Two numbers settle it: the published fee and a live quote for sending another one.
Where a second label wins
A redirect makes sense when the parcel is worth more than the fee and the contents cannot simply be sent again. To draw that line with real money, here are live SMKlog quotes for a padded envelope holding a phone-sized item, 9 x 6 x 1.5 in at 0.6 lb, moving Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303 on 2026-07-28.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Transit window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $8.86 | 8-9 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $10.06 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $10.31 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $15.13 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $15.38 | 2-3 business days |
Read that against the fee table and the break-even is obvious. A USPS intercept on this envelope costs more than twice the cheapest replacement shipment, before the intercept postage is added. Unless the envelope holds something irreplaceable, the sensible move is to let it land and send another.
The reverse case is just as clear. Once a parcel carries a few hundred dollars of goods, a fee in the teens is noise, and the only real question becomes whether the request will beat the delivery scan. Speed, not price, decides it.
What a redirect will not do
Three limits catch people out repeatedly, and none of them is negotiable at a counter.
- It will not correct a broken address. Redirects aim a parcel at a new, deliverable destination; they do not repair a missing apartment number on the existing one.
- It will not beat a delivery scan. USPS describes intercept as applying to a piece that is not out for delivery and not already delivered, and the same logic governs the other carriers.
- It will not reach every destination. USPS excludes redirects to a PO Box entirely, along with pieces over 130 inches of length and girth, marketing mail, periodicals and hazardous materials markings.
If the redirect fails or was never possible, the parcel goes back and the sender starts again. Our returned to sender guide covers what that leg costs and whether any of the original postage is recoverable. Palletised items are freight, which SMKlog does not arrange.
To be plain about our own role: SMKlog sells parcel labels with no account required, US domestic plus international to Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia. We do not file carrier redirect requests, run fulfillment, or plug into marketplace platforms, so every intervention above is something you arrange on the carrier's own site.
Free options first, always
FedEx puts no price on a redirect to one of its retail locations. Try the pickup-point route before paying anyone to move a parcel to a second doorstep, and read the charge on the request screen before confirming.
Watch the scan, not the calendar
The window closes on a route scan rather than at a fixed hour. Refreshing tracking is worth more than guessing how long a ground shipment usually takes.
Recipient tools are stronger than sender tools
On both FedEx and UPS the account that controls where a parcel ends up belongs to whoever receives it. Sellers get further by walking a buyer through their options than by calling the carrier.
Redirect questions
How much does it cost to redirect a package?
It depends on the carrier and who asks. USPS charges senders $19.45 plus applicable postage, FedEx lists no cost for a redirect to one of its retail locations and $5.55 to $33.50 for a reroute to another residence, and UPS states that fees may apply without printing an amount.
Can I redirect a package that is out for delivery?
Generally no. USPS applies its intercept only to a piece that is not out for delivery and not already delivered, and the other carriers close their windows at the same practical point. Once the parcel is on the truck, refusal at the door is the remaining option.
Which carrier redirect is free?
FedEx publishes no charge for sending a package to a FedEx retail location for pickup, which is the clearest no-cost option of the three. USPS and UPS both attach money to their sender-side redirects, and every option that ends at a second street address carries a price somewhere.
When is reshipping cheaper than redirecting?
Whenever the replacement costs less than the fee. A 0.6 lb padded envelope from Newark 07102 to Atlanta 30303 quoted $8.86 through SMKlog on 2026-07-28, well under half a USPS intercept fee, so low-value goods are almost always cheaper to send again.