Why international parcels change hands, and how to keep tracking them
When you send a parcel abroad, one company rarely carries it the whole way. Knowing how it changes hands explains many of the confusing things you’ll see on tracking pages.
The typical journey
- Acceptance. The sending country’s post or courier takes the parcel and gives it a tracking number.
- Export. It goes to an international exchange office or hub, and is prepared for its departure from the country.
- Transport. It travels by air, road or sea, often with others in a large consignment. Individual scans are rare at this stage.
- Arrival and customs. It’s received in the destination country, and customs may assess it.
- Local delivery. The local carrier sorts and delivers it.
Postal services and integrated couriers
Postal services work together under an international network. Your national post carries the item out, and the destination post delivers it. Their systems share scans, but not always completely or instantly.
Companies such as DHL, FedEx and UPS generally operate their own networks from end to end, so the whole journey typically appears on one page. Even so, they sometimes hand the last stage to a local partner, especially in remote areas.
Why two tracking pages can disagree
With postal items, each operator records its own scans. The sending country’s page might say “left the country” for days while the receiving country’s page already shows arrival. The newest scan on either page is usually the most accurate picture.
- Same number, two sites. A 13-character postal number usually works on both countries’ postal websites. See how to read one.
- A new number. Sometimes, a local carrier gives the parcel its own number. Look for this on the tracking page, or ask the seller. It’s also common with parcels shipped through marketplaces or consolidators.
Why the location may look strange
- Parcels are routed via hubs for efficiency, so a detour through a third country is often normal.
- A scan may name the office of exchange or airport, rather than your town.
- Times can appear out of order, due to time zones or batches of scans uploaded late.
An example journey
Here’s how a postal parcel from India to the United Kingdom might appear. The details are illustrative and every journey differs:
- Day 1: Booked in Kochi
- India Post accepts the parcel, and its tracking page starts to update.
- Days 2 to 4: Sent to an exchange office
- It moves to an office that handles international mail, and is prepared for export.
- Days 5 to 9: Little or no news
- It’s waiting for transport or travelling. This is often the quietest stretch.
- Days 10 to 12: Received in the UK
- Royal Mail’s page may now show scans that India Post’s page doesn’t yet have.
- Days 12 and after: Customs and delivery
- Once it’s been cleared, it enters the local delivery network.
Parcels from online marketplaces
Cross-border online orders often use a separate shipping company for the long-distance stretch, then a local courier for the last part. This may mean that:
- the first number works only on the shipping company’s or marketplace’s site
- a second, local number appears partway through the journey
- the courier named on your order isn’t the one that reaches your door
Check the full tracking history for any mention of a new carrier or number. In India, your local carrier might be a company such as India Post, Delhivery or Ekart. Our courier directory links to these. Customs may also be involved, so see our guide to Indian customs.
Who to contact
When something goes wrong, it’s normally the sender who needs to start a formal enquiry, through the company they paid. The receiving post usually can’t open a claim on the sender’s behalf, but it can help you with local delivery problems or customs charges. If you bought the item, begin with the seller.
Start with our tracking page. For a postal number, it shows the origin country’s post, along with other national postal services to try.