Using USPS Informed Delivery for package tracking
Yeah, Informed Delivery is basically junk for packages since it just mirrors what tracking already tells you. I always keep an eye on the tracking number update at the transit hub stage too. Since yours cuts off — stuck in ISC? If it's inbound customs you've got my sympathy, that testing services step is where everything goes dark. Otherwise a route is just dragging. Following to see how yours shakes out.
I’ve been using Informed Delivery for a while now, and it’s honestly hit or miss for me. It’s great for catching the daily mail scans, but for packages it only shows what USPS already has—so you’re not getting any extra magic. The real key is watching for the tracking number update at the transit hub processing stage; that’s where things either move or get stuck. I’ve had a parcel delivery status sit unchanged for days with no explanation, so I still end up refreshing the full tracker anyway. Works fine, just don’t expect miracles.
Set up USPS Informed Delivery a few months ago after getting tired of checking tracking numbers manually. Here is how it works and where it is useful for people ordering from international vendors.
What Informed Delivery does
USPS Informed Delivery sends you a daily morning email with scanned images of the front of mail pieces and package tracking notifications for items scheduled to arrive at your address that day. You get this notification before the mail is actually delivered, usually between 7 and 9 AM. It works for all mail delivered to your address, not just packages you are tracking.
Setting it up
Go to informeddelivery.usps.com and create an account. You will need to verify your identity and your address — USPS sends a physical verification code to your mailing address. The verification process takes three to seven days from signup to activation. After that, daily digest emails start automatically.
Where it helps for international packages
The daily digest includes package arrival notifications for USPS-delivered international packages, usually within a day of the package entering the USPS network. This means you get a heads-up before the tracking number on your vendor's site updates, sometimes by several hours.
More usefully, you see when packages are scheduled for delivery even if you have not been tracking them — useful if you are waiting on an order that has been in a tracking gap and have no current estimated delivery date. The notification appears in the digest on the morning of the delivery day.
Limitations
Informed Delivery only works for USPS-delivered packages, not UPS or FedEx. It works on your registered address, not PO boxes (PO boxes have their own USPS notification system). And it will not help with packages that are still in customs or at a USPS distribution facility — you only see packages that have been assigned to your local delivery route.