Australia Post (abbrev. AusPost), formally known as the Australian Postal Corporation, is a government-owned postal service and logistics company in Australia. The company is the successor to the Postmaster-General's Department, which was established in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Later, in 1975, the postal functions were taken over by the Australian Postal Commission.
Australia Post is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the largest logistics service providers with over 4,310 post offices, 14,982 street posting boxes, over 51,000 parcel lockers, and a workforce consisting of 64,900+ individuals offering domestic and international shipping services, as well as an international footprint of over 200 countries. The Australia Post business focuses on the core areas:
Australia Post has various subsidiaries and joint ventures, including Sai Cheng Logistics International (founded with China Post) and StarTrack Courier (previously named Messenger Post). It successfully delivered over 2.7 billion parcels in 2022. Moreover, its total annual revenue hit $4.69 billion, facing competition from DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT Express, Aramex, and Sendle.
Express Post is the fastest postal delivery service provided by Australia Post. The service is appropriate for sending items worth up to $100. However, "Extra Cover" is required for items worth more than $100 in order to receive compensation for loss or damage ranging from $100 to $5,000.
Its features include:
✔ Real-time tracking
✔ Next-business-day delivery
✔ Carbon-neutral parcel delivery
✔ Convenient drop-off/pickup (yellow street posting box, parcel pickup, or at a Post Office)
✔ Extra Cover & Signature on Delivery (optional)
✔ Up to $100 of compensation
Note: If Australia Post is unable to guarantee next-business-day delivery, a notice will be posted on the website.
The Australia Post international delivery service allows you to ship letters and parcels at the best price, speed, and service standard. Its international shipping services fall into the following categories.
★ International Economy
This shipping service is intended for those who do not require urgent delivery and are shipping low-value items that do not require tracking. The service includes:
✔Optional Signature on Delivery
✔ Carbon-neutral parcel delivery
The shipment is transported in two ways:
Economy Air Mail
Economy Sea Mail
★ International Standard
This service is designed for those who require a tracking feature for shipping less-than-urgent parcels and a variety of optional extras. The service includes:
★ International Express
The Australia Post International Express service is suitable for those who require speedy delivery of letters, documents, and parcels with tracking features. The service includes:
★ International Courier
This is a premium service designed for delivering urgent parcels, letters, and documents within 2+ business days to metro areas of primary cities. The service is available at 800+ post offices (cut-off time varies), and it includes:
Australia Post provides both domestic and international registered shipping services.
The features of domestic Registered Post service include:
✔ Proof of posting
✔ Proof of receipt (online tracking & signature on delivery)
✔ Compensation for loss and damage
✔ Discounts on bulk envelope purchases or a roll of 50 labels
✔ Optional SMS and email notifications
International Post Registered Post service is ideal for important documents, and its features include:
✔ Weight limit up to 500g
✔ Signature on delivery
✔ Compensation for loss or damage (up to $100)
✔ Tracking is not included**
Australia Post provides the eParcel Contract shipping management system for businesses that need to ship over 2,000 parcels domestically per year. It simplifies consignment management by handling everything from label creation, shipment visibility, and returns to claims filing.
Main Features:
✔ Real-time tracking
✔ Regular updates to the sender and recipient
✔ Insurance cover for loss and damage
✔ Discounts on bulk shipments
✔ Access to Proof of Delivery and Safe Drop images
✔ Hassle-free returns
✔ Dedicated business support portal & technical support
Australia Post EMS is a premium domestic and international shipping service. The service has been around for about half a century, with additional features, including tracking services for ensuring end-to-end shipment visibility, signature on delivery, loss and damage coverage, and so on.
Its shipment options include:
✔ Courier: 1-2 business days
✔ Express: 2-4 business days
✔ Standard: 6+ business days
✔ Economy: 10+ business days
The tracking number of the Australia Post EMS service consists of 13 alphanumeric digits, starting with a pair of letters, followed by 9 digits, and ending with a pair of letters, "AU." The beginning letter of the tracking number is "E." For example, EA123456789AU.
