USPS Package Returns: Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Last updated 4 weeks ago. Our resources are updated regularly but please keep in mind that links, programs, policies, and contact information do change.

Returning a purchase through the United States Postal Service (USPS) starts with the seller, whose instructions say where the package goes and who pays the postage. No printer is needed when the return label arrives as a USPS Label Broker ID, a scannable code: a Post Office that offers Label Broker will print the label free. USPS also offers free pickup during regular mail delivery for eligible packages.

Mailing a purchase back does not settle the refund. USPS records a delivered package’s date, time and location; the seller’s return policy sets the conditions for returns and refunds. Keep the label, receipt and tracking record together so the shipment can be matched to the return request.

Start With the Seller’s Return Instructions

Retailers may provide prepaid return labels or require customers to buy their own, and the return process may begin online, in a store or through customer service. Start with the instructions for the particular purchase before buying postage.

Check the deadline, the return destination, who pays for shipping and what outcome the seller offers, such as a refund or exchange. If any of those details are unclear, resolve them with the seller before sending the package. A postage label gets the package mailed; it does not mean the seller will accept the item.

eBay, an online marketplace, is one example; its steps and rules apply only to purchases made there. To start an eBay return, find the item in My eBay’s Purchase history, open More actions and choose Return this item, then select the reason.

On eBay, the seller pays return shipping for an item that arrived damaged or faulty or does not match the listing description. For a change of mind or an incorrect order, shipping responsibility follows the seller’s return policy; a seller offering free returns pays that cost.

eBay shows the latest date to ship a return in its email to the buyer and in the return request; it may close the request if the buyer misses that date.

Get the Right Return Label

First decide whether the seller has supplied a usable label or whether postage still needs to be purchased. Check that the label is for the return journey and the carrier the seller specified. Use the destination in the return instructions instead of guessing from the address on the original parcel.

With a Prepaid Label

USPS Returns service lets an authorized account holder provide return labels and pay postage and fees for packages sent back to that account holder. In this service, the shipping label must be marked Priority Mail Express Return, Priority Mail Return or USPS Ground Advantage Return. USPS lists the Post Office, a collection box, a carrier handoff and scheduled pickup as ways to mail a labeled USPS Returns service package.

If the seller sent a printable label, keep a copy before attaching it. If the label is missing or unreadable, ask the provider for a usable copy rather than improvising a destination or barcode.

Without a Printer

USPS Label Broker prints a shipping label free from a code called a Label Broker ID at a participating postal counter or a Label Broker self-service kiosk. The code connects the package to a label. Printing that label is free, but the code does not replace arranging the correct postage.

1. Save the Label Broker ID, a QR code, on the phone and pack and seal the parcel before visiting the Post Office.
2. Use the “Find a Label Broker Location” link on USPS’s Label Broker page to locate a supporting office.
3. Take the ready-to-ship package and code to a USPS location that supports Label Broker, then present both at the counter.

A customer with a printer can instead enter the 8-10 character Label Broker ID shown under the QR code, along with a ZIP Code, in USPS’s Label Broker tool, download the prepaid label and print it.

Without a Prepaid Label

USPS offers Click-N-Ship to create and print a return label after signing in to a USPS.com account or creating a free account.

Postage depends on the service and distance, and on package size and weight unless a Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express flat-rate option applies. Measure and weigh the packed parcel, not just the item inside it, before choosing postage.

Pack and Address the Return

USPS recommends strong packaging with cushioning for fragile items and enough protection to prevent contents from shifting. Reuse a box only if it can still protect the item on another journey. Follow any seller instructions for returning accessories or paperwork alongside the item.

• Cover or black out old logos, barcodes, shipping labels and addresses on a reused box.
• Attach the return label flat on the largest side of the package, without folding it onto another side.
• Do not put tape over the label’s barcodes or areas where postage and fees will be recorded.

For a package addressed without a shipping label, USPS places the sender’s return address at the top left and the delivery address in the center, below and to the right if possible. On a merchandise return, the delivery address is where the seller wants the item sent; the return address identifies the person mailing it back.

Packaging that USPS produces, including Flat-Rate packaging, may be used only for the product it was made for, such as Priority Mail. The sender owes that product’s price even if the packaging is reconfigured or its markings are covered. Do not cover a Priority Mail box’s markings and treat it as an ordinary box for a cheaper service.

