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Expect to pay roughly what the original shipment cost, sometimes more, because return postage is priced like a brand-new outbound shipment and you lose any volume discounts the seller had. The honest catch: LetterAgent sells Canada-only Xpresspost labels, so it cannot produce a return label from a US address. This is general information, not tax advice.
| Cost piece | What happens | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Return postage | Priced like a new outbound shipment, at retail rates | Depends on fault: seller's error means seller, change of mind means you |
| Customs forms | Required again, in the other direction | You fill them out when you drop the parcel off |
| Duties and taxes paid on delivery | Generally not refunded through the carrier | You, unless the seller refunds them as goodwill |
| Brokerage fees | Can apply again on courier returns | Whoever the carrier bills |
There is no "return discount" in postal or courier rate tables. The carrier moves the box the same distance in the same direction, so the rate is the same rate: often higher than what the seller paid, because the seller's outbound label may have carried a business or volume discount you cannot get as a walk-in customer. Cross-border returns add a second cost layer in paperwork and time: the parcel needs a customs declaration again, and a misdeclared return can be held, inspected, or sent back to you. Mark the contents accurately, and where the form offers a reason, choose the returned-goods option rather than describing it as a sale.
Usually not automatically, and this is the part that catches people. The duties and taxes you paid when the item arrived were collected by customs, not by the carrier, so the carrier cannot refund them when you ship the item back. A formal refund claim process exists, but it is paperwork-heavy, slow, and comes with time limits, so many people never bother for modest amounts. The practical routes: ask the seller whether they refund duties as a goodwill gesture (some do, some do not), and keep every receipt, because any claim or negotiation starts with proof of what you paid. If the return is the seller's fault, the duties are part of what you should ask them to make right.
Confirm two things with the seller first: that they accept cross-border returns at all, and who is paying the return postage. Some sellers only accept domestic returns, and finding that out after you have paid for international postage is an expensive lesson. Ask whether they will email you a prepaid return label: seller-generated labels from their side of the border are usually cheaper than anything you can buy at retail. Then keep the tracking number and a photo of the packed parcel. If the return disappears in transit, the tracking number is your only evidence, and without it the seller owes you nothing.
Do the comparison honestly. If the item is low value and the return postage approaches what you paid, the rational move is to ask the seller for a partial refund or a keep-it credit instead of shipping it back. Many sellers offer exactly this for inexpensive goods, because return shipping would cost them too. Some go further with returnless refunds: they refund you and tell you to keep or donate the item. None of this feels satisfying if you wanted the money and the closure, but it beats paying to ship a parcel back across a border for a refund that nets you almost nothing.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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