How To Get A Tracking Number From Usps

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Locating a USPS tracking number is easy, as long as you know where to look and what exactly you're looking for. Once you find your USPS tracking number, you can use the internet form on USPS.com or contact the United States Postal Service by phone. With a tracking number, you can effectively locate your package.

1

Look on your post office shipping receipt. When you visit the post office in person and mail your package at the counter, they will give you a receipt for your purchase. You can find your USPS tracking number printed at the bottom of your sales receipt.^[1]
2

Look on your insurance receipt. If your package was valued at more than $50 USD, you may have purchased additional shipping insurance. If so, you would have received an additional receipt for this. Your USPS tracking number can be found at the bottom of your insurance receipt.^[2]

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3

Check your email for a confirmation from USPS.com. If you shipped your package using USPS.com, you should have received an email confirmation. Contained within this email, you can find your tracking number.^[3]
4
Check your email for a shipping confirmation from an online retailer. If you made a purchase through an online retailer, and they shipped your package with the United States Postal Service, they should have emailed you a shipping confirmation. Within this email, you should be able to find your tracking number.^[4]
- If you did not receive a confirmation email, you may want to contact the retailer directly.
5

Examine the bottom peel-off portion of a USPS tracking label. When you ship a package in person at the post office, the clerk will peel off a sticker with a barcode and paste it onto your package. They will then hand you the bottom portion of that peel-off label. This will have your USPS tracking number at the bottom.^[5]
6

Flip over the orange slip you received if you missed a delivery. If you were not home to receive a package, you should find an orange slip in your mailbox or attached to your front door. This orange slip will include info about how to retrieve your package. On the back of this orange slip, you can find your USPS tracking number.^[6]

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1
Jot down your tracking number. Write your tracking number down in a safe place. Depending on the type of shipping that was used, a tracking number can look a little bit different.^[7] Here is a list of USPS services offered and sample tracking numbers for each:
- USPS Tracking - 9400 1000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Priority Mail - 9205 5000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Certified Mail - 9407 3000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Collect On Delivery Hold For Pickup - 9303 3000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Global Express Guaranteed - 82 000 000 00
- Priority Mail Express International - EC 000 000 000 US
- Priority Mail Express - 9270 1000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Priority Mail International - CP 000 000 000 US
- Registered Mail - 9208 8000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Signature Confirmation - 9202 1000 0000 0000 0000 00
2

Visit the USPS website. Go to https://www.usps.com/, manually enter your tracking number in the space provided, and click "Track Package." A new page will open providing information about when and where you package was sent, where it is now, and when it will be delivered.
3
Call the USPS. If the online form is not working, you don't have internet access, or you have additional questions, contact the USPS by phone. Call 1-800-275-8777 and choose "Track a Package" from the automated menu.^[8]
- You can also stop by a post office and speak to someone in person.
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Add New Question

Question

I received a package that isn't mine. How do I return it?

If the package was delivered to an address other than what is printed on the package, either return it to any post office, or call 1-800-ASK-USPS to have the Postal Service pick up the package for free. If the package was correctly delivered to someone who is not at your address, you are not obligated to do anything (you can keep the package), or contact the sender and tell them what happened (or you can write "Return To Sender" on the package and give it back to USPS).
Question

How do I find a tracking number without a receipt?

USPS Tracking

Community Answer

You can check on your email or message service. Check your email for a shipping confirmation from an online retailer.
Question

Can I get a tracking number from the automated machine at the post office?

In the U.S., the automated kiosk at the post office gives out receipts just like the receipts a clerk would give you, which have your package's tracking number.
Question

How do you find a package that was sent first class that is a year old and the sender did not know that it had not been received so there is no first class packing number to refer back to?

Call your local post office. Ask for the phone number to your local Consumer Affairs office where you can file a missing mail complaint. Then, the local sorting hub will look for that item. (A hub is an office in a larger city near your city.) A good rule is to put the TO and FROM addresses on a paper inside the package, as well as on the outside.
Question

Why is my mail taking more than 9 days to get to another state?

There are 2 reasons - if it was after Covid-19 lockdowns started. First reason: Short staffing. Second reason: Former US President Donald J. Trump appointed an Inspector who took out sorting machines and had them decommissioned, so that workers must go back to a process of hand-sorting, which is more time consuming.
Question

How do I get a tracking number for a package that I sent out from my mailbox?

You can't. The package must be sent from a US Postal Service office. Otherwise, people everywhere could affix a tracking number, without paying for it, and make false claims.

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Article SummaryX

To find a USPS tracking number, check your post office shipping receipt if you shipped the package yourself. If you're the recipient of the package, check your emails for a confirmation email from USPS.com or the online retailer you ordered from. If you missed a delivery and were left an orange slip, look on the back to find your USPS tracking number. Once you've found your tracking number, you can track your package by visiting the USPS website and clicking, "Track Package." If the online form isn't working or you don't have internet access, call USPS on 1-800-275-8777 and choose "Track a Package" from the automated menu. For more tips, including how to locate a USPS tracking number on the peel-off portion of the tracking label, read on!

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