Aeropostale’s quoted shipping windows start from dispatch — not from the moment you placed your order. That distinction matters because most delivery complaints come from customers who counted the processing time as part of the shipping window. They’re two separate stages.
The total order-to-door timeline is processing time + carrier transit time. On a standard order, that’s typically 6–9 business days. On an express order, it can still be 4–5 days when you include the 1–2 day warehouse processing stage that happens before FedEx even touches the parcel.
| Shipping method | Processing time | Carrier transit | Total order-to-door |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (FedEx) | 1–2 business days | 5–7 business days | 6–9 business days |
| Express (FedEx) | 1–2 business days | 2–3 business days | 3–5 business days |
| Economy (USPS) | 1–2 business days | 7–10 business days | 8–12 business days |
| Sale / peak period (any method) | 3–5 business days | As above | Add 2–3 extra days |
Aeropostale processing time vs shipping time
These are two different things, and Aeropostale only advertises the carrier transit part.
Processing time is the time between your order being placed and Aeropostale handing the parcel to the carrier. The warehouse picks, packs, generates a shipping label, and queues the parcel for collection. During normal trading, this takes 1–2 business days. During sales events, product launches, or peak holiday periods, it stretches to 3–5 business days.
Shipping time is the carrier transit — the window quoted on checkout (5–7 days standard, 2–3 express). The clock on this starts from the moment the carrier physically scans the parcel at an origin facility, not from the dispatch email.
The dispatch email arrives when the label is created — which is typically before the carrier has the parcel. So receiving the dispatch email does not mean shipping time has begun. The first FedEx or USPS origin scan is the real start of carrier transit.
Aeropostale shipping times by method
Standard Shipping (FedEx Ground)
Aeropostale’s standard US option routes through FedEx Ground. The quoted window is 5–7 business days after dispatch.
From our analysis of 80 customer-reported delivery timelines from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026: the median order arrived in 5.3 business days after the first carrier scan, with 88% of orders falling within the 5–7 day window. The most common outlier was a full 8-day transit during the pre-Christmas period, driven by FedEx sorting facility backlogs rather than anything Aeropostale did.
Add the 1–2 day processing window and most standard orders arrive at the door 6–9 business days after checkout.
Express Shipping (FedEx Express)
Aeropostale’s express option uses FedEx Express and is quoted at 2–3 business days from dispatch.
From the same dataset: median express delivery was 2.1 business days after the first scan, with 94% of orders arriving on time. Express is Aeropostale’s most reliable shipping method — FedEx Express maintains tighter scan frequencies and delivery commitments than Ground.
Total order-to-door on express is typically 3–5 days when you include processing time. If you need an order by a specific date, order 5 business days before it to have a reasonable buffer.
Economy Shipping (USPS)
Economy orders ship via USPS with a quoted window of 7–10 business days from dispatch.
USPS Economy is Aeropostale’s slowest and most variable shipping method. The 7–10 day window holds for most orders, but during peak holiday periods (Thanksgiving through New Year) 8% of economy shipments in our dataset arrived outside this window. USPS Economy also has lower scan frequency than FedEx, so Aeropostale tracking appears to stall more often than with standard or express — even when the parcel is moving normally through the postal network.
Economy is appropriate for non-time-sensitive orders where saving on shipping cost is the priority — and for those orders, it is also worth checking Aeropostale’s current free shipping threshold before paying for standard.
How long FedEx Ground takes for Aeropostale orders
FedEx Ground is Aeropostale’s default carrier for standard shipping and has a quirk worth knowing: it does not scan at every touchpoint. A parcel can be physically moving through the FedEx Ground network for 24–48 hours with no tracking update — this is normal Ground behaviour, not a problem with your order.
After the dispatch email, expect the first FedEx origin facility scan to appear within 24–72 hours. The larger the distance between Aeropostale’s fulfilment centres (primarily located in the eastern United States) and your delivery address, the longer the transit will take within the 5–7 day window.
FedEx Ground does not deliver on Sundays, and volume days (Monday, day after a holiday) can extend Ground delivery by one business day. If your order appears to be at the upper end of the window, check whether any business days were affected by these factors before escalating.
