I put an order in for some filament on Tuesday and received a shipping confirmation later that day. Today is Friday and the tracking number still shows “Label Created” and there is no movement of the shipment. Am I missing something here or is this normal?
It’s unfortunately normal.
Bummer…thanks for the reply.
If it makes you feel any better. One of the long-standing complaints posted far too often by this community against Bambu Lab - dating back to its mass shipments of X1s and P1Ps in 2023 - is their consistent lack of professionalism. There’s no month-to-month consistency in how they handle logistics. I have tracking records from the past two years showing shipments via FedEx, UPS, and even USPS in one case.
I don’t buy much from BL - mostly just parts - but these tracking numbers showing evidence of different carries month to month, speak for themselves, no consistency:
What’s really galling is that my most recent order, placed just last night, already shows “fulfilled.” Yet when I click on it, this is what I see:
Is this the hallmark of a well-oiled machine? Hell no. This is the kind of sloppy experience you’d expect from a one-person Etsy shop. Actually, no - even Etsy sellers manage to provide real-time tracking.
The bigger issue is that Bambu Lab shows no evidence of standardization - none of the operational discipline you’d expect from a competent organization. That’s the rub: their customer service and overall posture toward customers falls somewhere between amateur hour and outright disregard.
You could argue they’re a young company, and maybe I’m spoiled by Amazon-level fulfillment. Fair enough. But they’ve had over two and a half years to get this right. When does the grace period end?
This isn’t a “Chinese company” problem - plenty of Chinese manufacturers have figured out logistics. This is a Bambu problem. They could easily partner with any number of logistics firms whose entire business is shipping - often faster and cheaper than trying to handle it themselves. The fact that they haven’t tells you everything you need to know.
2 Likes
Wow, very thorough response. I ordered filament because I knew I would run out today at my printing pace. Sure enough, I am out of PAHT-CF and dangerously close to being out of ASA. I am running a business and I need to depend on a “reasonable” and dependable shipment time.
Does anyone have a recommendation on PAHT-CF and ASA filaments other than Bambu?
I feel your angst—running a business requires a reliable supply chain. Sadly, Bambu ain’t it. Spend more time here and you’ll find horror stories about everything from white PLA changing shades mid-order to unannounced spool changes that clog the AMS and ruin days-long prints.
Depending on the scale of your business, and if you’re in the continental US, you’d be better off sticking with suppliers like Elegoo or Polymaker—not because their filament or service is necessarily better, but because they use Amazon for logistics and also sell directly. That gives you the flexibility to negotiate bulk buys when cost matters, while still having same-day to two-day delivery when a last-minute project lands and the customer wants it in three. We all know that feeling, don’t we?
Here’s a list of other PAHT-CF suppliers on Amazon and as of this Afternoon, they appear to be offering next day delivery.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=PAHT-CF
Of course, the only advantage to Bambu Spools is the RFID tag that tells the AMS what’s in the feed. But here’s an open secret, you can repurpose RFID tags off of other Bambu Spools and simply Spoof the slicer by recalibrating for that RFID tag. Of course you’ll need to be careful not to mix the real profiles with the fake ones but once you find a resource you like, just remember to hold onto the Bambu spool cores and note the RFID profile that is being used. In fact, in the case of Elegoo, I found out that if you carefully peel off the side cardboard so that only the center carboard spools remain, they fit inside of the Bambu spools nicely. That was a happy accident.
4 Likes
Awesome! Thanks for the recommendations and the RFID trick.
Are your filaments being delivered by OnTrac? See my post linked below.
Typically, filaments arrived in two business days for me, occasionally the next day. But if the filaments are shipped across the US from the west coast, then it takes longer, like 5-7 days.
I can’t determine who the shipper is because, as I mentioned above, Bambu Lab’s store tracking links are broken. They say “click here to track,” and… well, my screengrab shows what actually loads. This feels like amateur hour.
