Can I Drop off UPS Packages at the Post Office?

Many novice shippers think that the major carriers in the United States are interchangeable; meaning, if they have a UPS package with UPS postage, another carrier such as USPS might accept it into their network. However, this isn’t the case. While USPS does carry out last-mile delivery for carriers like FedEx and UPS through certain service partnerships, you can’t hand off a UPS package at the Post Office if it contains UPS-specific postage.

You Can’t Drop Off UPS Packages at the Post Office Unless They Have a USPS Shipping Label

The U.S. Postal Service only accepts packages with USPS postage. Theoretically, you can hand USPS a UPS box or envelope that you haven’t purchased a shipping label for yet, and USPS will accept the package into its network once you purchase USPS-specific postage. However, if your box already has a UPS shipping label attached to it, you have no choice but to hand it to UPS at your local UPS Store or drop it off at a UPS access point.

Pro Tip: If you can’t make it to your local UPS Store, you can schedule a pickup with UPS on their website; once you’ve paid the pickup fee, a UPS driver will come to grab your package(s) at the designated time.

Can I Hand a UPS Package to My Letter Carrier?

Similar to not being able to drop off a UPS package at your local Post Office, you also can’t hand one over to your local USPS letter carrier and expect USPS to accept it into its network.

That said, if you have prepaid for UPS postage using online shipping software, you can hand off any UPS packages to your local UPS delivery driver instead of taking them to the UPS Store or your nearest UPS access point. Sometimes this may be an easier way to give packages to UPS if you see those big brown trucks parked in your neighborhood! UPS separates the packages on their trucks into two sections: packages out for delivery and incoming packages they pick up. Just make sure you see the UPS driver scan the package and/or place it onto the truck. Lastly, don’t forget to write down the tracking number so you can follow along with the package’s journey on the UPS tracking portal!