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Often, yes. UPS, FedEx, and USPS all let you track a parcel by a reference number, like the order number the sender entered, not just the tracking number. Their free account tools, UPS My Choice, FedEx Delivery Manager, and USPS Informed Delivery, also show parcels heading to your address when you have no number at all.
When a sender creates a shipment, they can attach a reference: an order number, a purchase-order number, an invoice number, or anything else they type into that field. All three major US carriers let you search tracking by that reference instead of the tracking number. The catch is that it only works if the sender actually filled the field in. Many do, especially businesses, because the reference is how their own systems tie the parcel to your order. Try the order number from your confirmation email first, then any PO or invoice number on your receipt. If the sender left the reference blank, this route is a dead end and you move to the account tools below.
| Carrier | Track by reference | Track by address (free account) |
|---|---|---|
| UPS | Yes, on the tracking page: choose reference number and enter it | UPS My Choice shows inbound parcels to your address |
| FedEx | Yes, via track by reference with the reference type specified | FedEx Delivery Manager lists incoming shipments |
| USPS | Limited: works for some business mailings with reference data | Informed Delivery emails you scans of incoming letter mail and parcels |
| Canada Post | No general reference lookup | Sign in to see parcels tied to your account; otherwise ask the sender |
Sign up for the carrier's free delivery-management tool before you need it. UPS My Choice and FedEx Delivery Manager both show you every parcel heading to your registered address, with tracking numbers included, so a missing email from the sender stops mattering. USPS Informed Delivery goes further: it emails you grayscale scans of the letter mail arriving each day alongside parcel tracking, which is how people spot a missing envelope before it is officially missing. These tools are free, and they only show your own address's mail, which is why the signup asks you to verify where you live.
Yes, and it works better than people expect. With your name, delivery address, and phone number, a carrier's customer service can usually find the shipment, because the parcel's destination data is in their system whether or not you have the tracking number. Marketplace orders give you another route: Amazon's order history has its own "track package" view that does not need the carrier's number, and eBay and Etsy order pages link straight through to tracking. If a friend or family member sent it, ask them to check their receipt or shipping confirmation: the number is sitting in their email, and forwarding it takes ten seconds.
The same ideas apply, with one extra step. Once a parcel clears into the destination country, the destination carrier's tracking site can usually follow it using the original tracking number, so ask the sender for that number first. Reference tracking is thinner across borders, and the account tools above are country-specific: Informed Delivery will not show you a parcel landing in Toronto. For cross-border shipments, the sender's tracking number remains the single most reliable key. Everything else is a workaround.
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