When Long Labels Are Required

Written on: 04:44pm PST, Nov 18, 2021

Have yous printed a label and slapped it on a packet that you haven't had a chance to driblet off? If the answer is "yes," there may non exist reason to stress out just yet. Sometimes life happens, and you tin't get a bundle to your shipping carrier of choice equally early as you had hoped. Depending on which carrier you chose to ship with, your label may expire later than you remember.

How Long a Shipping Characterization Takes to Expire Depends on the Carrier

Shipping labels from each of the iii major carriers expire at different increments afterwards you purchase them. We've laid out how long labels accept to expire for each major carrier beneath.

USPS

USPS labels expire the soonest out of all 3 carriers…although if you're looking for specifics as to "when," the answer is a scrap unclear. Generally, the time limit for how long a USPS label is valid depends on local Post Offices, and is up to postal workers' discretions. This is fancy talk for saying that it all depends on a particular Postal service Role. In our experience, we've seen USPS reject packages with labels containing ship dates as recent as i day prior. Other times, we've seen people go away with sending a bundle where a label is a few months old…simply we definitely don't recommend that!

Since this is the example, nosotros generally communication shippers to paw over packages to USPS equally soon as possible after they buy and print their characterization.

UPS

Depending on which online shipping software you're using, UPS labels near often elapse afterwards 100 days. This is fairly standard for what nosotros've seen through the recently-launched Digital Admission Program. Don't worry, though! If you purchased a label through the UPS Digital Admission Programme and demand to ship a packet subsequently 100 days have passed since you bought the characterization, UPS volition all the same have information technology. They'll just charge a $ii "belatedly" fee when you hand it over to them and they scan it in.

FedEx

FedEx aircraft labels besides elapse much later than USPS labels, although expiration dates vary. Typically, y'all tin print an emailed FedEx label for upwards to 2 years. However, information technology's a whole different story once you've printed out the label. One time you print the label, Fedex typically gives you 2 weeks to apply it before it expires. After that, FedEx will consider your label invalid, and you'll need to purchase a whole new one all over again.

Rockwell Sands is a shipping guru and a wizard with words. After growing frustrated with all of the inaccurate (and boring) shipping resources out at that place, he decided to combine his love of writing and shipping into educational manufactures on Shipping Schoolhouse. He's on a mission to shed light on shipping so small businesses tin can succeed. With eCommerce growing rapidly each yr, shipping is more important than e'er before. Feel complimentary to reach out and drib him a line!