Do USPS Shipping Labels Expire

USPS is short for United States Postal Services. As the name suggests, USPS provides the residents of The United States with affordable and reliable mail services. USPS is owned by the federal government of the U.S. and more than 600,000 employees are working with USPS the total revenue generated by them is up to $70 billion. USPS makes sure that the mail reaches safely to their respective owner. They have three ways of delivering the mail, door-to-door delivery, at a mailbox, or at a centralized point that serves several addresses. 

Yes, USPS shipping labels do expire. They are valid only for 28 days after the purchase. 28 days is the standard time for labels to expire but some post offices accept those labels even after they have been outdated weeks ago. Every post office might not do that, this depends on the post office, whether to accept or reject the label.

USPS Shipping Labels And Their Expiration Period

USPS shipping labels take up to 28 days to expire. But they do provide a grace period of 2-3 days on average. Sometimes your luck may shine and some post offices may accept your shipping label which was expired weeks ago. But this may not happen everywhere because the rules of USPS do not allow it.

Do USPS Shipping Labels Expire

So, if you are thinking that you can drop your package at USPS with an outdated shipping label and it will reach its destination safely then you may be wrong as that will not happen, instead, that package will be delivered back to you. Acting over smart may not help here. It is also possible that you have seen the date or due for some reason, you did not know that your label is expired and you may have dropped it to the mailbox. No matter what is the reason, a package with an outdated shipping label will not be shipped unless you are lucky or the post office workers are super Kind. 

That is why it is necessary to check the dates on your shipping label before delivering it to the mailbox. 

Check Whether The Shipping Label Is Expired Or Not. 

The only way you can know whether your shipping label is expired or not is by checking the “Ship By” date on the label. This date is located at the bottom corner of your Shipping label. This “Ship By” date plays an important role in delivering your emails. It helps the delivery man to check whether they are delivering the packages in time or not. 

USPS has three different shipping services, and the importance of this “Ship By” date depends on the type of service you are using. If you have purchased a high-paying delivery service then your package will be given higher priority as compared to other packages and it will be delivered more quickly. 

Things To Do After Your Shipping Label Expires. 

Your Shipping Label has been expired before you could use it to ship your packages. No worries, it is a very common mistake that almost anyone of us can make. So, your label being expired is not an issue as the real question is what to do after it has been outdated. 

Here’s the silver lining. If it has been only 1-2 days since your label has been expired, then the first thing to do is to call your local post office and give them some valid reasons on why you were not able to use it before, and also ask them if they can somehow still use it. If they accept it, well and good, but if not then you still have other options, don’t panic. 

You can always request a refund for up to 10 days only if you have purchased your shipping label from USPS itself. Your money will be refunded to you, and you can use that money to buy new labels. 

Conclusion

USPS is short for United States Postal Services. As the name suggests, USPS provides the residents of The United States with affordable and reliable mail services. Yes, USPS shipping labels do expire. They are valid only for 28 days after the purchase. We discussed the expiration date, how to check whether the label is expired or not, and also the things to do after it has been outdated. 

Frequently Asked Questions
  1. If my label is prepaid. Will it still expire?

No, your label will not expire if it’s prepaid. That is one of the benefits of having a prepaid label.     

  1. What is the importance of shipping dates on USPS?

Shipping dates are very important as it helps the postal workers to make sure that they deliver the packages on time. So, you should ship your package on the date given on your shipping package and not after it has been outdated.

Do USPS Shipping Labels Expire

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