.
Reading the valueZero is the target. Any entry is overdue. The list is a priority queue, ordered by how far past deadline each order sits.
Currencycount (overdue orders)
Time windowRT (real-time)
Alert triggerany order past its ship deadline
Sentiment keydep_alert_dispatch_sla_miss
Rolesowner, operations

Calculation

The card lists orders whose expected dispatch window has elapsed without a recorded dispatch, evaluated in real time against Depop’s deadline model. Vortex IQ reads order timestamps and deadlines from the Depop integration; the deadline model is set by Depop and described here in general terms.

Worked example

A representative reading of Late Shipments for a typical reseller on Depop. On 19 Jun 26 the alert showed three overdue orders. Two were a day late because the seller had been away; one was four days late because the item could not be found. Vortex Mind grouped them by cause: the two ship-now orders went out same day, and the missing-item order was refunded immediately to head off a dispute. Acting within hours kept all three from turning into low ratings. To work the queue, ask Ask Viq for overdue orders ordered by days past deadline.

Sibling cards merchants should reference together

CardWhy merchants reach for it
dep_pending_shipFulfilment sibling: the full queue these overdue orders came from.
dep_on_time_ship_rateTrend sibling: late shipments pull the on-time rate down.
dep_dispute_rateReputation sibling: overdue orders convert to disputes.
dep_rating_averageReputation sibling: late dispatch is a top driver of low ratings.
dep_xc_listed_but_oosRoot-cause sibling: orders for sold-elsewhere items often go late.

Reconciling against Depop

Where to look in Depop’s own dashboard: Overdue orders appear in your Selling view in the Depop app, flagged against their expected dispatch window. The Vortex IQ list should match those flagged orders; gaps are usually refresh timing. Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:
ReasonDirectionWhat to do
Refresh timing. A dispatch you just marked clears on the next refresh.MarginalForce a manual refresh after shipping.
Deadline interpretation. Vortex IQ mirrors Depop’s window but evaluates it continuously.MarginalTreat both as the same deadline.
Cancelled orders. A cancelled order should leave the list.Lower in Vortex IQConfirm the order’s live status.
Cross-connector reconciliation: read this with the pending-shipment backlog and the sold-elsewhere card to find why orders go late. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind.

Known limitations / merchant FAQs

Q: How often does Late Shipments update? It evaluates in real time and refreshes on the standard data refresh. An order leaves the list as soon as you mark it dispatched and the refresh registers it. Q: An order is here but I already shipped it. Why? Either the dispatch has not registered yet, or it was marked dispatched after the deadline. Force a refresh; if it persists, confirm the dispatch was recorded in Depop. Q: Should I refund an overdue order or ship late? Depends on the cause. If the item exists, ship immediately and message the buyer. If it is unavailable, refund fast to avoid a dispute. The sold-elsewhere card helps you spot the second case early. Q: Can I customise this alert? The alert fires on any order past Depop’s deadline. Related tolerances, such as backlog alerting, are configurable in the Sensitivity tab.

Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre

Late Shipments is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Depop and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. Start for free or book a demo to see this metric running on your own data.