Tracking for plain white envelope orders

A plain white envelope with a Forever stamp is the cheapest way to send a card, and USPS scans it along the way if it carries a USPS barcode. PigeonTrail prints that barcode with the address, so you and your buyer can follow the letter for the price of the stamp.

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Your first 100 letters each month are free, and you don't need a card.

A #10 envelope printed by PigeonTrail: the shop's return address at the top left, a box for the Forever stamp at the top right, and the buyer's address with a USPS barcode above it.

Every scan, on the map of the real route

Each time USPS sorts the letter at one of its plants, the scan lands on a map drawn from the cities USPS reports. This card left Austin on a Friday evening and reached the plant near the buyer in Columbus on Monday morning. USPS gives a First Class letter between those two ZIP codes 5 delivery days, and this one was at the last plant in three.

USPS scans letters on its machines, not at the mailbox, so the first scan comes when the letter reaches a plant and a day can pass between scans. Our guide to what each scan means covers the rest.

The line shows each place USPS has scanned the letter so far.

A tracking page for your buyer, in your shop's colors

Every letter gets its own page with your logo, tagline and accent color, the route so far and the day USPS expects it. When we have the buyer's email, they get the link at the first scan. If you're on Pro, the emails come from your shop's name, and your buyer hears from you when the letter is mailed, when it's almost there and when it's delivered.

A buyer who can watch the letter move has much less reason to write and ask where it is.

The buyer tracking page on a phone, in the look of a shop called Dragon Cards: its logo and tagline at the top, the words your letter is on its way and was last scanned in Columbus, OH, USPS expects it by Thursday, October 22, and a map of the route from Austin to Columbus.

From order to mailbox in four steps

  1. Bring the orders in. Mana Pool orders arrive by themselves, a Shopify store connects once, and TCGplayer or eBay orders come in from the file you export.

  2. Print on the printer you have, on #10, #9, #6 3/4, A7 or 6 x 9 envelopes, Avery 5163 sheets, 4 x 2 or 4 x 6 labels, or a packing slip that shows through a #10 window envelope.

  3. Put a Forever stamp on each one and drop them in the mail. A blue collection box is fine, since letters get no acceptance scan anyway.

  4. Watch the letters move along in one list, with a flag on any that fall behind the day USPS expects them.

Keep the envelope machinable so the barcode gets scanned: a flexible paper envelope, nothing loose or lumpy inside, and the address along the long side. The letter checker tells you if yours passes, and the PWE shipping guide covers packing.

The PigeonTrail letters list. Three letters are printed and not mailed, two are in the mail and flagged for no USPS scan in 5 days, one is sorted for the mail carrier and one is delivered.The PigeonTrail letters list on a phone, with letters that are printed, in the mail and flagged for no USPS scan in 5 days.

Letters that fall behind get noticed

PigeonTrail asks USPS how many days a First Class letter gets between your ZIP code and your buyer's, and counts them out on the calendar. A letter more than a day past that date, or five days without a scan, is flagged in your list, and on Pro we email you about it.

Some letters lose scans no matter who prints the barcode. USPS's own table marks about 17% of ZIP codes as areas where mail is sorted by hand and no tracking scans should be expected, so a letter to one of them can go quiet near the end and still arrive.

Questions

Can a PWE be tracked?

Yes, if the envelope carries a USPS Intelligent Mail barcode. USPS scans that barcode each time the letter runs through a sorting machine, so a plain white envelope with a Forever stamp can show where it is without paying for a package label. PigeonTrail prints the barcode with the address.

What does the buyer see?

A tracking page with your shop's name, logo and colors, the route on a map, every USPS scan and the day USPS expects the letter. The first time USPS scans it, your buyer gets an email with the link when we have their email address, and on Pro they also hear from your shop when it is mailed, almost there and delivered.

How long does a PWE take?

USPS gives a First Class letter between 1 and 5 delivery days depending on the distance between the two ZIP codes, counting Monday through Saturday and skipping holidays. Our delivery time tool shows the exact number for any two ZIP codes.

What does PWE tracking cost?

Your first 100 letters each month are free. Pro costs $12.99 a month for 500 letters and 2 cents for each one after that, and Shop costs $49 a month for 2,500. Postage is the Forever stamp you already buy.

What happens if a letter stops getting scans?

PigeonTrail flags it in your letters list once it is more than a day past USPS's expected day, or five days pass without a scan, and on Pro we email you. If it is lost, you can print a replacement with a new barcode in one click, and the old tracking page points your buyer to the new one.

Does TCGplayer, eBay or Mana Pool accept the number?

No. All three ask for carrier tracking on bigger orders: TCGplayer over $49.99, Mana Pool on its tracked orders, and eBay counts only its own Standard Envelope label for letters. The barcode lets you and your buyer see the letter move, and PigeonTrail sends orders of $50 or more to a Pirate Ship package list.

Related pages

Track your next PWE order

Your first 100 letters each month are free, and your first letter starts a 30 day Pro trial with no card.

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