Shipping Tracking package with Customs form number (Customs Declaration)???

Ummmmmm. I know people like to say that Customs numbers can be used for tracking--but I don't actually think it's true, in the usual sense of "tracking." The Customs number can be used by the sender to prove that a package was shipped. And of course Customs agencies can use the number (plus the information on the Customs form) to determine when and where a package was shipped, and when/where the package passed through Customs inspection. But there is not, and as far as I know there never has been, any website where private citizens can use Customs numbers for tracking a package's location from point to point, or for confirming whether a package was delivered.

 

I managed to track a recent priority package I sent to Canada, it pretty much told me when it left the country, arrived in Canada and was delivered. (All you need really....even though more would be nice....at least I know they got it)

 

You can track it using a customs form I have done so every time I have shipped international. I asked the postal office since they tell me it is not trackable why I have been able to and what they told me was that it is only trackable by the customs number until is leaves the country. They also said that when that package comes in the the country of destination that not all foreign countries will register that packages as received. My post office said the only way to track foreign mail is to send the package registered or by EMS. But to send the package registered you have to pay for Priority mail + the registered fee. EMS can also be purchased for tracking but not all area's sell it here.
I have checked all my over seas packages and they have all been able to be tracked. One warning sometimes they are not entirely accurate. I had one say attempted delivery but the buyer said they never had an attempted delivery. They did get their package a few days later but it scared me that they might have delivered the package to the wrong house.

 

Actually you can send things registered as air mail. At least you use to be able to, as I've done it many times in the past. ^^;

 

Here you pay for Priority which is airmail and you have to pay an extra charge for it to be registered. Lame. I sent a package to the Netherlands and Priority shipping was $49.75 and an additional $11.50 for it to be registered. International shipping is so ridiculous. If you go to www.usps.com you can see all the shipping ways and you have to buy priority and registered mail, it is in the extra services tab at the bottom.
Funny story. I went to mail a head which weighted .70 ounces At UPS was going to charge me $150.00 for shipping. That same head USPS was $23.00. This was for the exact same shipping! Go figure?

 

Customs form #'s & Label receipt #'s can be tracked @ usps.com, but I'm always able to get the info because I send items by registered mail or by EMS. The #'s usually provide the following just like a delivery confirmation #:

Class: First-Class Mail International, etc.
Service(s): Registered Mail™ etc.
Status:
Your item .... Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later. etc.
Detailed Results:
Acceptance, arrival, delivered, etc.

However like rkold said, it is only trackable by the customs number until it leaves the country & not all foreign countries will register the packages as received.

 

I know this conversation went quiet some time ago, but I just happened across a section of the US Customs and Border Patrol website that addresses the customs number/tracking number issue.

URL for this answer:
https://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/custom...SBvbiBkb2xscyBhbmQgdG95cz8!&p_li=&p_topview=1

If CBP has detained your package for some reason-for example, lack of a proper invoice, bill of sale, or other documentation, a possible trademark violation, or if the package requires a formal entry, the CBP International Mail Branch holding it will notify you of the reason for detention (in writing) and how you can get it released. When you have fulfilled the requirements necessary to effect release, CBP will clear the package, note how much duty is owed, and return it to the Postal Service for delivery. Usually, you will receive notification in a matter of days, but it can take as long as 30-45 days.

If your package is long overdue or you think it may be lost in the mail, you should contact your local post office and request that a parcel tracer action be initiated to locate it. The Post Office often advises callers to contact CBP. However, we do not track packages into or out of our facilities, and unless you have a detention notice from CBP with a number to refer to when you call, we will not be able to locate your package even if it is being held by CBP.

If the post office has a tracking number that indicates the package went into CBP, but no record of it exiting the facility, you might ask their customer service representatives to work directly with the CBP facility to see if it is still there - although the absence of a record is not proof that the package is still in the CBP area. Packages exit the CBP facilities on a conveyor belt and the post office's electronic scanners do not always catch the bar codes on packages as they exit the facility.

The middle paragraph here--the section that I put in bold as well as italics--confirmed what I had been told by Customs officials years ago. (Also, the last paragraph helps to explain why so many packages never show up on USPS tracking as having left Customs, but that's another thread.)

 

I didn't think you could track that way. I tried, and all it shows me and the buyer when it was accepted at my post office. After that, nothing.