LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Shipping to your new address
Yes, you can ship a package to your new address, but only once you can actually receive it there. Time the parcel to arrive after key handover, confirm how deliveries work at the new building, and use a pickup point if access is uncertain.
One limit up front: LetterAgent labels are Canada-only, flat-rate Xpresspost, up to 5 kg. If your new home is outside Canada, LetterAgent cannot cover a parcel to it. If the new home is in Canada and the parcel fits the weight limit, the rest of this guide applies directly, and the label flow is a per-label quote, your approval of the exact price, a one-time Stripe payment, and a label PDF.
An address becomes receivable when three things are true: you hold the keys, someone or some system can accept the parcel, and the carrier's records recognise the address. A signed lease alone does not meet that test. A new subdivision, a newly converted unit, or a building with a changed street number may not yet appear correctly in carrier systems, and a parcel sent to an unrecognised address can be delayed or returned.
Test the address with a small, low-stakes parcel first if you can. A box of spare clothes or books arriving cleanly tells you the address, the delivery method, and the pickup routine all work. A test parcel also reveals quirks early: a lobby that locks, a parcel room that needs a code, or a driver who leaves a card instead of knocking. Learning those quirks with a cheap box beats learning them with something valuable.
If you cannot test first, call or visit the building manager, the landlord, or a neighbour and ask how parcels arrive. Do deliveries go to the door, to a lobby, to a community mailbox, or to a nearby post office? Is there a parcel locker, a concierge desk, or a code for the driver? A five-minute question now can save a week of chasing a held parcel later.
A parcel that arrives before you do is a parcel at risk. It may sit outside, fill a parcel room, or be returned after a hold period expires. Hold periods at pickup points are limited, and a parcel left outside a new home invites theft or weather damage. Do not ship to a new address on the hope that you will arrive in time; ship so that arrival follows your arrival, with buffer days for a delay.
If timing slips and a parcel is already on its way to an address you cannot yet access, act quickly. Track it daily, and if it shows a delivery attempt or a pickup notice, arrange for someone you trust to collect it, or contact the carrier about holding it longer. Some carriers allow a redirect to a pickup point while a parcel is in transit, but that option depends on the service and the parcel's stage, so do not count on it as a backup plan.
A safer fallback is to ship to a pickup point near the new home from the start, when access is uncertain. You collect the parcel when you are ready, within the hold period, instead of racing a delivery driver to an empty home. The same logic applies to a trusted friend or family member near the new home: a parcel in their hands beats a parcel on a new doorstep.
| Situation | Best destination | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Keys in hand, door delivery works | New address | Direct, simplest route |
| Keys soon, access unclear | Nearby pickup point | You collect when ready, within the hold period |
| New building, address not yet recognised | Trusted person nearby | Avoids a return for an unknown address |
| New home outside Canada | Cross-border carrier route | LetterAgent labels are Canada-only |
| Parcel over 5 kg | Carrier or courier route | LetterAgent labels cap at 5 kg |
Not in the way people expect. Mail redirection services are built mainly for letters, and parcels follow different rules. A redirected letter may reach your new address, while a parcel sent to your old address may be returned, held, or refused, depending on the carrier and the service. Do not rely on redirection as a parcel safety net.
Instead, update your address directly with every sender that matters: online shops, subscription services, banks, and anyone who ships to you regularly. Do it before the move if you can, and keep a list of who you updated. For the first weeks after a move, check tracking for any parcel still heading to the old address, and contact the sender or carrier early if one appears.
For letters, redirection is still worth setting up. Just keep the two systems separate: redirection for letters, direct address updates for parcels.
Put your full name as it appears on the building or mailbox, plus the complete new address with unit, floor, or box number. A first name only, or a name that does not match the mailbox, can cause a hold in a building with a parcel room or a concierge. If the building uses a different mailing name than the street name, use the mailing name the carrier recognises.
For the return address, use an address that will reach you throughout the move, not the old home you are leaving. If the parcel cannot be delivered, it needs a return path that still works. A trusted person's address, or a stable address you control for the moving period, is safer than an old address that may stop reaching you on moving day.
Finally, keep the tracking number and the drop-off receipt until the parcel is in your hands at the new home. A simple list, one line per parcel, turns a frantic search into a quick check.
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