From my experience with AliExpress, TEMU, Banggood, and similar platforms, there’s been a surge of dubious last-mile carriers operating in North America over the past 15 years. Colleagues in logistics report a consistent pattern: these firms hire drivers who wouldn’t pass background checks at mainstream carriers. Many drive their personal vehicles and treat delivery as a side hustle. The companies invest nothing in tracking infrastructure and hide behind drop-box addresses - often UPS Stores in Nevada, where oversight is virtually nonexistent.
These firms act as middlemen - like ticket scalpers - wedging themselves between supplier and buyer with minimal capital investment. One of my customers learned the hard way that they’re poorly insured and shielded by shell companies with no assets - often registered in China and beyond the reach of Western legal systems.
I’m not saying OnTrac falls into that category - but if that’s who Bambu is using, it’s another example of cutting corners in a Chabuduo (差不多) fashion. When I see these kinds of choices, I assume my consumer rights have already been quietly erased.
1 Like
My Bambu X1C was delivered by FedEx Ground but the filament I ordered with my machine was delivered by UPS. My subsequent purchase of filament shows a UPS tracking number. Granted, I live in the middle of the Rocky mountains in Montana, but this is ridiculous at best. I appreciate @Olias giving alternatives to BL filament and the RFID trick. One could easily copy/paste the RFID tag with a Raspberry Pi or other similar device and just tape it to a spool of a competitors filament. C’mom Bambu!
1 Like
I have had 2 orders shipped by Ontrac, both were delayed due to shipping to the wrong area of the country,
1 Like
Make sure to check the door or porch anyway. I had one instance that the item was delivered by UPS while the status was still showing 'waiting for item …"
I use the following three strategies regarding filaments.
- always have at least one-month worth of filaments available.
- order early to replenish the stockpile when any filament runs low
- diversify. Identify sources for two or more brands of filaments so if one source is out of stock I can order from the other brand.
Number 2 above is even more relevant now that UPS shuts down over 70 facilities and will lay off 20k workers. I can imagine companies are adding or switching to alternative carriers in areas that are affected.
I mostly use Bambu filaments because I have reward points to cover the cost, but I have used Sunlu, eSun, Inland (Micro Center). They all work well. When using other brands, I don’t use the Bambu RFID because I don’t want the printers to read them in as Bambu Lab filaments. Manually putting in filament info is quick and painless for me.
Good luck
Wow! That is freaky. I was just about to post a report on Ontrac and their performance - and you beat me to it. Do you have my house bugged? 
Anyway, I’m here to report that the order I placed at 8PM Thursday was delivered just before noon on Saturday.
That sounds great, right? Except for one thing: I still haven’t received any tracking info from Bambu. No shipping notification either - total amateur hour. The delivery driver just tossed the package wherever was convenient. I only found out because my neighbor saw it from his window and told me.
Here’s my issue: this was completely unprofessional. Out of curiosity, I went to Ontrac’s site and entered the tracking number from my Bambu order. Ontrac did have tracking info and even a photo of where the parcel was tossed. But Bambu never provided any indication of how, when, or even whether it had shipped. As I said, no notification. If my neighbor hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve assumed it was lost and filed a chargeback with my credit card. I don’t have time for this kind of clowning around.
It’s clear from Ontrac’s site that they support real-time tracking and notifications. So why doesn’t Bambu provide that data? You already know the answer: good ol’ Bambu Lab chabuduo (差不多). I guess from their point of view, once they’ve got your money, their job is done. Never mind that the bar has long since been raised for customer service - especially with everything automated. Last time I checked, we are now a quarter century through the 21st century, this ain’t rocket science. What’s their excuse? I guess it’s the same one they use when they jerk around customers during tech support issues.
Well, at least I got my stuff but you know what? This is exactly why I minimize my supplies and accessories business with BL, you simply cannot trust them. In this case, I purchased parts only they make and only because they were on sale, otherwise, I would have purchased these on Amazon.
1 Like