UPS pickup charges

September 18, 2006 11:35 AM

What does UPS Ground charge for a one-time pickup at my house if I don't have an account? And is it a per-pickup or per-package charge? I have wasted an hour trying to figure this out on their website, and their cost calculator isn't clear either. I seem to remember about 5 years ago pickups were free but you had to get on the next day's schedule.
posted by chef_boyardee to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Pickups are free. You just have to put in the dimensions & weight of your package and pay by credit card. And be home when they come to pick it up, which I believe is anytime between 9am and 6pm or something. You can do it all online.
posted by witchstone at 12:16 PM on September 18, 2006

Witchstone, I had the same experience as chef_boyardee -- UPS won't come pick up from me without charging me for the privilege. Frustrating, and definitely has dissuaded me from using them in the past.
posted by delfuego at 12:44 PM on September 18, 2006

I have an account -- when I have boxes picked up, it's never free. The cost varies according to how soon you want the pick-up and how much the package costs. It might be different when you're using UPS boxes or sending letters, but I don't know.

I've found that if I pre-arrange for a pick-up of one package, the driver will take extras at no charge. If they show up to deliver a package, they'll take outgoing stuff for free. And you can flag them down on the street to give them your parcels.
posted by wryly at 1:12 PM on September 18, 2006

i believe it's $10.00 plus a fuel surcharge (which is about 50 cents). plus whatever charge you incur from the shipping cost. if you call UPS (1-800-457-4022), they can schedule the pickup.
posted by kerning at 3:34 PM on September 18, 2006

UPS used to charge anybody who wanted pickup, including retail stores who got regular deliveries. Charge was for unlimited pickup for 1 week. Individual pickups are a pain to them, packages may not be ready, may be poorly labeled, packed and weighed, checks may bounce, etc. For large shippers, the once a week charge is trvial.

I always call for pickup when I have a bunch of holiday packages. For 5 bucks I don't have to drive to their location and stand in line forever. They are still way more reliable than USPS.
posted by theora55 at 8:41 PM on September 18, 2006

Not sure if the policy differs for non-account holders, but my company gets charged $5 per package when we schedule a pickup, plus a small fuel surcharge, cost of actually shipping the package, etc.

As others have accurately noted though, if you schedule a pickup for one package, they will generally take additional packages for no additional cost once they show up, despite the official $5 per box charge..\ Also, when we receive deliveries from UPS they will almost always take packages we have to ship out for no charge, but unless UPS happens to stop by your house regularly that might not be an option.
posted by The Gooch at 11:45 PM on September 18, 2006

If the package is a return item, and they gave you an ARS label (it will say ARS on it) then take it to Staples and they'll ship it for free. They scan the package and give you a receipt, and then it's their problem.
Otherwise, if you're shipping directly with no label, I believe it's $10 for UPS to come to your house.
posted by deejayqueue at 7:46 AM on September 19, 2006