The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a self-governing agency of the United States Federal Government that provides postal services worldwide. There are various courier services on offer, particularly for general customers and eCommerce business owners alike. Part of these that can be confusing is the “USPS Article Number.” If you are new to USPS, you may not know what this is all about.
In this article, we will discuss everything that you need to know regarding the USPS article number.
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What Exactly Does the USPS Article Number Mean?
Have you heard about the USPS Tracking Number? The article number is just another name for the tracking number. The tracking number is provided to all customers when purchasing anything from the USPS eCommerce platforms.
This number is a crucial one for both consumers and business owners alike. You can track your package using the online portal, or phone tracking.
The USPS Article Number is intended to provide the owner’s personal information, identify the actual owner of the package, and record the recipient’s address. Most importantly, the USPS Article Number provides an end-to-end tracking solution for both domestic and international locations. It also includes Fleet Post Offices, Fleet Post Offices, and Army Post Offices.
The tracking number is usually a 22-digit number that looks like ” 842…, 123…, 526…, 753…” and is available to you through your email or online store order page. You will need to enter this tracking number into the tracking field to get the location of your parcel. However, some tracking numbers also start with “EC” or “CP” which indicates that the packages are being mailed overseas.
Whenever you post a USPS package, the post office workers assign you the USPS Article Number. Although the number is usually 22 digits it can vary depending on the service you are opting for, as different USPS services offer different tracking numbers.
Take a Look At Some Common Usage Of The USPS Article Number:
● It comes with the owner’s personal information
● You can check the payment status with the article number
● This number also helps to recognize the actual user of the parcel
● Customers can track the present location of the package
● Both customers and eCommerce business owners will be able to know the date and timing of the delivery
How Does The USPS Tracking or Article Number Work?
USPS has over 250 Processing and Distributing Centers that aim to possess the mails and sort them out. These centers are situated all across the US, and they carry out the sorting of the mail.
Linked with USPS’s national network, all the emails they receive are sorted using an automated system. Every mail is printed with a specific barcode that helps determine the destination of the item and the location that it is heading to.
Where To Find The USPS Article Number?
You can find the article number in various places – such as:
- Mail Receipt
- On the package itself
- Post Office Shipping Receipt
- Bar Code
- Sales Receipt (if you have bought insurance)
- Email Confirmation
- Bottom of USPS.com
- Bottom Section of the USPS Tracking Label
How Can You Track Your USPS Package?
It is not difficult to track a package. The simplest way to track domestic and international tracking is on the USPS Track and Confirm tool. How? Just enter the tracking number and look at the status location of the shipment. Here is the link to the tracking section of the USPS website.
Below are listed several other options for your USPS tracking status:
- By phone, you can call 1-800-222-1811
- Send a text message to 28777 with your USPS tracking number as the content of the message.
- Use the USPS Mobile App that is available on iPhone and Android devices, you can get the entire track.
What Happens If USPS Tracking Isn’t Updating?
Certain consequences let USPS not track updates for your parcel. If you cannot see updated information on the USPS package, you should contact the USPS service care. You can try sending a text to 28777 (2USPS), providing the tracking number.
The company will provide you with an update on the parcel. Remember the tracking number while making a query or claim.
Which USPS Services Offer Tracking?
All USPS services do offer tracking services. Some of them include the price, while others have a tracking option available, which means you have to pay an extra cost to get the number.
While making an international delivery, not all the packages will be eligible for tracking once they leave the US. This is because every country has different scanning capabilities and agreements.
Have a look at the table below; it shows which services that include tracking facilities:
| Priority Mail | 1-3 Days Service | Domestic | Includes Tracking |
| Priority Mail Express | Overnight Service | Domestic | Includes Tracking |
| USPS Retail Ground | 2-8 Days Service | Domestic | Includes Tracking |
| First-Class Package International | Varies | International | Includes Tracking |
| First-Class Package International | Varies | International | Includes Tracking |
| Priority Mail Express International | 3-5 Days Service | International | Includes Tracking |
| Media Mail | 2-8 Days Service | Domestic | Includes Tracking |
| First-Class Mail | 2-3 Days Service | Domestic | Includes Tracking ((Packages Only) |
Can You Track USPS Package With Your Name?
It has been found that most customers are often unsure how to track their USPS Package. It’s worth noting that a USPS Package cannot be tracked with just your name or address. If the package is sent through eCommerce merchants, you can directly contact them to recover the tracking number and look at the shipment.
Conclusion – USPS Article Number and Tracking
After reading the article I hope that any doubts regarding USPS article numbers that you might have had are now gone. Happy Shipping!
In this article, we have discussed USPS article numbers and tracking numbers. We have an interesting article on USPS Tracking that might be of interest. You can read it here.
Having problems tracking and not updating. We have you covered on that too. Read that article here.