Continued growth of business to consumer (b2c) e-commerce has increased demand for low-cost package shipping services. Demand for inexpensive parcel shipping is especially intense for online and catalog retailers, as well as for private online sellers (such as Amazon and eBay sellers). These merchants face consumers keen on being able to follow their package at all times throughout its trip via a “track and trace” system. Therefore, a growing number of businesses (and individuals) are shipping with the two largest private parcel carriers, FedEx (Federal Express) and UPS (United Parcel Service), for their far superior package tracking options.
For most, purchasing something online and awaiting its delivery is an anxious experience; especially if whatever is being purchased is something greatly desired. If you have recently bought something online, you too may be eager to determine its location and estimated delivery date/time. There are a number of ways to track a package:
The benefit of using a multi-carrier package tracking website is that you need not concern yourself with finding out which carrier your package was shipped with. Furthermore, many 3rd party package trackers come with additional features not found in the official carriers’ trackers, such as viewing your package’s progress on a map. When tracking your package, keep in mind the following factors which may affect your package’s progress, as well as the freshness of the tracking data you receive:
The US Postal Service (USPS) offers low-cost options for small package delivery to the home, such as Parcel Select and Parcel Post. However, many merchants prefer low-cost shipping options without sacrificing the ability to track the parcel while in transit. The US Postal Service does offer a limited “Delivery Confirmation” for even their lowest-cost package delivery services, but more robust tracking is currently only available for Express Mail service and some international services. The individual sorting and handling systems of small parcel carriers can put severe stress on the packages and contents. Shipments need to be packaged in anticipation of the potential hazards which may be encountered in parcel delivery systems. Professional packing and shipping companies have trained packaging-experts that provide packaging services, guidelines, and sometimes package design and package testing services.
- Call the carrier by telephone and have them track it over the phone.
- Verify which carrier your package was shipped with and visit the carrier’s website.
- Go to a multi-carrier tracking site, such as http://boxbros.com/tracking
The benefit of using a multi-carrier package tracking website is that you need not concern yourself with finding out which carrier your package was shipped with. Furthermore, many 3rd party package trackers come with additional features not found in the official carriers’ trackers, such as viewing your package’s progress on a map. When tracking your package, keep in mind the following factors which may affect your package’s progress, as well as the freshness of the tracking data you receive:
- Various factors such as weather conditions and natural disasters may affect your package’s delivery time.
- During the Christmas holiday season, shipping times are NOT guaranteed. For example, a package that generally takes 3 days to arrive may take 4 or 5 days.
- KEEP IN MIND that tracking data is NOT instantaneously available right when a UPS or FedEx driver scans the package. The scan data is uploaded to the web just once or twice a day, and may therefore NOT be current. For example, if you track your package and find that your package is in California, it may have already left California, but the scan data may not have been uploaded yet.
The US Postal Service (USPS) offers low-cost options for small package delivery to the home, such as Parcel Select and Parcel Post. However, many merchants prefer low-cost shipping options without sacrificing the ability to track the parcel while in transit. The US Postal Service does offer a limited “Delivery Confirmation” for even their lowest-cost package delivery services, but more robust tracking is currently only available for Express Mail service and some international services. The individual sorting and handling systems of small parcel carriers can put severe stress on the packages and contents. Shipments need to be packaged in anticipation of the potential hazards which may be encountered in parcel delivery systems. Professional packing and shipping companies have trained packaging-experts that provide packaging services, guidelines, and sometimes package design and package testing services.
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