UPS Pickups Aren't Free: You can request a pickup for your UPS packages after you purchase your first UPS label, but unlike USPS, UPS pickups aren't free 😅
UPS offers their "On Call" pickup service for a fee, plus any applicable surcharges that might apply if they consider your location to be "Extra Rural" or a "Remote Area."
Scheduling a UPS Pickup
How to Schedule a UPS Pickup: To schedule a pickup from UPS, navigate to your Ship page and look for the blue "Schedule a Pickup" button.
From there, click Request Pickup > UPS to be routed to this page:
Added Flexibility: UPS pickups offer much more flexibility than USPS pickups 💪
For instance, you can request a specific date and time for your pickup, as well as the location where your packages will be at the Pickup Location (Ship From Address) of your choice.
Choose Your Shipping Service: You'll need to select the UPS service you're shipping with, as well as the total number of packages for that service 📦
If you're shipping with multiple UPS services, simply click the blue "Add Line Item" text as seen in the screenshot above to include a new line!
Enter Total Weight of Your Pickup: Lastly, enter the estimated total weight of all the packages in your pickup, and you're good to go.
UPS charges for "On Call" service...but you can always drop off your packages for free
On-Call UPS Pickups Cost Money: UPS offers their "On Call" pickup service for all UPS packages on Pirate Ship for a fee.
Drop-Offs Cost Nothing: If you don't want to spend the money for an on-call pickup, keep in mind that it's free to drop off UPS packages at any UPS location 😉
UPS offers over 85,000 drop-off locations across the country, including The UPS Store®, UPS Drop Boxes, and Access Point locations like CVS pharmacies, Michael’s stores, Advance Auto Parts, and other local independent retailers!
Find a Drop-Off Point: To see where you can drop off any UPS packages near you, visit this link: https://www.ups.com/dropoff
UPS pickups might also incur a Delivery Area Surcharge
Delivery Area Surcharges May Apply to Pickups: Depending on where you're located, you might need to pay a Delivery Area Surcharge on top of the cost of your UPS pickup.
This occurs in certain instances, like if UPS considers your location "Extra Rural" or a "Remote Area."
All Costs Displayed: No matter the surcharge that may apply, your total cost will be displayed when you're scheduling the pickup, so you won't find any surprise charges later 😉
UPS Surcharges on Pirate Ship: Learn more about the UPS surcharges you may be subject to on Pirate Ship.
Same Day Pickups
Scheduling Same-Day UPS Pickups: You can schedule a same-day UPS pickup on Pirate Ship. Same-day UPS pickups cost $6, but availability is subject to local conditions, cut-off times, and carrier routes.
For instance, if you schedule a same-day pickup without enough lead time, your carrier might have completed their route already, and UPS may cancel the pickup instead of coming back for your package 🙈
The Earlier, the Better: Generally speaking, the earlier you request your same-day pickup, the better off you'll be.
If you request a same-day pickup before 12pm local time, there's a good chance UPS will make it happen that day. If you schedule it after 12pm, UPS might come to get your packages on the same day... but more likely, they'll push the pickup to the following business day.
For this reason, UPS suggests requesting a same-day pickup immediately once you purchase your label(s)!
We Suggest Next-Day Pickups: Due to all of these factors, next-day pickups are typically the safest option! Next-day UPS pickups on Pirate Ship cost $4.25.
Chat With Us for Canceled Pickups: If UPS cancels your pickup for whatever reason, chat with us or email us at support@pirateship.com. We'll make sure the cost of that pickup is refunded to your Pirate Ship account balance. From there, you can use those funds to schedule another pickup.
Saturday Pickups
Saturday UPS Pickups Are Available: If you need your packages picked up over the weekend, UPS also provides On-Call Pickups for Saturday 😎
You'll just need to pay a Saturday pickup surcharge per pickup location, along with the standard pickup fee.
What to do if UPS doesn't show up
We'll Reimburse You for No-Show Pickups: If UPS doesn't show up without canceling your pickup, chat with us or email us at support@pirateship.com so we can help!
We'll refund the cost of that pickup back to your Pirate Ship account balance, and you can use those funds to schedule another pickup.
Canceling a Pickup
How to Cancel a Pickup: If you need to cancel an upcoming pickup, click the red "Cancel" button when you open your Pickups page.
When you cancel a UPS pickup, UPS immediately refunds you for the pickup cost, and you'll see those funds in your Account Balance 🤑
UPS won't bring any labels to you when they come for a Pickup
You Must Provide Labels for Pickups: When you schedule a pickup directly from UPS, they sometimes bring a label to you when they come to pick up your package(s). However, this ISN'T the case for any pickups you schedule on Pirate Ship.
When you schedule a UPS pickup for labels you purchased on our platform, you'll always need to print your label and affix it to your packages. This is the only way UPS will accept your packages for pickup 👍
You might see varying costs and surcharges
Pickup Costs Vary: Since UPS offers pickups for a fee and imposes surcharges based on the location of your Ship From Address, you may see some varying pickup costs in your Transaction History at the bottom of your Reports page.
This is because UPS applies these surcharges on top of the base fee they charge for "On Call" pickups.
You can reference the list of UPS surcharges to see the different types of surcharges you may be subject to, depending on where you're located.