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Everything you need to know about UPS
Everything you need to know about UPS

The getting started guide for all things UPS on Pirate Ship

Updated over a week ago

Pirate Ship now offers UPS® labels with instant, pre-negotiated discounts. Here's everything you need to know to get started with UPS on Pirate Ship.

Choosing a Service and Buying Labels

Creating a UPS label is no different than USPS; all you need to do is go to your Ship page and click the "Create a Single Label" button. Once you're there, enter your recipient address information, your package details, and click the green "Get Rates" button to see your different options 😉

You'll be prompted to select a service from the Choose a Service drop-down menu. Here, alongside all the USPS services you're used to, you'll see all the different UPS services available for your shipment, with day-specific delivery estimates for UPS.

By default Pirate Ship will Sort By by whichever service is most affordable, but if you prefer using one of the carriers over the other you can change the default on the top right of the Choose a Service menu.

The different UPS services

UPS gives you tons of options for shipping your packages fast and affordably 💪

Here's a breakdown of all the UPS services that you get access to whenever you use Pirate Ship:

Domestic UPS services

  • UPS® Ground - The most competitive service for shippers looking to save money while getting their packages to customers quickly. It's the most affordable domestic service that UPS offers, and features day-and-time specific delivery estimates within 1-5 business days.

  • UPS 3 Day Select® - A great option if you want to be sure your packages will get to your customers within three business days.

  • UPS 2nd Day Air® - For packages that need delivery within 2 days, with an earlier delivery option with the UPS 2nd Day Air A.M. service.

    • 2nd Day Air A.M.® - With the A.M. option you can have your package delivered earlier in the day, by 10:30 AM or Noon depending on the shipment.

  • UPS Next Day Air® - The premier service for packages that need to arrive the next business day, with some destinations qualifying for Early AM or more affordable End-of-Day delivery.

    • UPS Next Day Air® Early - With the Early option, UPS offers overnight delivery as early as 8:00 AM to most major cities, or by 9:30 AM to other addresses.

    • UPS Next Day Air Saver® - As the most affordable next-day UPS delivery service, Saver is ideal if you’d like to save money and still have your packages delivered by end-of-day on the next business day.

International UPS services

  • UPS® Standard - The most affordable international UPS service for shipments going to Mexico and Canada that aren’t as time-sensitive, with delivery in 3-7 business days.

  • UPS Worldwide Expedited® - The ideal service for non-urgent international shipments with 2-5 day delivery, depending on which country you’re shipping to.

  • UPS Worldwide Saver® - A cost-effective service for international shipments that require quick delivery, with 1 day delivery to Canada and 2-3 day delivery to other countries.

  • UPS Worldwide Express® - The fastest international service on Pirate Ship for time-sensitive packages, with 1-3 day delivery by 10:30 AM or Noon depending on the destination.

Printing labels

UPS labels look a little different from USPS labels, but you still won't need a special printer to print them! You can use a desktop printer to print any UPS labels, or you can use a 4x6" thermal label printer.

Note: UPS doesn't support 2x7" label sizes, only the standard 4x6" size. You can use a regular desktop inkjet or laser printer, or check out our label printer recommendations here.

Tracking your UPS shipments

Every UPS label you purchase on Pirate Ship comes with full door-to-door tracking, and a UPS tracking number that you and your recipient can follow along with.

You'll be able to see the latest tracking update on Pirate Ship by clicking into each individual UPS shipment in your Ship page, and you can click the tracking number or copy/paste it into UPS.com for real time updates 🔍

Insurance for UPS labels

All UPS labels come with $100 of carrier liability, no matter which service you purchase 💰 In the event that you need to file a claim, all you need to do is chat or email the Pirate Ship support crew, and we'll guide you through the process and file the claim for you, so you get paid quicker.

Here's what our team needs to move forward with a claim for UPS shipments:

For missing shipments

  • The UPS tracking number

  • Invoice/proof of value

  • Screenshots of any correspondence with the recipient

  • Whether you've sent a replacement item (we don't recommend doing this until the claims process is complete)

For damaged shipments

  • The UPS tracking number

  • Invoice/proof of value

  • Detailed description of the damage

  • Screenshots of any correspondence with the recipient

  • Photos of the damaged item

  • Photos of all the packaging used, including external packaging and any internal packing materials (make sure your recipient doesn't throw any of this away)

Pro Tip: If your item is worth more than $100 you can always purchase additional shipping insurance through Pirate Ship! Learn how to add insurance to your packages.

Dropping off your UPS packages

UPS offers 85,000+ drop-off locations where you can leave your packages for free. These locations include The UPS Store®, UPS Drop Boxes and Access Point® locations, including CVS Pharmacy, Michaels Stores, Advance Auto Parts, and lots of local independent retailers.

With so many drop-off locations, you'll always have a place to take your pre-paid UPS packages once you've bought the labels here on Pirate Ship 💪

You can find your nearest UPS drop-off location by clicking this link: https://www.ups.com/dropoff

Scheduling pickups

If you don't feel like dropping your packages off yourself, Pirate Ship also gives you the ability to schedule pickups with your local UPS carrier. However, UPS pickups aren't free, and the costs will vary depending on your location and the day of the week (Saturdays are more expensive). To get a quote, just head to the Ship page, click Schedule Pickup, and then Request Pickup > UPS.

Same-day pickups vs next-day pickups

By default, UPS pickups that you schedule on Pirate Ship will be set for the next business day after you purchase your shipping label(s). Next-day pickups cost $4.25.

That said, you can also schedule same-day pickups for your UPS packages! Same-day UPS pickups cost $6, and availability is subject to local conditions, cut-off times, and carrier routes.

Learn more about scheduling UPS pickups.

Refunding UPS labels

The refund process for UPS labels is the same as USPS, but faster! As long as a label hasn't been used, refunds will be applied to your Pirate Ship Account Balance within an hour. Once UPS approves the refund, we can always transfer those funds back to your original payment method; you'll just need to chat with us and let us know you'd prefer that. Just keep in mind that if you end up using a label you've requested a refund for, you will be charged anyways 😉

That's it! If you have any questions about getting started with making UPS labels on Pirate Ship, click the blue chat button on the bottom right to get in touch with our Support Crew. We're always happy to lend a hook 😃

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