Ordering things online is now the norm for people across the globe. Be it an exquisite piece of jewelry, a specific type of clothing or equipment; everything can be easily imported from another continent. What is difficult is waiting for weeks for our parcel, especially when we order something exciting. Being able to track a shipment is an integral part of online shopping, but there’s more to it than just a shipment tracking number.

What does a tracking number look like?
The tracking numbers vary based on the carrier. USPS and FedEx have numerical-only and alpha-numeric tracking numbers with up to 20 digits. A FedEx SmartPost tracking number usually begins with 92612 or 92748. However, an original FedEx tracking number begins with 612 or 748, so one will need to prefix the FedEx number with 92 to get the USPS tracking number. Additionally, most UPS tracking numbers begin with 1Z.

How can I track the shipment?
When something is bought from an e-commerce website, tracking the shipment status becomes fairly simple once the order is processed. The customers have a provision to track orders and the estimated delivery date mentioned on the bill. The estimation provided by e-commerce websites is almost always perfect, and the parcel reaches exactly on the day estimated or sometimes before.

However, when importing things from another country via cargo or other shipment services, one would need specific details to track their order status. In that case, the most basic detail to know is the shipment number or container number.

In case one wants to track an air cargo, they will need to visit the online lookup system for tracking the shipment and input the Airway Bill (AWB) number. This will help them track the cargo’s route, provide a tracking report, and give the end user an estimated time of arrival for your shipment.

Can one track UPS packages by address?
Individuals need to sign up for the UPS MyChoice service on the UPS website to fetch the UPS tracking number. This will enable the end user to see packages headed to their address, and thus fetch their tracking number.

Can one track a package without a tracking number?
Yes! This is the old school way of tracking your shipment. In this case, one can get in touch with their vendor, who can provide a unique tracking number. And if that doesn’t work out, one can take the details of the shipment carrier from their vendor and get in touch with them to track the shipment status.

Besides these options, there are several shipping companies that offer integrated logistic solutions. Some of these useful firms that provide end-to-end logistic solutions are listed below:

Maersk
One of the world’s largest container shipping companies, Maersk is best known for its logistic solutions, flexibility, reliability, and eco-efficient services. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company possesses over 730 vessels with a SQM warehouse storage capacity of 3.3 million. This reliable shipping company serves over 100,000 customers worldwide. The firm website features a tracking tab that requires the container number (4 letters and 7 digits) or transport document number (9 characters).

AfterShip
This company focuses on integrated solutions that make post-purchase the best part of the customer experience. It helps end users track their parcels from varied carriers, including FedEx, USPS, DHL Express, USPS, and China Post. AfterShip enables insight on tracking data at a centralized location, resolving delivery incidents faster. You can rely on them for its beneficial features like shipment visibility, shipment notifications, delivery date predictions, and order lookup widgets, among others.

Ordertracker
This is another tool that enables tracking parcels and shipments from across the globe. The firm also supports tracking shipment orders of global companies like Dynamex, TBA, Hermes, Intelcom Express, and eBay. To use Ordertracker effectively, you will need the unique tracking number of your parcel. Their website is super simple to use, and their homepage offers the feature to track parcels. Ordertracker has also received positive reviews from customers and is rated as a reliable universal tracking system.

Parcels
Another top shipment tracking option for packages from China, US Post, Canada Post, Royal Mail, Deutsche Post, Vova, UPS, and FedEx, among others, Parcels lets you track your package, freight, and shipment. Their parcel tracking link is right on the homepage, making it convenient for customers. Their mobile app is compatible with Android as well as iOS. The end user only needs a tracking number and the global package tracking app should do the rest.