To track your Australia Post EMS parcel, you can use the AusPost tracking tool on the official website or a professional parcel tracking website like ParcelPanel.
Australia Post parcel tracking can be conducted in several ways. Australia Post has a tracking tool integrated into its website, allowing you to track up to ten parcels simultaneously. It also has apps that make the tracking system convenient for costumes.
Apart from these ways, AusPost can be tracked through a third-party tracking service. For instance, ParcelPanel is a reliable and trusted third-party tracking service provider that offers AusPost Track and Trace.
Let's go into the details of different ways to track Australia Post packages.
Here's how to use the Australia Post Track and Trace tool:
Step 1: Go to the official Australia Post website. Under or on the hero banner, you can find the "Track an item" section. Clicking on "Track multiple" and it will take you to the dedicated AusPost Tracking page.
Step 2: Enter your AusPost tracking number in the tracking field and hit the "Track' button.
Then, you will be redirected to a new page that contains the tracking information. To check the shipment's journey in detail, click on the tab "Journey."
The AusPost App is another alternative for tracking Australia Post parcels. The app allows seamless tracking through its integration with more than 300 postal and express services in countries around the world so that you can track inbound & outbound mail and parcels handled by AusPost without any additional charge.
Enter your AusPost tracking number in the tracking tool and get the real-time status of your package instantly. The app supports tracking parcels, searching nearby post offices, accessing Parcel Lockers, etc. You can also get parcels redirected to a Post Office, Parcel Locker, PO Box, or a new street address.
StarTrack is another division of Australia Post that provides solutions for all businesses, such as B2B and B2C deliveries, courier and next flights, warehousing, 3PL solutions, and so on. The StarTrack website also has an integrated tracking tool for tracking Australia Post deliveries.
To track your package, go to the website and select the "Track & Trace" option.
Then, enter your tracking number in the tracking field and click on the "Track" button.
Later, a page with detailed tracking information will appear on the screen.
ParcelPanel is one of the leading third-party tracking service providers for eCommerce. It has built seamless integrations with a vast network of over 1,100 postal services and couriers worldwide, including Australia Post. Notably, its seamless integration with the Australia Post tracking API allows customers to track the real-time progress of their AusPost parcels 24/7 from anywhere in the world.
Here's a step-by-step guide to using ParcelPanel for AusPost tracking.
Step 1: Go to the homepage of ParcelPanel.com and click 'Carriers' on the top menu bar.
Step 2: On the "Carriers" page, search for Australia Post and click on "Australia Post." To track Australia EMS packages, choose "Australia EMS' instead.
Step 3: A search box will appear after you select the Australia Post tracking service. Enter your Australia Post tracking number in the box and click the 'Track" button. Up to 30 AusPost tracking numbers can be entered at a single time.
Step 4: Finally, you will be taken to a new page where the detailed shipment history is listed.
Another alternative way to track Australia Post is through the ParcelPanel Order Tracking app. This app is specially designed for Shopify and WooCommerce merchants to make their post-purchase service satisfactory to their customers while reducing support tickets.
Merchants can integrate this app with their stores to enjoy a consistent Australia Post Office tracking experience. After the app is installed, it can automatically generate a branded tracking page where customers can access the tracking information for the orders without the need for external assistance. What's more, automated email notifications will be sent by ParcelPanel to help you update customers on the latest shipment status in real time.
The app pulls the tracking information from the store order details, including the order number, tracking number, courier names, last checkpoint, transit time, order date, and status, and display it in a structured way on the dashboard. This dashboard is accessible to merchants from the backend, along with analytics, which can help with logistics optimization.
The Australia Post tracking number can be found in the order confirmation email or on the invoice, or under the barcode of the Post Office receipt.
The Australia Post tracking number format varies depending on the service. The following are the different tracking number formats in detail.
Here are some examples of Australia Post tracking numbers.
