How to get a USPS QR code turned into a printable shipping label

A USPS QR code becomes a printed shipping label through USPS Label Broker. Take the package and the QR code on your phone to a Post Office counter and the clerk scans it and prints the label for free. You can also print it at a Label Broker self-service kiosk, or enter the 8 to 10 character Label Broker ID at tools.usps.com/label-broker.htm and print at home. The label is prepaid. You do not pay anything at the counter.

What USPS Label Broker is

Label Broker is a USPS service for people who have a paid shipping label but no printer. The label itself lives on a USPS server. The QR code and the short ID under it are pointers to that label. USPS says you can print prepaid and no-postage-necessary labels, which covers most returns, at most Post Office locations and at usps.com.

The QR code and the ID do the same job. USPS states you do not need both. If the email with the QR code never arrived, the ID alone is enough.

Where the QR code comes from

Three common sources:

• A retailer return. A brand approves your return and emails or texts you a QR code instead of a PDF label. Businesses store the labels in the Label Broker repository and send each customer a unique Label Broker ID.
• Click-N-Ship. When you buy a label on usps.com you can choose "Print later at Post Office." USPS emails you the QR code and ID. Only domestic labels that need no customs form qualify, and one QR code can hold up to 11 labels.
• Third-party shipping software. Pirate Ship, EasyPost, ShipStation and similar tools can issue a USPS QR code for a purchased label. Pirate Ship calls them paperless labels and the clerk prints them at no added cost.

Three ways to print the label

1. Post Office counter

Pack the box. Open the QR code on your phone. Hand the package to the clerk and show the code. The clerk scans it, prints the label and applies it. USPS terms say the package must be presented at the time the label is printed, so you cannot print the label and take it home. Not every Post Office has a Label Broker printer. The USPS location finder has a Label Broker filter.

2. Self-service kiosk

Some Post Office lobbies have a kiosk with Label Broker. Choose "Scan QR Code for Label" or type the ID, take the printed label, stick it on the package and drop it in the parcel slot. The location finder has a separate filter for Label Broker Self-Service.

3. usps.com with the Label Broker ID

If you have access to any printer, go to tools.usps.com/label-broker.htm. Enter the 8 to 10 character ID and the five-digit ZIP code of the return address on the label. The ZIP is the "from" address, which for a return is usually your own. USPS downloads the label as a PDF. Print it, tape it on, and drop the package anywhere USPS accepts parcels.

USPS also lists Automated Parcel Drops as a printing point where they exist. They are rare.

What to do when the code will not scan

1. Turn the screen brightness all the way up and close any banner covering the code.
2. Read the clerk the 8 to 10 character ID printed under the code. The clerk can type it. USPS confirms the ID works without the QR code.
3. If the clerk says the location has no Label Broker printer, check the location finder for the nearest one that does.
4. If you have no code and no ID, check your spam folder, then ask the sender to resend. USPS cannot look up a label by your name.
5. For a Click-N-Ship label, note the print deadline. USPS says the label must be printed by 11:59 PM Central Time on the ship date.

Can a QR label be used twice?

No. One QR code points to one label with one tracking number. If two packages carry the same tracking number, USPS can only track one, and the second is likely to be stopped or returned. USPS does not publish a reuse policy, but the terms require the package to be present when the label prints. If you need a second label, ask the retailer for one or buy one. If the first print smudged, the clerk can reprint it before the package leaves the counter.

Returns with no printer

For a shopper, Label Broker is the no-printer path. Your options in order of least effort:

• Show the QR code at a Post Office counter. Free.
• Use a Label Broker kiosk. Free, and open when the counter is closed.
• Print the PDF at a library, office or shipping store using the ID.

Brands have a fourth option. Through Click-N-Ship or USPS APIs they can request USPS Label Delivery, where USPS prints and mails a paper label to the customer for a $1.65 fee per label.

What brands should know before offering QR returns

QR returns remove the top reason return labels go unused: the customer has no printer. A few facts to plan around:

• The label is prepaid. The customer pays nothing at the counter. Postage is on the brand's account.
• Billing is scan based. USPS lists its return services as priced per piece and per label scanned. For Click-N-Ship business return labels, USPS states you are only charged if the customer uses the label. Issuing a QR code that is never redeemed costs nothing in postage.
• Sealed or unsealed. USPS asks the customer to bring a sealed and ready-to-ship package. The clerk does not inspect contents. Your return policy, not the Post Office, controls what comes back.
• Setup. USPS has to approve the shipping system that generates the labels. Most 3PL platforms and shipping tools already have this approval, so the practical step is turning the option on in your returns portal.
• Peak. Lobby lines get long in December. Give customers the usps.com print option too, and read our BFCM ops checklist for the rest of peak returns.

How BoxHero handles the returns that come back

Every return comes back to our building at 905 Remsen Ave in Brooklyn. Each unit is inspected, photographed and graded against the brand's rules. Sellable units go back on the shelf and ship on the next order. Return postage is passed through at cost, with no markup. See how our returns work, or look at the USPS carrier page for the services we run on.