LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Refund Unused Online Postage
Usually, yes. Most online postage services refund labels and postage that were never scanned by the carrier, as long as you request the refund within their window, often around thirty days. The refund goes back to the balance or card you paid with, minus any small processing fee the provider charges.
The process is nearly the same across the major online postage services. Find the label in your shipping history or dashboard, look for a refund or void option next to it, and submit the request. The provider checks its tracking data to confirm the label was never scanned into the mail stream. If it was never used, the refund is usually approved automatically. If the label shows any scan event, even a single acceptance scan, the refund is denied: the carrier considers that postage spent. Request promptly rather than batching old labels at month's end, because the request window is measured from the print date, not from when you got around to it.
| Situation | Refund likely? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Label printed, package never shipped | Yes | Request the refund in your dashboard |
| Label printed with the wrong address | Yes | Void it, then print a corrected label |
| Label scanned once, then the shipment was cancelled | No | Postage is considered used; contact the carrier for exceptions |
| Postage printed on a meter, never mailed | Sometimes | Meter refills are handled differently; check your meter provider |
| Physical stamps, unused | Yes, different process | Return them to the post office for exchange or refund |
They look similar but refund differently. Online postage (services like Stamps.com, Pitney Bowes, and carrier postage tools) prints postage value onto the label, and the refund comes from the postage provider after they verify non-use. Carrier shipping labels bought through a carrier or a marketplace (a UPS, FedEx, or Canada Post label) are voided through the carrier's own process, which has its own deadlines. The practical difference: with online postage you are reclaiming postage value; with a carrier label you are cancelling a shipment the carrier priced for you. Both require the package to be unscanned. If you are unsure which kind you bought, check who charged your card.
Unused adhesive stamps never expire in the US if they are Forever stamps, and in Canada most stamps remain valid for their denomination. Returning them for a cash refund is a different, slower process: the post office generally exchanges damaged or unused stamps rather than handing back money, and there are forms and waiting periods involved. This is why the online postage refund is friendlier than the physical stamp refund. If you overbought stamps, the simplest move is to keep them and use them up over time; Forever stamps hold their value against every future price increase.
Print labels only when the package is packed, sealed, and ready to go. The most common wasted label comes from printing before packing: you print the label, then realize the box is too small, the weight was wrong, or the buyer changed the order. Weigh the sealed package, enter the real weight, then print. If you ship regularly, a small scale pays for itself quickly by ending the guess-print-guess cycle. And if a label goes unused, request the refund the same day rather than letting it sit; the thirty-day window passes faster than you expect.
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.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com