How to See What Packages and Mail You Have Coming Before It Arrives

You can get advance information about incoming mail and packages before they arrive. The right option depends on what you want to see.

USPS Informed Delivery can show previews of eligible incoming USPS mail and provide package information.
Carrier tools such as UPS My Choice and FedEx Delivery Manager can provide package tracking and delivery alerts.
A virtual mailbox can give you a way to view and manage incoming physical mail online.

Here’s which option to use depending on what you want to know.

Table of Contents

What Do You Want to See Before Your Mail Arrives?

If you want to…	Use…
See a preview of incoming USPS letters	USPS Informed Delivery
Know when a UPS package is coming	UPS My Choice
Know when a FedEx package is coming	FedEx Delivery Manager
See and manage incoming mail online	Virtual mailbox
Manage mail from different carriers	Virtual mailbox
Handle mail while traveling	Virtual mailbox

The important distinction is that delivery alerts tell you what is on the way, while a virtual mailbox can let you actually view and manage your physical mail online.

How to See What USPS Mail Is Coming

If you receive mail through USPS and want to know what is scheduled to arrive, USPS Informed Delivery is the simplest place to start.

USPS provides the service free to eligible customers. It can show previews of incoming letter-sized mail and package tracking information through email, its online dashboard, or the Informed Delivery mobile app.

What USPS Informed Delivery Lets You See

USPS Informed Delivery can give you three useful types of information:

Mail previews: You can see grayscale images of the address side of eligible incoming letter-sized mail.
Package information: You can view tracking information and expected delivery details for USPS packages.
Delivery notifications: You can receive email, text, or app notifications about package updates and mail delivery.

This is useful when you are wondering, “Is there anything coming in the mail today?” without having to physically check your mailbox first.

What You Won’t See in the Preview

There is an important limitation: a mail preview is not the same as reading your mail online.

USPS Informed Delivery generally shows an exterior image of eligible mail, not a scan of the letter’s contents.

USPS says the images are typically grayscale images of the address side of letter-sized pieces processed through its automated equipment.

Also, not every piece of mail will necessarily appear.

Some mailpieces may not qualify for an image, and package tracking works differently from letter previews.

So if you see an envelope in Informed Delivery, you know what arrived or is expected to arrive, but you cannot open the digital preview and read the letter inside.

How to Know When a Package Is Coming

If your main concern is a package, carrier tracking tools are usually more useful than a letter-preview service.

UPS Packages

UPS My Choice lets you see information about incoming UPS shipments and receive delivery alerts.

Depending on the shipment and available options, you can also see an estimated delivery time and make certain delivery changes.

This is useful if you’re asking: “Do I have a UPS package coming, and when should I expect it?”

You can use UPS My Choice to:

See incoming shipment information
Receive delivery alerts
Follow a package’s progress
View estimated delivery information
Change the delivery date or location when available
Provide delivery instructions when available

FedEx Packages

FedEx Delivery Manager provides package visibility through tracking and delivery notifications.

You can receive updates by email or text and use available delivery-management options.

It can help you:

Get package notifications
Track a shipment
See when a package is expected
Receive delivery or delivery-attempt alerts
Use available delivery-management options

FedEx also offers features such as delivery instructions and, where available, options for changing how or where a package is delivered. Some delivery options may carry additional fees.FedEx Delivery Manager

Carrier Preview ≠ Reading Your Mail Online

USPS Informed Delivery can show you an exterior preview of eligible mail, while UPS and FedEx tools focus primarily on package tracking and delivery information.

These services generally don’t let you read the contents of a physical letter before you receive it.

If you need to actually view the contents of physical mail online, you need a mail-scanning service such as a virtual mailbox.

See how PostScan Mail’s virtual mailbox works

What If You Receive Mail From Different Carriers?

This is where carrier-specific tools can become inconvenient. You may end up using:

USPS Informed Delivery for USPS mail
UPS My Choice for UPS packages
FedEx Delivery Manager for FedEx packages

Each service is designed around its own delivery network.

If you receive mail and packages from several carriers, you may have to check multiple systems.

A virtual mailbox can help: instead of checking each carrier’s system, you have mail and packages sent to one physical mailing address managed by the mailbox provider.

Your incoming items can then be organized in one online account.

That can be particularly useful if you regularly receive:

USPS mail
UPS packages
FedEx packages
Other carrier deliveries
Business correspondence

The benefit isn’t simply knowing that something is coming. You have one place to decide what should happen to it.

Which Option Should You Use?

Choose USPS Informed Delivery ifyou mainly want to know what USPS letters are coming and want basic package tracking and delivery notifications.

Choose UPS My Choice if: you mainly want visibility into UPS packages, including delivery alerts and available delivery-management options.

Choose FedEx Delivery Manager if: you mainly want visibility into FedEx packages and want delivery notifications and available delivery-management options.

Choose a virtual mailbox if: you want to view and manage physical mail online, especially when you’re away from your mailbox or receive mail and packages from different carriers.

A virtual mailbox is the better fit when seeing an envelope isn’t enough — you need to decide what happens to it without being physically present.

Why Can’t I See an Incoming Mail or Package?

If you’re expecting something but can’t see it, there are several possible reasons.

The mail hasn’t appeared yet. A delivery notification or preview isn’t necessarily a guarantee that the item will arrive at the exact time you expect. USPS notes that mail and packages may not arrive on the same day as a notification.

The item isn’t eligible for a preview. USPS mail previews are not available for every physical mailpiece. Informed Delivery images are generally provided for eligible letter-sized mail processed through USPS automated equipment.

Tracking hasn’t updated. Package information depends on scans and updates in the carrier’s tracking system. A package can be moving through the network even when the tracking page hasn’t shown a new event yet.

You’re looking at the wrong carrier’s system. If you’re checking USPS Informed Delivery for a FedEx package, you won’t get the same information. Check the system belonging to the carrier handling the shipment.

The service doesn’t provide the information you’re expecting. A delivery notification can tell you that an item is coming without showing its contents. If you need to read a physical letter remotely, you need a mail-scanning service rather than a standard carrier notification tool.

A package and a letter are handled differently. USPS Informed Delivery can provide both mail previews and package tracking, but those are two different types of information. A letter may have an exterior image, while a package may primarily appear through tracking and delivery details.

Why Should You Use PostScan Mail Forwarding Service Instead of USPS Mail Forwarding?

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