UPS charges money for all shipping labels generated on your UPS account. So when a third-party creates a label that is billed to your UPS account, you pay for that label, even if it’s never used. And while the shipping labels can be voided, only the shipper (i.e. third-party billing to your UPS account), has the ability to void the label. So, even if you know of unused shipping labels billed to your UPS account, the only action that can be taken is tasking out the voiding of the unused shipping labels to your business business partner, and later following-up on those shipping labels to ensure that they have indeed been voided.
This process is time-intensive, complicated and requires continuous communication with the third-parties shipping on your account. Regrettably, the majority of refund credits for unused shipping labels that are billed to your third-party UPS account go unclaimed. Most do. The good news is that Bear Down Parcel can help.
The information below details the reasons why reclaiming refund credits for unused shipping labels created by third-party shippers is difficult, and how Bear Down Parcel streamlines the process with an automated communication platform, which recuperates refund credits for unused shipping labels created by third-parties on your UPS account.
Only the third-party shipper can void unused shipping labels
- The shipper is the account in which a shipping label is created (i.e. the third-party created and billing labels on your UPS account).
- The payee is the account to a bill is generated for that shipment (i.e. this is you).
In standard billing, these are one in the same account. In third-party billing, they’re different accounts, and so it follows that the shipping label cannot be voided by the payee. Said differently, you can NOT void labels created by third-parties; only the shipper can void shipping labels. This structure makes the process of collecting refund credits for unused shipping labels created by third-parties onerous, and is the single greatest reason why unused third-party shipping labels go unvoided and unrecuperated.
Void claims have expiration dates
- The model below outlines the expiration dates related to void claims for unused UPS shipments. Day one signifies the day which the shipping label is created and marked for shipment. From here through day ninety, the customer 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. And finally, on day one hundred and eighty, the expiration date for submitting void claims on unused shipping labels expires, and any potential refund credits pending at that time default to a status of unclaimed.
Unused shipping labels are hard to find
The weekly UPS invoice includes all of the shipping labels created during that billing period. These are represented as line items within the debits section of the UPS invoice. Invariably, some of these line items are unused shipping labels, and deducing which are unused requires the auditing of each. This process takes time and resources, which is why companies with hundreds of packages being sent each week outsource auditing to Bear Down Parcel.
How Bear Down Parcel helps
Bear Down Parcel’s automated communication platform makes is easy for customers to manage third-party shippers, thereby increasing the refund credits collected for unused shipping labels created by third-parties. This feature is available to Bear Down Parcel customers as part of the performance-based small parcel auditing services included within the Bear Down Parcel application.
Notification schedule for payees on unused labels
- Once per week, Bear Down Parcel sends customers a list of unregistered third-party shippers with unused shipping labels. Customers can login and create shipping accounts to enable automation notifications for third-party shippers.
Notification schedule for third-party shippers
- Once per week, Bear Down Parcel sends registered third-party shippers a list of unused shipping labels created by third-party shippers and directions on how to void the shipping labels on UPS.com.
Exportable list of unused shipping labels by shipper
Within the Bear Down Parcel App, customers can quickly uncover which third-party shippers have unused shipping labels and the voiding status of those labels. This information is helping in preparing invoices that can be sent to business partners as a secondary measure of recuperating the charges for unused shipping labels billed to your UPS account.
Exportable list of unused shipping labels by shipper
Third-party shippers can lean out the shipping label generation workflow with these simple tips:
- Void any unused shipping labels immediately.
- Void any unused shipping labels listed in the email sent by Bear Down Parcel immediately.
- Include multiple recipients on the unused shipping label notification email.
