Postal tracking

What is postal tracking?

Postal tracking is the ability to access information regarding mail, package, or parcel during its transit from origin to final destination. Postal tracking emerged from the need for postal services to improve their visibility and overall operational efficiency but quickly became a popular feature for customers who wanted the same.

Today, postal tracking is provided as standard on all registered packages by most couriers and logistics companies, including Royal Mail, TNT, GEODIS, UPS, among others. In fact, the industry is constantly moving to develop postal tracking options for customers, with more and more information being delivered faster than ever, in line with a sector that has because integral to international trade and eCommerce.

Aside from postal tracking being developed by handlers and couriers of the parcels themselves, third-party tracking platforms - such as Ship24 - have become the go-to for postal tracking. This is because as demand grows for shipping to more and more destinations, logistics companies are sharing parcel handling but not always parcel tracking services. Ship24 offers a solution as it tracks multiple couriers at the same time, meaning people don't have to worry about postal tracking.

What is the history of postal services?

The need for postal tracking was born out of the postal service, the first of which began over 4,000 years ago with the Ancient Egyptians. The postal service was exclusive to the pharaohs of the time, and indeed most postal services were originally started to serve the interests of the ruling classes. Postal tracking in this time, as a consequence, was done by an armed military guard which was responsible for what today we would call end-to-end postal tracking. However, as postal services started to become more accessible for wider society, postal tracking wasn't guaranteed on parcels very much at all.

However, the importance of postal tracking was recognized again by American postal pioneer FedEx, who realized that postal tracking would be mutually beneficial to both its own operational capacity and as a feature for customers. The world hasn't looked back, and now comprehensive end-to-end tracking from a single site can be achieved with just a tracking number for free. Enter your postal tracking number onto the Ship24 website to see for yourself!

What are postal tracking features?

Online postal tracking platforms or tools will give you the latest information on where your package is and its current status. Using Ship24, you don't need a login or to give any personal information, it's as simple as entering your tracking number and getting back the latest postal tracking info.

When is postal tracking available?

In most cases, it is available. However, sometimes postal tracking is not available, such as on unregistered packages or certain size and weight parcels. Always check with your postal service or courier before sending to make sure you can track your post.

Another reason tracking may not be available with a courier, is if your parcel is handed over to another carrier along the way to its final destination. Before Ship24, this meant users had to switch websites to continue their postal tracking, but now Ship24 allows you to continue tracking any package through multiple couriers thanks to its auto-detection system. Ship24 works by scanning the web for your package, not only finding whichever courier it is with but the latest information on your package, offering the ultimate postal tracking experience for customers.

How does postal tracking work?

When you enter a postal tracking number into Ship24, you will find out
If your package was mailed within Canada, you can find out:

• When your order was picked up and received by your initial courier
• Where it has traveled so far
• Who it has and is being currently handled by
• Where it currently is and the parcels current status

Also, Ship24 will also show if your parcel has been delivered or if there was a problem with delivery so you remain fully informed at all times.

What is postal tracking for business?

In the modern world of e-commerce, it is more important than ever to share regular updates with customers about the status of an order. Today's consumers want to know when a package will be shipped and how long it will take to arrive. Therefore, business owners are recommending the one-stop shop for postal tracking, Ship24. By suggesting Ship24, they know that the customer can track their parcel worldwide, and through multiple couriers, giving them peace of mind and the ultimate post-purchase experience. Check out our postal tracking API and Webhook functions for professional, business tracking functionality.

Where can I find my postal tracking number?

Your postal tracking number should be either available on the postal service or marketplace where you purchased an order for delivery, either on the accounts section of the website or in the purchase confirmation email which you should receive shortly after check-out. If you purchased on an independent website, such as Shopify or Etsy, you may receive your postal tracking number directly from the seller.

What does a postal tracking number look like?

Examples of postal tracking numbers will vary depending on the couriers, destination, size, and weight, as well as other factors. However, they will always be a relatively recognizable format that consists of letters and numbers or a barcode printed onto your parcel.

• An example is: HU97592507924XV or RX395730257PH

What's the difference between domestic and international postal tracking?

There aren't any major differences between domestic and international postal tracking, as both are essentially the same idea. However, buyers should note that when sending parcels internationally, postal tracking may not always be included, especially to more remote destinations where third-party local couriers are users who may not have postal tracking capacity. Also, make sure that any parcel you send is registered, as non-registered mail often does not include a postal tracking function.

To give yourself the best chance of staying abreast of the location and status of a package, try postal tracking with Ship24. Ship24 covers and tracks thousands of e-tailers, shops, delivery companies, and more to find any information available on your parcel.

Where is postal tracking not available?

Although the postal tracking service and delivery sector are constantly developing, many traditional postal tracking systems still don't track post once it has been delivered to the final address. Equally, container tracking is not always available depending on the capability of the port or station which a parcel is passing. Many new advances in technology have been created to offer enhanced post tracking through these circumstances, such as internal postal tracking systems and GPS tracking devices, however, many of these are still in development.

The way postal service centers sort mail is still being developed and it is almost inevitable that post tracking will continue to develop alongside the growing shipping industry and international postal demand. Ship24 recognizes this, which is why it has developed AI-machine learning at its core to stay ahead of post-tracking developments. Our postal tracking system scans the internet for all the information available on your post tracking number so if any means of update or a new way of tracking post arises, Ship24 will still be able to bring you or your business the latest postal tracking information in as close to real-time as possible.