You can send someone a prepaid shipping label by creating the label online through a carrier like USPS, UPS, or FedEx, then emailing it as a PDF or sharing a printable link. The person you’re sending it to doesn’t need to pay anything or set up an account. They just print the label, stick it on the package, and drop it off. If neither of you has a printer, there are printerless options that use a QR code at a carrier location.
How the Label Setup Works
When you create a prepaid shipping label, you’re paying for the postage in advance and generating a label with all the routing information already on it. The key detail: you enter the other person’s address as the “Ship From” address, not the “Ship To.” This trips people up. If you want someone to send a package to you, they are the shipper, and you are the destination. So you put their name and address in the origin field and yours in the destination field.
You’ll need to know (or estimate closely) the package weight and dimensions before creating the label, since the shipping cost is calculated from those numbers. If you’re not sure what the other person is packing, ask them to weigh the sealed box on a bathroom scale and measure the length, width, and height. Getting these numbers right matters because carriers audit packages in transit and will charge you the difference if the actual size or weight exceeds what you entered.
Creating a Label Through Major Carriers
Each major carrier lets you create a label on its website and download or print it at home.
USPS: Use the Click-N-Ship tool at usps.com. Sign in or create a free account, enter the origin and destination addresses, select a service level (Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, etc.), enter the package weight and dimensions, and pay. You can then download the label as a PDF to email to your recipient.
UPS: Go to ups.com and navigate to “Create a Shipment.” You can log in or continue as a guest. Enter the shipper’s name and address in the “Ship From” section, then your address (or wherever the package is going) in the “Ship To” section. Choose your service option, pay, and print the label at home. You can save it as a PDF and send it along.
FedEx: Use the shipping tool at fedex.com. The process mirrors UPS: enter the origin address, the destination, package details, and service level. Pay online and download or print the label.
Once you have the label file, attach it to an email, send it through a messaging app, or share it however you normally share documents. The recipient prints it on standard paper (taping it flat to the box works fine) or on a label sheet, then drops the package at a carrier location or schedules a pickup.
Third-Party Platforms for Cheaper Labels
Services like Pirate Ship and Shippo offer discounted postage rates, often significantly lower than what you’d pay at a carrier’s retail counter. They negotiate volume pricing and pass the savings through, which is especially helpful if you send labels regularly.
On Pirate Ship, you have two ways to share a label with someone else. First, you can download the label as a PDF from your Ship Page by clicking “Print Label” and then “Download Label.” Attach that PDF to an email or text. Second, you can click “Create Share Link,” which generates a URL that goes directly to a printable version of the label. The person you send it to doesn’t need a Pirate Ship account. They just click the link and print.
One thing to keep in mind: share links aren’t permanent. They refresh periodically as a security measure, so tell your recipient to use the link within a week. Also, these platforms can only generate postage for packages shipping from U.S. addresses, so they won’t work if the person sending the package is outside the country.
Printerless Options Using a QR Code
If the person you’re sending the label to doesn’t have a printer, USPS offers a service called Label Broker. When you create a label through Click-N-Ship, choose the option to “Print later at Post Office.” USPS will email you a Label Broker ID, which is a QR code followed by 8 to 10 characters. Forward that QR code to your recipient.
They save the QR code on their phone, pack and seal the box, and take both to a USPS location that supports Label Broker. At the counter, they show the QR code to a retail associate, who prints and applies the label. Some locations also have self-service kiosks where the recipient can scan the QR code, print the label themselves, stick it on the package, and drop it in the designated area. No printer needed at any point.
Why Accurate Weight and Dimensions Matter
Carriers use automated scanners to weigh and measure every package moving through their network. If the actual weight or size doesn’t match what you entered when creating the label, you’ll be billed for the difference, and sometimes hit with surcharges on top of that.
USPS charges the price difference plus a $1.50 fee for packages over one cubic foot if you didn’t provide accurate dimensions. Larger discrepancies cost more: a box longer than 30 inches that wasn’t declared correctly triggers a $15 adjustment.
UPS rounds all fractional measurements up to the next whole inch, so a box that measures 11.1 inches on one side is billed as 12 inches. Packages over 50 pounds domestically incur an additional handling charge. Anything exceeding 150 pounds, 108 inches in length, or 165 inches in combined length and girth hits an “OverMax” surcharge starting at $1,150 per package.
FedEx applies similar additional handling fees for domestic packages over 50 pounds or with a longest side over 48 inches. The takeaway: ask your recipient to measure carefully before you buy the label. A bathroom scale and a tape measure save you from surprise charges a week later.
Step-by-Step Summary
- Get the package details. Ask the person shipping the package to weigh it and measure the length, width, and height of the sealed box.
- Choose where to buy the label. Use a carrier’s website directly (USPS, UPS, FedEx) or a third-party platform like Pirate Ship or Shippo for discounted rates.
- Enter addresses correctly. The other person’s address goes in the “Ship From” field. Your address (or the final destination) goes in “Ship To.”
- Enter weight, dimensions, and service level. Pick the speed and price point that fits your needs.
- Pay and download the label. Save it as a PDF or generate a share link.
- Send it to your recipient. Email the PDF, text the share link, or forward the USPS Label Broker QR code if they don’t have a printer.
- Recipient prints, attaches, and drops off. They tape the label to the box and bring it to a carrier location or schedule a pickup.
Most labels are valid for the shipping date you selected when purchasing. If your recipient can’t ship the package that day, you may need to void the label and create a new one. Carriers typically refund voided labels, though it can take a few weeks for the credit to appear. Check the carrier’s void policy before purchasing if timing is uncertain.