Check your email first: if the seller sent a prepaid label or a QR code, that is your answer and it costs nothing. Only when no prepaid label exists do the other three routes matter, and this page prices the one that involves paying, so you can see what you are choosing between.
Route one costs nothing and is the right answer most of the time. The rest of this page is for when route one is unavailable.
Search your inbox for the order number before you do anything else. Most large retailers issue a label or a QR code the moment you open a return in their app, and it is already paid for. Print it, tape it over the old barcodes, drop the box at the carrier named on the label, and keep the receipt with the tracking number on it.
Our page on retailer return labels lists what six large sellers publish about theirs, read 2026-07-28. If you have one of those in hand, you can stop reading here. We do not improve on a label somebody else paid for.
A QR code is the same prepaid label without the printing step, and every major carrier now runs a version of it.
The mechanics of QR labels get their own treatment on our QR code label page, which is the better read if the code itself is what is confusing you.
This is the route for private sales, expired windows, warranty items, marketplace sellers taking stock back, and anything else with nobody on the other end paying. One box, three starting cities, priced through the SMKlog calculator on 2026-07-28 at the full checkout price.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $8.48 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $12.07 | No window supplied |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $12.42 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $12.47 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $21.05 | 2-3 business days |
The same box from Los Angeles into Newark quoted $11.04 on USPS Ground Advantage that day, and from Chicago it matched Atlanta exactly at $8.48. Distance moves the number less than most people expect on a light box. You need the destination address, the box measurements and a rough weight; there is no account to create and tracking comes with it.
If the parcel has not been opened and you know you do not want it, telling the driver you are refusing delivery sends it back through the carrier's own return-to-sender process at no cost to you. It only works before the box is opened and before it has been sitting on your porch for days.
The catch is that a refused parcel takes the slow road and arrives at the seller with no return authorisation attached, which can stall a refund while somebody works out what the unexpected box is. Message the seller the moment you refuse it. We cover what happens next on our returned to sender guide.
Whichever route you take, a box with two live labels on it is a box that scans wrong. Peel the old one off or cover it completely with paper before the new one goes on, and make sure the new label sits flat on the largest face.
Returns go missing and arrive damaged at roughly the rate anything else does. A photo of the packed box and a photo of the drop-off receipt cost nothing and settle almost every dispute that follows.
Carriers price cardboard by size and weight, not by how new it looks. The box the item arrived in is already the right size for the item, which is the single biggest lever on what the return costs.
Using the prepaid label the seller sent, because it costs nothing. When no prepaid label exists, the cheapest paid route is whichever carrier quotes lowest for your box on your lane. On 2026-07-28 a 13 x 8 x 5 in box at 3 lb going from Atlanta, GA to Newark, NJ came to $8.48 with USPS Ground Advantage against $12.47 with UPS Ground.
Yes, through a QR code. FedEx says you can go straight to a FedEx or participating retail location, show your QR code, and a team member will print the label for you on the spot. UPS describes scanning and printing by mobile barcode at a UPS location. USPS prints Label Broker codes free at participating Post Offices and at self-service kiosks.
An unopened parcel refused at the door goes back through the carrier's return-to-sender process without you paying postage. The downside is that it arrives at the seller with no return authorisation attached, which can delay a refund, so message the seller as soon as you refuse it.
No. Our checkout takes the two ZIPs, the box measurements and a weight, then sells you a US domestic parcel label as a guest with tracking included. We do not sell international labels, fulfillment or platform integrations, so a return crossing a border needs a different route.