???? What Is a UPS Shipment Reference? ????

Last Updated on 20/02/2022 by Miki Yoshida

If you’re in the business of shipping goods, you’ve probably heard the term “UPS shipment reference.” But what does that actually mean? And more importantly, what does it do for you? If you have come across the term and don’t know know what exactly a UPS shipment reference is, then you are in the right place!

To put it simply, a UPS shipment reference is a unique identifier that will be assigned to each and every shipment processed. This number helps to ensure that your package is routed to the correct destination, regardless of the number of other packages being sent to that same destination at the same time. In other words, a UPS shipment reference is like a delivery address for your package. Without it, your package could easily get lost in the shuffle. But with it, you can be assured that your package is on the right way to its destination. We are going to discuss this a bit more in detail next.

letters and numbers

 

What Is a UPS Shipment Reference?

While shipping through UPS, first of all, you need to log in or sign up to get a UPS account. Then you get an online form where you need to fill in the information regarding your packages like weight, shipping address and many other details. You can get full steps for the UPS shipping process in one of our posts. The shipping reference is a kind of identifier that is asked to be filled by you at the time of the shipping process. The shipping reference can be many things from a combination of letters and numbers, a customer number, a purchase order (PO) number, a company name and a Bill of Lading number. Apart from this, it can be also some phrases that can define the package that needs to be shipped. For instance, if you are shipping a gift for your mother, you can write “gift for mom” or something related to it in the shipping reference field.

 

How do I find my UPS shipment reference number?

If you are looking for your UPS shipment reference number, you can find it on your shipping confirmation email or on your UPS shipping label. The reference number is a unique identifier for your shipment, so it is important to keep it handy in case you need to track your package or contact UPS customer service.

 

Can you track UPS by reference number?

Now, you must be thinking about whether you can track UPS by reference number. Right. The answer is yes! It is used whenever you need to refer to that package in future and this is not the limit as it can be used at the time of tracking that package. If you did have the tracking number, then UPS also gives the service of tracking your package through the reference number. Also if you want the details of some orders you placed a long time ago and you forgot the order details, then you can use the shipping reference to track the order information, through which you can filter the orders that will help you to find the package information easily.

 

How about UPS Mail Innovations?

There is also this option available with UPS Mail Innovations, but there is a certain specification defined.

In regards to UPS Mail Innovations® shipments, a shipment reference is a unique ID that will be assigned to each UPS Mail Innovations shipment when it is processed and will remain with the package throughout its entire journey. The shipment reference can be a maximum of 30 characters and be alphabetical and/or numeric without any spaces or symbols. We should not reuse these IDs for a minimum of six months.

You can use these reference numbers to identify and track shipments as they move through the UPS Mail Innovations network as well as the United States Postal Service®, which delivers to the final destination. The reference number will provide customers with visibility to the status of their package at every stage of the shipping process.

 

Is a reference number the same as a tracking number?

It may be confusing, but a reference number is not the same as a tracking number. The reference number is a unique identifier that is assigned to each shipment by the sender. This number can be used to track the shipment’s progress and to retrieve the tracking information. On the other hand, a tracking number is a number that is assigned to the package by the carrier and is used to track the package’s location.

 

Conclusion

Here you get the information regarding the UPS shipping reference and how you can use it to find your order details and track your packages. If you still have any questions related to the post, you can comment in the comment box below.

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