Where to find your tracking number

A tracking number is created when a parcel is booked with a courier. Where you find it depends on how the parcel was sent and whether you are the sender or the person waiting for it.

If you sent the parcel

• Post office or courier counter: look at your printed receipt. The number is often near a barcode, and may be labelled tracking, consignment, article or waybill number. Keep the receipt until the parcel has arrived. You may need it for a claim.
• Booked online: check the confirmation email, or the order history in your courier account.
• Printed your own label: the number is usually beneath the main barcode.

If you bought something online

• Dispatch email: search your inbox for the shop’s name along with “shipped”, “dispatched” or “tracking”. Check your spam folder too.
• Your account: marketplaces and large retailers usually show tracking within the order details.
• The seller: if none has appeared a few days after the expected dispatch date, ask them. Not every service includes tracking, and sellers can send untracked items, especially low-cost ones.

If someone is sending you a parcel

Only the sender can get the number from their receipt or booking, so ask them to send it to you. A photo of the receipt is helpful, because it also names the courier and the date of posting.

Marketplace numbers that won’t work elsewhere

Some marketplaces show their own reference, which only works in their app. An order number is also different from a tracking number. If a long number finds nothing on any courier’s site, check the order page for a separate line labelled tracking number or carrier.

Common typing mistakes

Paste the number when you can. If you need to type it, watch for these pairs:

• The letter O and the digit 0
• The letter I and the digit 1
• The letter S and the digit 5, and B and 8, on faded receipts

Spaces and dashes don’t matter on our tracking page. If yours is a 13-character postal number, the page can also tell you whether the check digit is correct. Our guide to reading tracking numbers explains how.

The names a tracking number goes by

Companies don’t all call it the same thing. If you’re searching a receipt or email, any of these may be the number you need:

Tracking number or tracking ID

The most common name, used by many shops and marketplaces.

AWB or waybill number

Widely used by couriers, especially in India.

Consignment number

Common on Indian courier receipts, as well as in other countries.

Article number

Often used by postal services, including on India Post receipts.

LR number

Short for lorry receipt. You’re likely to see this on larger road freight shipments in India. These usually need the transport company’s own tracking system.

What to ask the seller

If no number has appeared, a short, direct message usually gets the quickest answer:

If the seller says that the item was sent without tracking, ask for proof of posting and the date it was sent. If a seller avoids the question, check your marketplace’s or payment provider’s process for items that have not arrived.

If your number is correct but still finds nothing, see why a tracking number might not be found.