The nonrefundable clause is real
USPS makes shippers tick a box saying the labels are nonrefundable if they are not shipped with the form, and that nothing can be changed after printing. Print one and the day's manifest is fixed.
Acceptance record
USPS SCAN form: one barcode for the whole day
A SCAN form is PS Form 5630, a single barcode that stands in for every label in one day's shipment from one origin. USPS scans it once and the batch is accepted together, which is what stops a stack of tracking numbers sitting silent overnight.
PS Form 5630 explainedUSPS wording quotedBatch pricing shown
One scan, one record
The first tracking event is the one that matters in a dispute. Get it on the day the parcels leave.
What the form actually is
A SCAN form is PS Form 5630, the Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice. USPS describes it as one barcode associated with all of the packages in the shipment, so the carrier makes a single scan instead of scanning each label (per the USPS Enhanced Click-N-Ship SCAN Forms user guide, checked 2026-07-28).
- What it buys you: USPS says customers are able to present PS Form 5630 at the retail window to receive a point-of-sale acceptance scan, which streamlines the process by which the Postal Service physically accepts your daily shipments (per usps.com documentation, checked 2026-07-28).
- How it groups: a different SCAN Form will be created for each ship-from ZIP Code for each ship date (per the same source). Two origins on one day means two forms.
- What you agree to: before creating one, the shipper checks a box acknowledging that SCAN Form labels are nonrefundable if they are not shipped with the SCAN form and that no changes can be made to the SCAN Form after printing (per the same source). That is the sting most guides leave out.
- Reprints have a horizon: only new SCAN Forms created after 1/19/2025 can be viewed and reprinted, and forms created before that date cannot (per the same source).
Straight answer on where we stand: SMKlog does not generate PS Form 5630. We sell single US domestic parcel labels with no account, and a SCAN form is produced by whichever platform issued the labels it covers. What follows is how to get the same result without one.
Why a single acceptance scan is worth chasing
The acceptance scan is the moment a parcel stops being your word and starts being a record. Without it, a label sits in tracking looking unposted, and that is where support tickets and lost-package arguments begin.
| Packed box | Weight | Label price | Window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 x 6 x 3 in | 8 oz | $8.86 | 8-9 business days |
| 12 x 9 x 4 in | 2 lb | $8.48 | 8-9 business days |
| 12 x 10 x 6 in | 4 lb | $8.48 | 8-9 business days |
| 14 x 12 x 8 in | 8 lb | $15.73 | 8-9 business days |
| 16 x 14 x 10 in | 16 lb | $22.62 | 8-9 business days |
| Five labels, one handoff | 30.5 lb in total | $64.17 | Same drop, same day |
That is $64.17 of postage riding on one trip to the counter. A single scan covering the batch is what turns all five tracking numbers on at once. Without it you are relying on each parcel picking up its first scan somewhere downstream, which usually happens and occasionally does not.
Getting the scan without the form
- 1. Buy and print the labels herePrice each box, take the rate you want and print. Guest checkout, no account, no monthly commitment.
- 2. Keep the batch togetherSame ship date, same origin. That is the grouping a SCAN form would have used anyway, and it keeps the counter conversation short.
- 3. Hand them to a retail associate rather than a chuteAsk for acceptance. The associate scans the labels in and the parcels enter the record with a timestamp and a location.
- 4. Or book the free collectionA carrier taking prepaid parcels from your door creates the same kind of first event without you leaving the house. The rules and limits are on our USPS pickup guide.
- 5. Check the numbers that eveningLook each one up on our tracking page. Anything still showing no movement the next morning is the one to raise, and our guide to a package stuck in transit covers what to do next.
One origin, one date, one form
The grouping rule is strict: a separate form for each ship-from ZIP code for each ship date. Sellers posting from home and from a unit on the same day need two, not one.
A counter receipt does similar work
If no form exists, presenting the parcels to an associate still creates the acceptance record. It takes longer at the window and it is worth the minute when the batch is valuable.
SCAN forms, answered
What is a USPS SCAN form?
It is PS Form 5630, the Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice. USPS associates one barcode with all of the packages in a shipment so the carrier makes a single scan instead of scanning every label individually.
Why does a SCAN form matter for lost parcels?
Because it produces an acceptance scan for the whole batch at a known time and place. That first event is the evidence that the parcels entered the network, which is exactly what gets argued about when something goes missing.
Can I change a SCAN form after printing it?
No. USPS requires the shipper to acknowledge that the labels are nonrefundable if they are not shipped with the form, and that no changes can be made to the form once it has been printed.
Does SMKlog produce a SCAN form?
No. We sell single US domestic parcel labels with no account, and PS Form 5630 is generated by the platform that issued the labels it covers. Presenting the parcels to a retail associate, or booking the free USPS collection, gets you the acceptance record another way.