UPS® charges money for all shipping labels created. When you create a shipping label that is billed to your business partner’s UPS® account, your business partner pays for it, even if that shipping label isn’t used. Mistakes happen. Unused shipping labels are a part of even the most efficient operations. And while these charges can be recouped by voiding the unused shipping labels, finding and voiding them is a complicated, time-intensive process. One which requires the input of the third-party shipper (i.e. you). As a result, the majority of refund credits for unused shipping labels billed to third-parties goes unclaimed.
The information below details the challenges in reclaiming refund credits for unused shipping labels billed to third-parties and what Share A Refund does to help streamline your process in voiding unshipping labels.
Only the shipper can void shipping labels
The shipper is the account in which a shipping label is created (e.g. you). The payee is the account for which a bill is generated for that shipment (e.g. your business partner). In standard billing, these are one in the same account. In third-party billing, they’e different accounts entirely, and as such, the payee cannot void the shipping label created. Again, only the shipper can void the unused shipping label. This structure makes the process of collecting refund credits for unused shipping labels created by third-parties arduous, and is the single largest reason why unused shipping labels go uncollected for third-party shipments.
Void claims have cut-off dates
The model below outlines the cut-off dates related to void claims submitted by customers for unused UPS® labels. The day that a shipping label is created represents day one. From that day through day ninety, the shipper can submit void claims for a shipping label online, using the self-help services on UPS.com. A how-to void unused UPS® shipping labels guide details the specific process. After the ninety-first day, void claims must be submitted by phone, by calling UPS® billing services or your billing representative. And finally, on day one hundred and eighty, the cutoff date for submitting void claims on unused shipping labels expires, and any potential refund credits forever remain unclaimed.
Unused shipping labels are hard to find
The weekly UPS® invoice includes all of the shipments manifested during that period as line items. Some of these line items are unused shipping labels, and in order to discern which is unused, each must be audited to ensure that it was indeed shipped. This process takes a few minutes per label, which is why companies with hundreds of packages being sent each week hire Share A Refund to find unneeded shipping labels with software designed to assist in the discovery.
How Share A Refund helps
Share A Refund’s automated communication platform makes is easy for shippers to manage unused shipping labels, thereby increasing the refund credits collected by payees on unused shipping labels created by rhird-parties. This feature is available to Share A Refund customers as part of the performance-based small parcel auditing services included within the software application.
Notification schedule for payees (i.e. your business partner)
- Once per week, Share A Refund sends customers a list of unregistered third-party shippers that have unvoided, unused shipping labels.
- This includes all third-party shippers, who’ve created unused shipping labels, which are older than 30 days with a status of unshipped.
Notification schedule for third-party shippers (i.e. you)
- Once per week, Share A Refund sends registered third-party shippers a list of unused shipping labels.
- This includes the shipping labels that are more that 30 days, with a status of unshipped.
- The step-by-step directions on how to void unneded shipping labels make it easy for shippers to quickly void the labels.
How third-party shippers can help
Third-party shippers can lean out shipping label generation with these simple tips:
- Void any unused shipping labels immediately.
- Void any unused shipping labels listed in the email sent by Share A Refund.
- Include multiple recipients on the unused shipping label notification email.
