Your AliExpress tracking number is on the order page, under Logistics. Open AliExpress, go to My Orders, find the order and tap View Detail. If the seller has dispatched it, the number sits under Logistics Information. It usually appears one to four days after you pay.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide covers the two backup places to look, how to tell a real tracking number from the order number people constantly confuse it with, and what to do when the number is nowhere to be found.
The three places your tracking number can be
The orders page. Account, then My Orders, then View Detail on the order. The number sits under Logistics Information or Tracking Number. This is the reliable route and the one to try first.
The shipping email. AliExpress emails you when a seller marks an order as dispatched, and that email carries the number and a tracking link. Search your inbox for "your order has been shipped".
Your messages with the seller. For combined shipments, split parcels or anything unusual, sellers often send the number in chat rather than attaching it to the order. Worth checking when the order page shows nothing.
Your order number is not your tracking number
This trips up more people than anything else on AliExpress, and it is worth thirty seconds to get straight.
| Looks like | Length | What it identifies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order number | 502370139095420 | 14 to 16 digits, no letters | Your purchase inside AliExpress |
| Tracking number | LP00478291635742, RY505557973CN | Mixed letters and digits | The physical parcel, to carriers |
You cannot track a parcel with an order number. No tracking service can, including this one — the carrier has never seen that number and has no record of it. If the string you are holding is all digits and around fifteen characters long, go back to the order page and look again for one with letters in it.
What the letters at the start tell you
The prefix usually reveals which carrier has your parcel, which is useful when you want to know what kind of wait you are in for.
| Prefix | Carrier | Typical service |
|---|---|---|
| LP + 14 digits | Cainiao | AliExpress Standard, Choice |
| RY, RB, RS + CN | China Post | Registered air mail |
| YT + digits | Yun Express | Economy line |
| SY + digits | Sunyou | Economy line |
| 4PX + alphanumeric | 4PX Express | Standard and expedited |
| 9 + 20 to 22 digits | USPS | US final-mile delivery |
| GB + digits + GB | Royal Mail | UK final-mile delivery |
A parcel that changes carriers mid-route sometimes picks up a second, local number. Both usually work in the tracking tool, but the local one gives better detail once the parcel has landed in your country.
There is no tracking number on my order
Three explanations, in order of likelihood.
The seller has not dispatched it yet. Sellers have a handling window, usually three to seven days. Until they mark the order as shipped, there is no number to show.
You bought an untracked shipping tier. Some free-shipping options and the cheapest economy services genuinely do not include tracking. Check the shipping method on the order — if it says something like "Seller's Shipping Method" with no carrier named, there may never be a number.
The seller marked it shipped without shipping it. A minority of sellers do this to stop the dispatch clock. If seven days pass with no number and no reply, that is worth raising with the seller directly.
The number does not work yet
Perfectly normal for the first few days. Carriers only register a number in their system once they physically scan the parcel, and sellers generate the number before handover. Wait one to three days and try again.
If a week has passed and neither our tool nor the carrier's own website recognises the number, message the seller and ask them to confirm it. Typos happen, and so occasionally do numbers that were never real. Our guide on tracking that is not updating covers how long to wait before that becomes a dispute.