Track your Alibaba order
Alibaba is a wholesale platform. Shipments are commercial, often by air or sea freight, and the tracking experience is closer to freight forwarding than to parcel delivery.
Which carriers Alibaba uses
Sample and small orders usually ship by DHL, UPS or FedEx and carry that courier’s number. Bulk orders travel on an air waybill or a bill of lading, which is not a parcel tracking number.
- DHL
10 digits (Express), or JJD / JVGL prefix (eCommerce)
- UPS
1Z + 16 alphanumeric characters
- FedEx
12, 15 or 20 digits
- SF Express
12 to 15 digits, often prefixed SF
- 4PX
4PX or LZ prefix, followed by 10 to 20 alphanumeric characters
- Aramex
10-12 digits
- PTT
Two letters + 9 digits + TR, or 13 digits
How long does delivery take?
3–7 days by courier, 30–60 days by sea freight
Times are indicative. Customs clearance in the destination country is the single largest variable and is outside the carrier's control.
What buyers get wrong about Alibaba
- A bill of lading is not trackable on a parcel tracking site. Your freight forwarder is the right contact for sea shipments.
- Commercial imports are subject to duty and VAT from the first euro in most countries, unlike low-value consumer parcels.
- Trade Assurance protects the order, but only if payment went through Alibaba rather than a direct bank transfer.