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Uber Will Save You a Trip to the Post Office With New Package-Return Feature

You can use the Uber app to ship or return a package and skip the post office line, starting Wednesday in many cities.

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Jessica Rendall Wellness Writer
Jessica is a writer on the Wellness team with a focus on health news. Before CNET, she worked in local journalism covering public health issues, business and music.
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Jessica Rendall
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A person in a golden shirt filling out a paper for a package
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Just ahead of the holiday season, Uber has announced a new feature that'll let you return or ship packages without stepping foot in a post office, as long as you already have the materials and proper labels.

To use it, you'll prepay your package and prepare it as you normally would at the post office, but you can request that someone pick it and drop it off for you. (For this reason, the feature is more helpful for returning packages where you're likely to already have the label printed, rather than new packages.) 

The new feature builds on expansions like Uber Connect, which allows you to request a driver to send a package. With Return a Package, you can request a courier to pick up up to five packages at a time and drop them off at a post office, UPS or FedEx. 

Starting Wednesday, it'll be available in cities across the US, including San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Washington, DC. For a full list, check out the company's blog post. 

Uber says the Return a Package feature is a flat $5 fee, or $3 if you're an Uber One member. 

See: Best Early October Prime Day Deals You Can Shop Right Now 

How to use Uber to send packages 

If you want to send a package through Uber, you'll need to have it all dressed up and ready to go. Per the company's blog post, follow these steps and requirements:

  1. Make sure it meets Uber's requirements for shipping packages (also, keep it under $100 in value and less than 30 pounds).
  2. Prepay the package with a label or QR code and seal it properly. 
  3. In the Uber app, touch the package icon. In the Uber Eats app, search for "Return a Package" in the settings section. Use that feature. 
  4. Wait for an Uber driver to pick up your package.
  5. Track your package in real time using the Uber app. The company says the courier will send confirmation or a photo when the drop-off has been completed.

Read more: You Can Still Return Amazon Packages for Free. Here's How It Works