Yes, UPS prints return labels. If a retailer gives you a UPS return QR code or mobile barcode, The UPS Store and participating UPS locations can scan it and print the label for you, and shippers can also have UPS email a printable label or print and mail one to your address.
Which route works depends on how the sender set up the return. The QR code option needs no printer at all, an emailed PDF needs either a printer or a store that will print it, and a mailed label arrives in your mailbox ready to stick on the box.
How does UPS print a return label from a QR code?
When an online store issues a UPS return, it often sends a QR code or mobile barcode instead of, or alongside, a PDF. UPS says mobile barcode options are available at participating UPS locations for eligible returns: you bring the item and the code to the location named in your return instructions, staff scan it, and the label prints at the counter.
- Open the return confirmation email or the retailer’s app and find the UPS QR code or barcode.
- Check the instructions for where to go; some returns name The UPS Store, others any participating UPS location.
- Pack the item, or bring it unpacked if the instructions say the store will box it for you.
- Show the code on your phone at the counter; the associate scans it, prints the label and attaches it.
- Keep the drop-off receipt, which carries the tracking number.
Some retailers also accept boxless, label-free returns at The UPS Store, where staff pack the item themselves. That depends on the merchant’s program, so read the return instructions before you go.
Which UPS return label services do shippers use?
Behind every return label is one of UPS’s return services, chosen by the business that sends it. Knowing which one you have tells you whether you need to print anything.
| UPS return service | Who prints the label | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Print Return Label | The shipper prints it and packs it with your original order | Peel it out of the box, attach it and drop the package off |
| UPS Electronic Return Label | UPS emails you a label, plus a mobile barcode where offered | Print it at home, or use the barcode at a participating UPS location |
| UPS Print and Mail Return Label | UPS prints the label and mails it to you | Wait for it in the mail, then attach it and drop off |
| UPS Returns Plus, 3 Pickup Attempts | The UPS driver brings the label | Hand the package to the driver; UPS tries on three successive business days |
The fees for each service are billed to the business that issued the return, under its UPS account. If you are the shipper deciding which to offer, our guide to UPS labels and supplies covers the label formats UPS accepts.
Can The UPS Store print a return label from a PDF or email?
Yes. If you received a PDF return label but have no printer, The UPS Store can print it from your phone, an email you forward to the store, or a USB drive. The store applies its own printing charge, which varies by location because most UPS Store sites are independently owned franchises. Our guide to how much it costs to print a label at UPS explains what drives that charge.
If you have no label at all, The UPS Store can also create and ship a brand-new package for you, but you pay the retail shipping price instead of using the retailer’s prepaid return. That is worth avoiding when the merchant offers a free return.
What if you have no printer and no QR code?
Ask the retailer to resend the return with a UPS mobile barcode or to switch it to Print and Mail. Many merchants can regenerate a return in their order portal, and a barcode is usually the fastest fix because it works at the counter the same day.
Other printer-free options include forwarding the PDF to a friend, a workplace printer, or a public library that offers printing. Print at 100% scale with no “fit to page” setting so the barcode stays readable.
How do you send a return when the seller didn’t give you a label?
When a private seller or a small shop asks you to send something back at your own expense, you buy the label yourself. ParcelPath is free to use, with no subscription or per-label fee, and offers up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS. Choose a UPS Mobile Barcode and the UPS Store prints the label from your phone, or use USPS Label Broker and the Post Office prints a USPS label for you.
Compare live UPS and USPS rates for the return in the ParcelPath rate calculator before you pick a service. For anything valuable, add a signature or insurance so the return is documented end to end.
Where do you drop off a UPS return?
A package with a prepaid UPS return label can go to The UPS Store, a UPS Access Point counter in a partner retailer, a UPS Customer Center or a UPS drop box if it fits. Mobile barcode returns that need a label printed must go to a staffed location that participates in the barcode program, not a drop box.
Before you seal the box, remove or black out every old shipping label and barcode so the package does not route back to its original address. Our tips on e-commerce shipping and returns cover where to place the label on the box and how to pack common returns.
How long does a UPS return take to arrive?
Most returns travel by UPS Ground, which delivers in 1 to 5 business days within the contiguous U.S., and the retailer usually processes the refund after the package is scanned in at its warehouse. Track the return with the number on your drop-off receipt; our guide to how long it takes UPS to deliver breaks down each service, and how long UPS Ground takes covers Ground by distance.
UPS holidays add a day to anything in transit, so check the UPS holiday schedule if a return deadline is close. Once the return is delivered, the tracking record may include delivery proof, which our article on whether UPS takes pictures of delivery explains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UPS print return labels for free?
Scanning a retailer’s UPS QR code or mobile barcode at a participating UPS location generally prints the return label at no charge to you, because the merchant pays for the return service. Printing a PDF label you bring in is a separate UPS Store print service with a charge set by the store. A Print and Mail label is mailed to you and billed to the shipper.
Can I print a UPS return label at a UPS Access Point?
Sometimes. UPS says mobile barcode returns work at participating UPS locations, and some Access Point counters in partner stores take part, but not all do. Your return instructions name the locations that accept the code. If you have a PDF and need it printed, The UPS Store is the most reliable choice because it offers document printing.
What is the UPS Print and Mail Return Label service?
Print and Mail is a UPS return service where UPS prints the return label at the shipper’s request and sends it to the customer by mail. You attach the label when it arrives and drop the package at any UPS location. It suits customers without a printer or smartphone, but it is the slowest option because you have to wait for the mail.
Can I use a UPS return label at the Post Office?
No. A UPS return label only works in the UPS network, so the package must go to The UPS Store, a UPS Access Point, a UPS Customer Center, a UPS drop box or a UPS driver. If you want to return something through USPS instead, you need a USPS label, which the retailer or a shipping service has to issue.
Sources
- UPS: How to Return a Package
- UPS: Customer Return Services
- UPS: No Print Shipping (mobile barcode)
- UPS WorldShip Help: Return Services shipment option codes
This article is part of our UPS shipping guide. For more help with labels and printers, browse our shipping resources, or compare carriers in our roundup of the best shipping services and solutions.
Part of our UPS Labels and Supplies guide. Related: UPS Shipping Label: Complete Guide, UPS Shipping Label Online, UPS Shipping Labels.
