Introduction:

Shipment tracking is one facet of the order fulfillment process that small businesses regularly gloss over. If you are a business that ships physical products to customers across various countries, providing information about the status of the shipment in the form of a tracking number can improve the customer experience of your site. International Shipping carriers like USPS apart from being able to handle the shipping needs of any scale, have end-to-end tracking systems that can be used to relay this information to customers and business owners alike.

Shipment tracking is helpful in identifying any lapses in the fulfillment process and locate lost packages quickly. Moreover, giving customers the tracking number on completion of their order inspires confidence in the brand and helps alleviate buyer’s anxiety. Customers who are anxious about their products are more likely to cancel their orders than customers who can track their orders. 

What is USPS tracking number? 

USPS Tracking® service provides end-to-end item tracking and is available for most domestic mail products that are large enough and that are addressed to domestic locations, including to limited Army Post Offices (APOs), Fleet Post Offices (FPOs), Diplomatic Post Offices (DPO) destinations and to ZIP Codes in U.S. territories and possessions or Freely Associated States.

Entering the tracking number associated with a mailpiece into the USPS Tracking page gives you the current status of an item along with other tracking information. That info includes, if available, delivery and/or attempted delivery information, including date and time of delivery as well as the delivery location of the item (mailbox, reception desk, neighbor, etc.). There is no additional cost for the tracking mechanism on products that automatically include USPS Tracking. Basically, you pay for that product’s postage, and tracking is included unless you are using USPS Marketing Mail® service. Adding USPS Tracking to that commercial mailing service requires paying a fee.

International USPS services that offer Tracking:

While USPS offers an extensive selection of services [ Compare the Shipping Rates & Estimated Delivery Date from Leading Shipping Carriers ] that you can use to ship items with, only a select few International USPS services offer Tracking. However, end-to-end tracking to the destination is limited for some of these services. The various International USPS services that offer shipment tracking are as follows:  

Service Name	Delivery and Tracking Capabilities
Priority Mail International	6-10 day delivery and tracking to many international delivery locations. Tracking to the destination is limited
Priority Mail Express International	Available to more than 180 international countries. Tracking to the destination is limited.
First Class International Package Service	Tracking available to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland.
Global Express Guaranteed	Tracking to all destinations

While end-to-end tracking is not available for First-Class Mail letters, you can purchase an Extra Service and get tracking information.

How does my Tracking Number look like and where to find it? 

It’s important to know what a tracking number from a particular USPS service looks like. Here is the sample USPS tracking numbers for the various international USPS shipping services.

Service Name	Sample USPS Tracking Number
Priority Mail International	CP 000 000 000 US
Priority Mail Express International	EC 000 000 000 US
First Class International Package Service	LZ 000 ‍000 000 US
Global Express Guaranteed	82 000 000 00

You can find the tracking number to track packages in a number of places. The tracking numbers can be accessed from your USPS account if you have used that service to buy postage and shipping. Or tracking numbers can be found on the mailing receipts from USPS. They can also be found on the shipping label, below the barcode.

 

How to check the status of your International Package using the USPS tracking number?

USPS provides several ways in which you can track your shipments regardless of whether you’re the sender or the receiver.

• Online Users can visit the USPS website to use USPS Tracking – https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input
• By text: Or you can send a text message to 28777 (2USPS) with your tracking number as the content of the message.
• By smartphone: Downloading and using the USPS Mobile app for iPhone or Android to get the tracking status of your shipment.

Once the USPS tracking number is entered, you are shown the status of the shipment. Tracking is updated in the USPS servers as soon as they’re electronically notified to expect a shipment. The package is scanned multiple times in transit and is updated till it reaches the destination and is handed over to the receiver.

Most asked questions about USPS tracking

Where to find the tracking number on the USPS receipt?

You can find the USPS tracking number on the USPS receipt that you get when shipping or buying postage from the US Post Office. It is the Label Number followed by the #.  

How long for the USPS tracking number to show up?

If you are expecting a package from a seller through USPS, the tracking information takes about 24h for it to get updated. If the seller prints the shipping labels, it is within minutes posted as “shipping info received”, but that simply signals USPS to expect a package. They do not have it yet. It is up to that seller to have the package picked up or dropped off at the US Post Office with the shipping label attached.

How to find the USPS tracking number without the receipt?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to track USPS packages without the USPS tracking numbers. If you haven’t received your tracking number from the sender, you may contact them for the same. If you are the sender, then you may need to contact USPS for your Missing Mail. Missing Mail is mail that has not been delivered by the expected delivery date. This applies to packages that are undelivered, lost, or late. If it has been lost, late or missing for 7 days or more, you can:

• Submit a Missing Mail search request at MissingMail.USPS.com
• File a claim
• Contact the USPS® directly by either visiting your local Post Office™ location or calling your local Consumer Affairs office at 1-800-275-8777

How to track packages without a USPS tracking number?

If you are the sender, it is of paramount importance that you keep the receipt with you. When items are being shipped, a sticker with the tracking number and a bar code is stuck on the package.

 

Does the post office keep a record of USPS tracking numbers?

As far as we read about this USPS maintains records of tracking and confirmation of delivery for a different period of time but maintain the record is based on the different class of mail services used by you all. And also, different records for mails are maintained for a different time period.

Below mention are is the time period of maintaining records:

1. USPS keeps the tracking record only for 120 days or 4 months.
2. Certified Mail service, Priority Mail Express service, Registered Mail service, and Numbered International Mail services USPS kept the record only for 2 years, not more than that and it is the same for all the services included in the above line.
3. Signature confirmation services are maintained only for 1 year not more than that.
4. Adult Signature Restricted Delivery Mail / Adult Signature Required is maintained for up to 3 years.

This is the time period mentioned above that USPS maintain records, not more than and after time period applicable over then it destroys the records. But customers can request for an archived tracking number as many as a time they but in an applicable time mentioned above.

eCommerce Platforms and USPS tracking

eCommerce stores that use USPS services to ship their products stand to gain a lot by offering USPS tracking to their customers. It will reduce buyer anxiety by letting them check on the status of their packages, by themselves. Customers that know where their packages are, will be less likely to cancel their orders or request a refund. USPS shipping and services are also the most cost-effective way to ship small packages weighing less than 70 pounds, period. So if you’re an online store that ships small goods, you can’t go wrong with integrating USPS into your shipping methods.

Setting up an eCommerce store with USPS shipping isn’t as hard as it probably was earlier. With platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and others, you are given all the technical support you need to get your eCommerce store up and ready in no time.

How to enable USPS tracking on WooCommerce? 

Enabling USPS tracking on WooCommerce is a super convenient way for you and your customers to stay on top of your order deliveries. This can be done by integrating USPS shipping services and products into WooCommerce. To do this, we will use the ELEX WooCommerce USPS Shipping Plugin with Print Label. This plugin lets you configure USPS international shipping services for your customers.

When they place an order choosing a USPS service, the plugin lets you create a shipment, configure the packaging and print shipping labels for that order, right from WooCommerce. Additionally, USPS is electronically notified to expect a package which means you don’t need to visit the USPS website for every order.