China Post Tracking

China Post tracking lets you follow postal shipments from China — registered air mail, EMS express, ePacket, and small-packet marketplace orders from stores like AliExpress, Temu, and SHEIN. Because these parcels usually travel on a low-cost postal service and change hands between China Post and your local postal carrier, tracking often looks quiet for long stretches even when the parcel is moving normally. This page explains what the scans mean, how long each service really takes, and what to do when tracking stalls.

How to Track a China Post Package

1. Copy the tracking number from your seller, marketplace order page, or shipping email.
2. Check the format. China Post postal items use a 13-character code: two letters, nine digits, then “CN” (for example RA123456789CN). ePacket and small-packet numbers may start with letters such as LP, LZ, or UP.
3. Enter the number above, or use the official China Postal Express and Logistics (EMS) tracking page for express items.
4. Once the parcel reaches your country, track the same number on your local postal carrier (USPS, Royal Mail, Canada Post, Australia Post, and so on) — that’s who delivers the final leg.
5. If the number never becomes active after several days, contact the seller — they can confirm it was really shipped.

China Post Services and How Long They Take

“China Post” covers several services with very different speeds and tracking detail. Knowing which one you have sets the right expectation:

• EMS (China Postal Express): the fastest and most fully tracked postal option. Typically 7–15 days internationally, with priority customs handling.
• ePacket: a tracked economy service for lightweight e-commerce parcels, usually 10–20 business days to the US and UK (availability has narrowed on some lanes).
• Registered Air Mail: tracked but slower, commonly 15–35 days depending on destination and customs.
• Ordinary / economy small packet: the cheapest option, often 20–60 days with few or no tracking scans.

These are typical ranges, not guarantees. Peak periods (Chinese New Year, Singles’ Day, the November–December holidays) and customs backlogs can add one to three weeks. Chinese New Year in particular pauses much of China’s postal network for one to two weeks.

China Post Tracking Statuses Explained

China Post scans are often translated literally from Chinese, which can make them confusing. Here’s what the common ones mean:

• Posting / Collection / Acceptance: the seller has handed the parcel to China Post. The number is now active.
• Departure from outward office of exchange: the parcel has left the origin sorting centre and is heading for export — a good sign it’s on the move.
• Handed over to customs / Export customs: going through Chinese export checks.
• Arrival at inward office of exchange: it has arrived in the destination country’s postal gateway.
• Import customs clearance / Held by customs: your country’s customs is processing it; duties or a short hold are possible.
• Arrival at delivery office / Handed to local carrier: China Post’s job is done — your national postal service now handles delivery.

Why China Post Tracking Is Not Updating

Long gaps between scans are normal for economy postal mail and usually don’t mean the parcel is lost. Tracking commonly pauses during origin processing, export, the airline/sea leg between countries, customs clearance, or the handoff to your local carrier. Economy and small-packet services simply scan far less often than tracked express services, so days of silence are expected — especially while a parcel is in transit between China and your country, where no one scans it.

What to Do If China Post Tracking Looks Stuck

• Check whether the last scan shows the parcel has left China. If it hasn’t departed after a week or two, that’s the point to ask the seller.
• Once it shows arrival in your country, try your destination postal carrier with the same number — updates often continue there rather than on China Post.
• If it’s paused at import, read Package Stuck in Customs — customs holds can last several days and sometimes need a duty payment.
• If tracking hasn’t updated for more than a couple of weeks with no explanation, see Why Is My Tracking Not Updating?
• Contact the seller if there is no first scan at all, or if the estimated delivery window has clearly passed.

When China Post Hands Your Parcel to a Local Carrier

Almost every China Post parcel is delivered by the destination country’s own postal service, not by China Post. Once tracking shows arrival in your country, switch to your national carrier and re-enter the same tracking number:

• United States: USPS
• United Kingdom: Royal Mail
• Canada: Canada Post
• Australia: Australia Post

The China Post record often stops updating at this point, while the local carrier shows the final “out for delivery” and “delivered” scans. If neither updates for a long time after arrival, the local carrier is the right place to ask.

Tracking China Post Orders From AliExpress, Temu, SHEIN and eBay

Most China Post parcels start as marketplace orders, and the marketplace is usually your fastest route to help:

• AliExpress: track inside your order, and watch the Buyer Protection countdown — open a dispute before it expires if the parcel is very late or stuck.
• Temu and SHEIN: use their in-app tracking first; the China Post number is the postal leg. Both refund readily for lost or badly delayed orders.
• eBay: items sent from China may route through the Global Shipping Programme; the seller and eBay’s Money Back Guarantee cover non-delivery.

Whatever the store, contact the seller first and open a dispute before the buyer-protection window closes — that’s what protects your refund.

How to Contact China Post or Escalate a Problem

China Post offers limited English-language support for overseas recipients, so for most shoppers the effective order of escalation is:

1. The seller or marketplace — they can re-ship or refund and are quickest to respond.
2. Your destination postal carrier — for anything after the parcel arrives in your country (customs, delivery, “delivered but not received”).
3. China Post / EMS — the official express service (EMS hotline 11183 within China) mainly helps with express items still inside China.

China Post Tracking FAQs