Parcel tracking — FAQ
Everything you might wonder about AnyParcel, in one place.
- How does AnyParcel work?
- You paste a tracking number into the search field, and AnyParcel auto-detects the courier from the format of the number. We then look up the parcel through our tracking partner (Ship24) and show you the current status, estimated delivery, origin, destination, and the full event timeline — all from one input.
- Is parcel tracking on AnyParcel free?
- Yes. AnyParcel is free to use. You don’t need an account and you don’t need to install anything.
- Which couriers does AnyParcel support?
- AnyParcel supports more than 700 couriers and postal services worldwide — including Royal Mail, USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express, DPD, Evri, PostNL, La Poste, Deutsche Post, China Post, Japan Post, India Post, Australia Post, and many more. You can browse the full list on the Couriers page.
- How does AnyParcel know which courier to use?
- Most couriers use recognisable tracking-number formats — UPS numbers start with 1Z, Royal Mail tracked items end in GB, PostNL barcodes start with 3S, and so on. AnyParcel uses a scoring engine that combines unique format signatures, the UPU S10 international postal standard, and length-based heuristics to identify the right courier silently, so you don’t need to pick one.
- Why does my tracking number look unknown?
- A few possibilities: (1) the parcel is very new and the courier hasn’t registered a first scan yet — try again in a few hours; (2) the number was mistyped — double-check it; (3) the courier isn’t in our 700+ catalogue — most consumer couriers are, but some carrier-only freight references are not. Try pasting the number on the homepage; the auto-detector will pick the most likely match.
- Why is AnyParcel asking for my postcode?
- Some couriers — notably Royal Mail (for tracked international items), PostNL, DPD UK, and DHL eCommerce UK — require the destination postcode to release full tracking details. We only ask for it when the carrier actually needs it, and we don’t store it.
- Do you store my tracking numbers?
- We don’t store tracking numbers in a long-term database. They’re passed to our tracking partner to fetch the latest status and cached briefly so repeat lookups don’t hit the upstream API unnecessarily. See our Privacy page for the full policy.
- How fresh is the tracking data?
- AnyParcel fetches the latest status directly from the courier via our tracking partner each time you submit a number. Repeat lookups within a short window may be served from a 10-minute cache to keep the service fast and considerate of upstream API limits.
- Can I track international parcels?
- Yes. AnyParcel handles cross-border shipments natively. Most international tracked mail uses the UPU S10 standard (two letters, nine digits, two-letter country code at the end), which we recognise and route to the right national postal operator.
- I have a tracking number from AliExpress, Shein, Temu, or Amazon — does that work?
- Yes. Marketplace shipments are usually handled by one of the couriers AnyParcel supports (Cainiao, YunExpress, 4PX, China Post, USPS, Royal Mail, etc.). Paste the number and we’ll detect the carrier automatically.
Ready to track? Go to the homepage or browse all supported couriers.