When making an online purchase, or expecting a parcel from a distant friend or relative, knowing the day it will be delivered is important, so as not to risk not being at home when the courier knocks on our door.
For this reason, many delivery companies have made available to their customers a parcel tracking service, so that the user can be kept up-to-date and follow the article's journey step by step through the delivery process.
Over time, this has become an indispensable service, and is a guarantee of security for both sender and recipient, who in this way can always be kept up-to-date on delivery times and any delays or hitches of any kind.
In this article we will look at how you can track ordinary parcels sent with some of the most widely used couriers for both international shipments and national, namely UPS, TNT and Bartolini.
What is an ordinary parcel
First of all, let us specify what we are referring to when we talk about ordinary parcelThis refers to the cheapest standard solutions that companies offer, which have different timeframes depending on whether they are domestic or international shipments.
Although this is a basic service, several very useful services are nevertheless included in the price, such as a second delivery attempt, storage of the undelivered parcel and tracking of the shipment, which we will discuss specifically in the following paragraphs.
How to track the shipment of an ordinary parcel
How to monitor the parcel shipment ordinary depends on the courier you decide to entrust the delivery to, although they are generally very similar.
In any case, it is always essential to have the tracking code provided by the company, which can generally be found on the receipt issued at the time of purchase or shipment, and is a alphanumeric string which identifies the parcel. The code is the same for both the sender and the addressee, who can therefore both remain updated on the status of the shipment.
That said, let us now look at how to track parcels sent with UPS, TNT and Bartolini.
Tracking a parcel with UPS Tracking
When tracking a parcel sent with the courier UPS, you can monitor the status of your shipment simply on the company's website by entering the parcel reference in the search bar available directly on the home page, or by choosing the Search from the menu at the top right of the page.
This can be done by entering either the specific search code, and other references, such as the purchase order number or customer code, up to a maximum of 35 characters per code. By accessing your account on the UPS site, you can also view a history of the 75 most recent shipments, and in the corresponding table you can also edit the description of each delivery so that you have a personalised and immediate reference.
UPS shipping also offers the possibility to track your shipments through an app available on both iOS and Android, called UPS My Choice. In addition to tracking your own parcels, this app also allows you to change the time and location of home deliveries, create new shipments and find the nearest UPS dispatch centre.
Tracking an ordinary parcel with TNT
Another widely used courier for dispatch parcels in national and international territories is TNT shipments, which makes it easy to monitor the status of deliveries through the special section on the courier's website, as well as to reorganise a delivery for which a notice has been left or to find the nearest TNT point.
The search for a parcel picked up by TNT can be done using two different codes, the waybill or the sender reference. The waybill can be found in the e-mail confirming the shipment or in the notes sent to the addressee, while the sender reference is an optional reference that can be requested when booking the shipment.
Whichever code type you wish to track your parcel with, you can also search for several shipments together by separating the different codes with a comma.
TNT also offers a’application for mobile devices iOS and Android, in which it is possible not only to track shipments and receive notifications about their change of status, but also to reschedule deliveries, receive shipping estimates, find TNT Points in your area or book a pick-up of a parcel by a courier.
Tracking ordinary parcels with Bartolini
As for the other two express couriers mentioned above, also Bartolini allows you to monitor the status of shipments entrusted to this company directly from the search bar on the home page of the website. To do this, you can use the BRTcode, the consignment number or access an advanced search page, in which it is also possible to search for past shipments made in the previous 12 months. The BRTcode is an alphanumeric string that can be found either in the text messages and emails sent by the courier once the consignment has been taken over, or on the non-delivery slip, with which you can reschedule the delivery date and time or choose to collect the parcel at a pick-up point or at another address, but this must be confirmed by the sender.
Bartolini's website then offers a number of other services that are very useful for both the sender and the recipient, including both shipment tracking and the possibility of changing the date and time of deliveries, but also of calculate a shipping quote, book a parcel pick-up, manage stock or view the status of deliveries.
