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Sometimes, you need USPS to hold a package for you. Maybe you’re going out of town for a while, and you won’t be home to claim a package that you’re expecting. We’re not judging! Whatever the case, there is a way to get USPS to hold a package for you at your local Post Office…for a fee, of course.
For Shippers, “Hold for Pickup” is Only an Option When Buying Postage with Click N’ Ship
If you’re sending a package and you know your recipient wants USPS to hold the package at their local Post Office, then you’ll need to specifically select this when buying a label. The thing is, “Hold for Pickup” is only ever an option when you buy postage directly through the USPS website, using USPS Click N’ Ship. Unfortunately, most third-party postage providers don’t offer this as an option.
This means that, if you use shipping software to buy postage online (which you should be doing), you likely won’t see “Hold for Pickup” anywhere when making your labels. Therefore, you’re going to have to go another route to get it done.
Recipients Can Request USPS Hold a Package by Filing an Intercept Request on the USPS Website
Whether you’re the shipper or the recipient, the best way to get USPS to hold a package is to file an intercept request on the USPS website. When you head there, the website will prompt you to enter your package’s tracking number. Then, once you confirm the original address information on the label, you’ll be able to select the “Hold for Pickup” option under the section marked Choose a Service.
Once you do this, boom—you’re done! USPS will then hold the package for you at your local Post Office until you come pick it up (holding periods typically last around 10 business days).
Pro Tip: Before doing any of this, you should note that filing an intercept request with USPS isn’t free; it costs $15.25.
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Gail Bledsoe
When sending a pkg to be held for pickup to another state, who does the Post office notify that it has arrived? The sender or the recipient? And do they know who the recipient going to be?
Julie Brown
I recessied a nessaage on my cell phone telling me they have a package for me but don’t have my address and am holding it in a wharehouse.
Guy Griffin
Can I make my own custom box to meet the measure requirement for cubic shipping rates?
Rockwell Sands
Hi Guy – you definitely can! You can use any type of customized packaging to qualify for cubic rates, as long as it’s less than 0.5 cubic feet in volume and weighs less than 20 pounds.