Recent tropical cyclone activity involving Luis and Maymay, together with the enhanced Southwest Monsoon, locally known as Habagat, has brought periods of heavy rain to parts of the Philippines. Maymay is associated with the international name Kujira. Conditions and affected locations can change quickly, so sellers should continue checking the latest PAGASA weather advisories instead of treating any article as a live forecast.

For online sellers, flooded roads, unsafe sea conditions, suspended courier operations, closed hubs, and delayed tracking updates can affect an order at several points. Warehouses may also operate with fewer staff while buyers expect clear answers about their parcels.

The practical response: protect people and parcels first, identify which order stage is affected, communicate without promising an uncontrollable delivery date, and keep accurate records for follow-up or claims.
 

1. How Typhoons and Enhanced Habagat Disrupt Ecommerce Deliveries

A tropical cyclone does not need to make landfall over a seller's city to affect deliveries. It can strengthen Habagat, while heavy rain, flooding, landslides, rough seas, and road closures interrupt courier pickup, hub transfers, and last-mile delivery.

The marketplace status may not reflect a physical parcel movement immediately. Shopee notes that shipping updates can take 24 to 48 hours to appear and that severe weather can cause delays. A parcel showing no new scan for several hours is therefore not automatically lost, but it should be monitored according to its last confirmed event and estimated delivery date.

Before courier handover, packing, labeling, warehouse staffing, and pickup coordination remain seller-side concerns. After a valid handover scan, routing and delivery scheduling are generally controlled by the logistics network, although the seller should still help the buyer understand the next step.

2. What Philippine Online Sellers Should Check First

Do not cancel every order or contact every buyer at once. Start with orders closest to a deadline or most likely to become a fulfillment exception.

Classify each order as unprepared, packed, awaiting handover, accepted by the courier, moving between hubs, out for delivery, failed delivery, or Return to Sender (RTS). This shows whether the seller, platform, or courier should take the next action.
 

3. How to Handle Delayed Orders and Communicate With Buyers

Buyers are usually more understanding when the seller provides a specific status instead of a generic message. State whether the order is being prepared, waiting for pickup, already with the courier, or delayed after reaching a hub. Explain that heavy rain may affect the original timeframe, but avoid guaranteeing a new delivery date unless the platform or courier has confirmed one.

For handed-over orders, direct the buyer to the marketplace tracking page while continuing to monitor the parcel. Preserve order numbers, tracking numbers, screenshots, handover records, and buyer conversations for possible escalation.

Customer message template:

Hi! Your order has already been prepared/handed over to the courier. Deliveries in some areas may take longer because of heavy rain and the enhanced Habagat. Please continue checking the tracking page for the latest update. We will also monitor the order and let you know if further action is needed. Thank you for your patience and stay safe.

4. How to Check Delivery Delays with Major Couriers in the Philippines

Confirm that a tracking number exists and the parcel has been accepted, then compare the marketplace status with the courier's official tracker. A tracker shows recorded scans but may not provide a separate typhoon notice for every parcel.

Note the last scan time and allow a reasonable period for delayed updates. Follow up when a parcel passes its estimated delivery date, remains at the same hub, shows an incorrect attempt, or appears damaged or misrouted.

For J&T concerns, sellers can also review BigSeller's J&T Express Philippines hotline, tracking, and complaint guide. If the shipment uses marketplace-supported logistics, platform rules still govern deadline adjustments, claims, compensation, cancellations, and RTS handling.
 

5. Reduce Cancellations, Failed Deliveries and RTS Risk

Weather is outside a seller's control, but addresses, packaging, and documentation are not. Before handover, check contact details, use water-resistant outer packaging, protect labels from moisture, and retain proof for high-value parcels.

Ask buyers to keep their phone available and monitor the platform rather than creating duplicate orders. Shopee states that failed deliveries are normally followed by another attempt, while a second failure or rejection may result in cancellation and RTS. Natural disasters are among the uncontrollable causes of failed delivery.

Once an order enters RTS, do not assume the returned item is immediately sellable. Check the parcel condition, product quantity, moisture exposure, and warehouse record before restoring stock. Report disputed delivery attempts or incorrect statuses through the appropriate courier or marketplace support channel.
 

6. Prepare Your Warehouse and Inventory for Heavy Rain

Move products, cartons, labels, electrical equipment, and packing materials away from floors, leaks, and flood-prone areas. Add waterproof protection for moisture-sensitive products and prepare spare pouches, label covers, tape, and power banks.

Define a minimum safe staffing level and conditions for reducing or pausing warehouse work. Employees should not travel through flooded or restricted areas to maintain normal targets. If power or internet becomes unstable, keep a recoverable record of picked, packed, handed-over, and pending orders.

Reconcile physical and system stock, hold damaged units, retain a buffer for fast-moving products, and pause listings assigned to an inaccessible warehouse when necessary. Multi-warehouse sellers can assess whether an unaffected location can fulfill selected orders accurately.

7. Keep Orders and Inventory Visible with BigSeller

BigSeller cannot prevent weather-related courier delays, but it can help sellers keep orders, inventory, logistics information, and fulfillment status visible in one system.

Through BigSeller Order Management, teams can aggregate orders from connected channels and stores, monitor order status and shipping timelines, prepare documents, identify abnormal orders, and track returns. BigSeller Inventory and Purchase Management provides warehouse inventory visibility and cross-store inventory synchronization, helping teams avoid separate manual updates during disrupted operations.

Centralized visibility does not replace official advisories. It helps identify orders requiring warehouse action, those already in logistics, and exceptions needing follow-up across Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, and other stores.