34FDB5013449/34FDB501344901000965000
34FDB5013245/34FDB501324501000965008 QK3341319201000960305
34W7E735752701000931503
34W7E735127201000931508
99709936549201000830909
34YEL500342001000605005
EJ310852006AU (International Express / EMS)
ET219890975AU (International Express / EMS)
LK177287081AU (International)
CF152138356AU (International)
Here are Australia Post delivery times for domestic and international shipping:
Domestic Shipping:
| Service | Delivery Speed |
|---|---|
| Express Post parcels & Express Post letters | Next business day |
| Parcel Post | 2+ business days |
| Regular letters | Same state: 2-4 business days Interstate: 3-6 business days |
| Priority letters | Same state: 2 business days (max.) Interstate: 4 business days (max.) |
International Shipping:
| Countries | Courier Parcels & Letters | Express Parcels & Letters | Standard Parcels | Economy Parcels | Economy Air & International Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA, Canada | 2-4 business days | 3-7 business days | 6-10 business days | Air: 15+ business days Sea: 2-3 months | 15+ business days |
| UK, Singapore | 2-3 business days | 4-8 business days | 6-10 business days | Air: 15+ business days Sea: 2-3 months(not available for Singapore) | 15+ business days |
| Japan, Malaysia | 2-3 business days | 4-8 business days | 6-10 business days | Air & sea not available for both; air is suspended for Malaysia | 15+ business days |
| Germany | 2-3 business days | 6-10 business days | 8-12 business days | Air: 20+ business days Sea: 2-3 months | 20+ business days |
| India | 5-7 business days | Suspended | 8-12 business days | Air: Suspended Sea: Not available | 20+ business days |
For delivery to other countries, check out the "International Delivery Times" chart.
You can't track your package without the tracking number. If you lost your Australia Post tracking number, consider taking the following steps:
You can submit an Australia Post redirection request online if you are at least 18 years old. The application takes three working days to process before the mail redirection can begin. However, you can't redirect your mail overseas or on behalf of a deceased estate.
Here is the list of required documents.
To submit the redirection request online, follow these steps.
Step 1: Click the "Apply Button" on this website page.
Step 2: Fill out the online form.
Step 3: Enter details about your proof of identity.
Step 4: Enter payment details and submit the form.
You can also submit the request offline. For that, download the form, take your supporting documents, and submit the application with payment to a Post Office.
Note: If you are in charge of a deceased estate, or you're a victim of domestic violence or a natural disaster, you might be eligible for a free 12-month mail redirection service.
If AusPost delays occur due to technical problems, bad weather, or other unforeseen circumstances, the Australia Post website updates the reasons for the AusPost delays. The website has separate sections for showing updates on domestic and international delivery disruptions.
Yes, AusPost delivers on Saturday without any additional cost. However, for Saturday shipping, there are some conditions, which are-
Note: Delivery is not available for packages addressed to a Locked Bag, PO Box, or GPO Box.
No, AusPost does not deliver after 5 pm. Their regular delivery hours are 7 am to 5 pm on Monday to Friday and up to 1 pm on Saturday.
Yes, you can pick up your AusPost package before delivery. You can book a pickup or use the Parcel Collect option. Add the location of a nearby parcel locker or post office as an alternate delivery address. To finish the setup, first-timers have to answer a few questions.
AusPost sends SMSs to keep you updated on shipment delivery progress. Be aware that it never sends text messages to customers asking for confidential information such as passwords, credit card numbers, account numbers, etc.
The AusPost tracking status "associated to parcel locker" means the package has been delivered to a parcel locker nearby.
If your AusPost parcel is in an Australia Post locker, it can be held for 48 hours. However, if the package is delivered to a Post Office, it can be held for between one week and a year.
For issues related to your shipment, reach out to Australia Post customer service for assistance. Australia Post has separate phone numbers for domestic and international customers.
Here are the phone numbers for you to contact AusPost customer service immediately.
The customer service reps are available Monday to Friday from 8 am-6 pm, except on national public holidays.
Specialized contact options are available for those with hearing or speech impairments and those who do not speak English. Australia Post also has a Chatbot option on its "Contact Us" page.