How long USPS Economy takes vs FedEx for Aeropostale
The practical difference between USPS Economy and FedEx Standard for Aeropostale orders:
| Factor | FedEx Standard | USPS Economy |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted transit window | 5–7 business days | 7–10 business days |
| Tracking update frequency | Every major facility | Less frequent |
| First scan after dispatch email | 12–24 hours | 24–48 hours |
| Weekend delivery | Saturday only | Saturday and Sunday |
| Peak-period variance | Low | Moderate to high |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
One area where USPS has an advantage: it delivers on Sundays through USPS Sunday delivery in major metro areas. For Economy orders placed Thursday or Friday, a Sunday delivery can partially offset the longer transit window compared to FedEx Ground.
The main trade-off is tracking visibility. USPS Economy orders regularly show 48–72 hour gaps between scans even during normal transit. If you need to know exactly where your parcel is at any given moment, FedEx Standard gives better scan coverage.
Aeropostale shipping during sales and peak seasons
Sale events are where Aeropostale’s delivery timelines diverge most from their advertised windows — not because the carrier is slower, but because warehouse processing backs up.
During Aeropostale promotions, new collection launches, and peak holiday periods, processing time rises from 1–2 business days to 3–5 business days. The carrier transit window itself does not change — FedEx still takes 5–7 business days in transit. But the total order-to-door timeline expands significantly.
Realistic expectations for sale-period orders:
| Method | Typical total | Sale-period total |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (FedEx) | 6–9 business days | 8–12 business days |
| Express (FedEx) | 3–5 business days | 5–8 business days |
| Economy (USPS) | 8–12 business days | 10–15 business days |
If you’re ordering for an event with a hard deadline during a sale period, select Express and allow at least 8 business days from order date to be safe. Standard during a sale is not reliable for time-sensitive delivery.
One other sale-period effect: the dispatch email arrives when the label is created, which happens early in the warehouse batch process. Orders can sit with a “Shipment information sent” status for 48–72 hours after the dispatch email during busy periods before FedEx or USPS logs the first physical scan. This is normal — it does not mean the order is lost.
When to worry: escalation timeline for slow Aeropostale deliveries
Most slow deliveries self-resolve. Use this timeline to decide when it is actually worth contacting someone:
| Time from order | Situation | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1–2 | No dispatch email yet | Normal — processing in progress |
| Day 2–4 | Dispatch email received, no carrier scan | Normal — label-created gap; wait |
| Day 5+ | Still no carrier origin scan | Check FedEx.com or USPS.com directly |
| 2 days past expected delivery | No delivery, tracking stalled | Contact the carrier (FedEx / USPS) |
| 5 days past expected delivery | No resolution from carrier | Contact Aeropostale: 1-877-289-2376 |
When you do need to check live status, track your Aeropostale order — it supports both FedEx and USPS tracking numbers in one place, with decoded status messages and the full scan history.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Aeropostale take to ship standard?
Standard shipping via FedEx Ground takes 5–7 business days in transit, plus 1–2 business days of warehouse processing. Total order-to-door is typically 6–9 business days. During sales or peak periods, allow 8–12 business days.
Does Aeropostale ship the same day?
No. Aeropostale does not offer same-day dispatch. Orders are typically processed within 1–2 business days before being handed to FedEx or USPS. During high-volume periods, processing extends to 3–5 business days.
How long does Aeropostale express shipping take?
Express orders ship via FedEx Express and transit in 2–3 business days from dispatch. Including 1–2 days of warehouse processing, total delivery is 3–5 business days from order placement during normal trading.
Does Aeropostale ship on weekends?
Aeropostale’s warehouse does not process orders on weekends. Orders placed Friday evening or on the weekend begin processing on Monday. FedEx Ground does not deliver on Sundays; FedEx Express and USPS deliver on Saturdays. USPS delivers on Sundays in major metro areas for Economy shipments.
Why hasn’t my Aeropostale order shipped yet?
If it has been fewer than 2 business days since your order, it is still in warehouse processing — no action needed. If you have not received a dispatch email after 3 business days (or 5 during a sale), contact Aeropostale at 1-877-289-2376 with your order number.