Some hazardous materials are prohibited in USPS mail, while others are restricted or may travel only by ground. Pre-owned, damaged or defective electronics containing or packed with lithium batteries must travel by ground and bear “Restricted Electronic Device” and “Surface Transportation Only” markings. For a returned phone, laptop or similar device, check the contents restrictions before using a label that could send it by air.

Give the Package to USPS

USPS’s pickup form lists Returns, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage and international packages among the categories eligible for free pickup. Free pickup takes place during regular mail delivery; Pickup On Demand, which offers a specific pickup time, is a paid service. Packages entered as “Other” qualify for free pickup only when the pickup also includes at least one package from the form’s eligible categories, which it calls premium.

A return pickup can be requested through USPS’s “Schedule a Pickup” page. Have the package sealed, labeled and ready before the scheduled handoff.

For a counter handoff, take the completed package to the Post Office. USPS tells customers to hold on to the retail receipt because it provides access to tracking information.

A package paid with stamps that is more than one-half inch thick or weighs more than 10 ounces must be handed to a retail associate at a Post Office counter. Do not read that rule as a weight limit for prepaid return labels; it concerns stamped packages.

Tracking Your Return

The tracking number may appear on a sales or mailing receipt, in an online label record, or below the barcode on the mailed item. Entering that number on the USPS Tracking page shows the package’s current status and any available delivery or attempted-delivery information. Use the record for the package traveling back to the seller, not the tracking record for the original purchase.

Tracking a Return Sent With a Marketplace Label

If eBay or another seller provides a prepaid USPS label, begin with the USPS tracking number attached to that return label. The number can be found in the online label record when the postage was bought online, through eBay or another service.

1. Locate the number for the label actually attached to the return package, especially if more than one label was sent.
2. Enter it in USPS Tracking to follow the carrier’s shipment record.
3. Check the seller or marketplace return instructions for any separate step to report the number or confirm shipment.
4. Save the label, receipt and return messages together; if the number cannot be found, ask the label provider for it.

An eBay return label automatically includes tracking, which lets eBay see the return’s progress. For a seller-uploaded label supplied through My eBay, the buyer’s Return Details page provides the label for printing and the seller’s instructions.

If the seller sends the buyer funds to purchase a return label, eBay instructs the seller to ask the buyer to upload tracking to the return request. After buying the label, add the tracking number to the eBay return request; if that step is hard to find, ask the seller for help before relying on a separate postal record. When a seller uses its own carrier for the return label, eBay tells the seller that signature confirmation is required for items with a total cost of $750 or more. Check that the agreed service includes that feature before mailing a high-value return.

Do not substitute an order number, a return-request reference or the Label Broker code for the carrier tracking number.

What the Tracking Messages Mean

“USPS in Possession of Item” means USPS has received or picked up the package and will begin processing it for transport.

“Delivered” means the package was delivered with a recorded date, time and delivery location. If the package is delivered but the refund has not arrived, follow up through the seller’s return process, with the delivery record in hand.

When a Return Goes Wrong

USPS directs customers to check the current tracking status before beginning a missing-mail search. If tracking shows only that a label was created after the package has been handed over, keep the receipt and ask USPS about the shipment using its tracking number.

The USPS Missing Mail application accepts search requests from seven through 365 days after the original mailing date. A missing-mail search needs sender and recipient addresses, the mailing date, the container’s type, size and color, and detailed contents information such as brand, model, size and color; tracking is recommended if available. Tell the seller about the shipping problem as well, so its return process can be addressed separately.

Can an Unopened Package Be Refused?

After delivery, an addressee may mark an unopened mailpiece “Refused” and return it within a reasonable time. Registered, insured, Certified Mail, collect on delivery and Adult Signature pieces cannot be refused and returned postage-free after delivery. The same exclusion applies to responses to the addressee’s sales promotion, solicitation, announcement or other advertisement that were not refused when offered for delivery.

Refusal is a limited postal option, not a replacement for a retailer’s merchandise-return instructions. For an opened purchase, work from the seller’s return process and prepare a properly labeled shipment instead.