USPS QR code won't scan at the counter: fixes that work

If a USPS QR code will not scan at the counter, ask the clerk to type the 8 to 10 character Label Broker ID printed under the code. The ID pulls up the same prepaid label without the scanner. If the ID fails too, the label has expired, been canceled or never reached USPS, and only the sender can fix that.

Four problems that look the same at the counter

The question comes from an eBay Community thread where sellers stood at the window with codes the clerk could not use. One seller brought five packages. USPS accepted three and turned away two. A failed scan has four possible causes, and each one has its own fix.

• The scanner cannot read your phone. The label is fine. The screen is the problem.
• The location cannot print it. Some Post Offices have no Label Broker printer.
• A system is down. Some codes print and others fail on the same visit.
• The label is dead. The code reads, and USPS has no valid label behind it.

Fix it at the counter: five steps in order

1. Fix the screen. Turn the brightness all the way up. Zoom in until the code fills the screen. Close any banner that covers it. One eBay seller reported that a screenshot of the downloaded label worked when the code would not scan.
2. Ask the clerk to type the ID. USPS told its own retail staff in 2019 that when a code will not scan, the clerk enters the label ID by selecting Mailing/Shipping, then More. USPS also says you can write the ID on the package.
3. Try the kiosk. If the lobby has a self-service kiosk with Label Broker, choose Scan QR Code for Label or enter the ID on the screen.
4. Test the label on your phone. Open tools.usps.com/label-broker.htm. Enter the ID and the 5-digit ZIP code of the return (from) address. For a return that ZIP is usually your own. If the page still says it could not find a matching label, the label is the problem and no scanner will help. If it downloads a PDF, print it anywhere and tape it on.
5. Find a location that has Label Broker. USPS terms say labels print only at RSS-enabled Post Office locations. RSS is the software on the retail terminal. USPS says most automated Post Offices have the printers. The location finder has two filters, Label Broker Retail and Label Broker Self-Service.

Step 4 works before you leave the house. It saves the trip when the label is already dead.

When the platform is down

Sometimes your phone and your label are both fine. On October 30, 2023, Value Added Resource reported eBay sellers whose codes were not recognized at the Post Office, including one who said 4 of 7 codes would not work. It happened again on December 13, 2024. One seller that day canceled the label, bought a new one and got a working code. The same seller reported being charged twice. In a separate incident, eBay staff confirmed a QR code problem on eBay's side that ran from 2:00 PM to 10:25 PM ET.

The sign of an outage is a mixed result. Rescanning will not help. Wait a few hours and try again, or cancel the label and buy a printable one. eBay says the carrier can take up to 21 days to approve a cancellation refund, so confirm the first label shows as canceled.

When the label itself is dead

USPS lists three errors a clerk can get when the label is the problem: Invalid Label ID, Expired and Permanently Expired. For all three, USPS tells staff to send the customer back to the company that issued the ID. The usual reason is a time limit most people never see.

• Click-N-Ship. USPS says a label stored in Label Broker must be printed by 11:59 PM Central Time on the ship date.
• Stamps.com. Label QR codes expire within 7 days of purchase. An expired, unused USPS code is eligible for a refund, and you buy a new label.
• eBay. You can download the QR code again within 7 days of purchase at no extra cost. An unused label can be canceled within 28 days. A code that was scanned at a drop-off point counts as used and cannot be canceled.
• Labels made through an API. EasyPost will not generate a QR code when the ship date is in the past, when the shipment needs a customs form or when the label has been refunded.

Senders can also update or delete a stored label at any time. If a brand canceled your first label and sent a second, the old email still shows a code. Use the newest email.

For brands: stop the failed trip before it happens

A customer who gets turned away at the counter blames the brand. Five things cut those tickets.

• Put the Label Broker ID in the return email as plain text under the code. The customer can read it to a clerk or type it at usps.com.
• State the date the code expires in the same email.
• Link the USPS location finder and name the Label Broker filter.
• Offer a printable PDF as the second option on every return.
• When you reissue a label, tell the customer the old code is dead.

Some customers give up and ship the return with their own label. At our building at 905 Remsen Ave in Brooklyn, unlabelled returns are still matched to the original order. Every unit is opened, photographed and graded by the following morning at the latest. The first 10 returns a month are included, and each unit after that is $2. See how our returns work.

For the basics of Label Broker, read how to get a USPS QR code turned into a printable shipping label. For the policy side, read who should pay for return shipping. If the return never shows up at all, start with the playbook for packages marked delivered. The USPS carrier page lists the services we run on.