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Tracking API

Tracking API enables customers to retrieve tracking updates to answer, ‘Where is my order?’ queries for a Seller’s own tracking page, for Seller’s Customer Service function or to support third party contact automation tools. The Tracking API also allows customers to POST Shipments (deliveryLegs) to enable non-Metapack generated shipments to be tracked. The Tracking API can also be used by customers to POST orders (deliveries) and share pre-despatch or return order tracking statuses.

The API is designed to:

  • Help sellers understand the status of an order or delivery by returning tracking events that are normalised to a standard set of statuses. Enrich and interpret carrier tracking data using rules to identify status changes and exceptions.

  • Provide tracking for outbound, returns, Home and store / PUDO deliveries.

  • Be queried using either trackingCode, Order Number, or Order Number and Customer Number (in combination).

  • Return normalised tracking events for every tracked delivery leg that matches the query parameters. Delivery Legs will be stored for 90 days.

  • Comply with our fair usage policy, including limiting queries to 10 calls per second per API key, and applying a quota limiting calls to twice the committed shipment volumes. If additional calls are made to the Tracking API above the quota limit, we will still provide a response, but these calls will be charged at your overage rate.

To work effectively, Tracking API has some prerequisites:

  • Orders are visible once the required delivery legs and relevant tracking data is available to the Tracking API. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that these delivery legs are created, unless the outbound shipments are made in Delivery Manager, in which case, Metapack will create the delivery legs.

  • Delivery legs must be posted using the Metapack PostShip API.

    • Where using the PostShip API, then the Metapack Carrier code and tracking identifier must be included for each delivery leg.

    • Where tracking outbound store deliveries the customer must provide the Service Point ID, which can be obtained from Metapack’s Location Services API. Retailers can integrate with Metapack’s Location Services API in advance.

  • Where delivery leg information changes after POST, the customer is responsible for updating the delivery leg details via the PostShip API. This includes cancelling when the delivery or delivery leg is no longer required.

  • Only returns order created using the PostShip API can be tracked using the API.

  • Metapack is reliant on integrated carriers for the timeliness and quality of the tracking data. Metapack will help identify issues and work with customers and carriers to resolve any tracking data quality issues.