Tracking Parcels Across Borders: A Complete Guide

International parcel tracking has always been complex. A single shipment might pass through 3-4 different carriers as it crosses borders. WhereParcel solves this by providing a single API that works with 500+ carriers across 50+ countries.

The Challenge of International Tracking

When you ship a package from Seoul to New York, it might travel through:

1. CJ Logistics (Korea domestic pickup)
2. Korea Post (International handoff)
3. USPS (US domestic delivery)

Each carrier has its own tracking system, data format, and API. Without a unified solution, you’d need to integrate with each one separately.

How WhereParcel Handles Cross-Border Tracking

Our API automatically detects carrier handoffs and merges tracking events from multiple carriers into a single timeline:

{
  "trackingNumber": "EC123456789KR",
  "status": "in_transit",
  "events": [
    {
      "carrier": "kr.koreapost",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-01T09:00:00Z",
      "status": "picked_up",
      "location": "Seoul, South Korea"
    },
    {
      "carrier": "kr.koreapost",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-03T14:00:00Z",
      "status": "departed",
      "location": "Incheon Airport, South Korea"
    },
    {
      "carrier": "us.usps",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-05T08:00:00Z",
      "status": "arrived",
      "location": "JFK Airport, New York, USA"
    },
    {
      "carrier": "us.usps",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-06T11:00:00Z",
      "status": "out_for_delivery",
      "location": "Manhattan, New York, USA"
    }
  ]
}

Supported Countries

WhereParcel supports carriers from major e-commerce regions:

Region	Countries	Major Carriers
Asia	Korea, Japan, China	CJ Logistics, Yamato, SF Express
North America	USA, Canada	UPS, FedEx, USPS
Europe	Germany, UK, France	DHL, Royal Mail, La Poste
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand	Australia Post, NZ Post

Getting Started with International Tracking

The API call is the same whether you’re tracking domestic or international parcels:

curl -X POST https://api.whereparcel.com/v2/track \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY:YOUR_SECRET_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"trackingItems": [{"carrier": "auto", "trackingNumber": "EC123456789KR"}]}'

Use "carrier": "auto" and WhereParcel will automatically detect the carrier based on the tracking number format.

Tips for International Tracking

1. Use auto-detection - Let our API figure out the carrier
2. Set up webhooks - International shipments take days; don’t poll
3. Handle time zones - All timestamps are in UTC
4. Expect gaps - Some carriers update less frequently during transit

For the full list of supported carriers, visit our Carriers documentation.