--- title: "USPS Package Intercept: cost, eligibility and the catch" description: "$19.45 only if USPS catches it, plus postage; Media Mail comes back as Priority Mail at commercial prices. Who can ask, what's eligible, the 7-day window." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/package-intercept/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # How much does USPS Package Intercept cost, and will it stop my package? Package Intercept costs $19.45 per package, charged only if USPS actually intercepts it, plus any new postage; only the sender can ask, the request stays active for 7 business days, and success isn't guaranteed. A Priority Mail or Ground Advantage package sent back to you costs no extra postage, but an intercepted Media Mail package is relabeled as a new Priority Mail piece at commercial prices. Fees from [USPS Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) effective Oct 4, 2026 (the same since Jul 12, 2026); rules quoted from the Domestic Mail Manual and usps.com, each with its section. USPS decides every claim and refund; this is a guide to its published rules. Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 - **Fee, if intercepted** $19.45 - **Who can request** The sender only - **Request active** 7 business days - **Media Mail intercepted** Becomes Priority Mail ## The rules > “Only the sender or authorized representative may request Package Intercept.” > > — [DMM 507.5.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 > “Package Intercept requests are active for 7 business days from the date of the request. Interception of eligible mailpieces is not guaranteed.” > > — [DMM 507.5.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 > “lets the sender (or authorized representative) stop delivery or redirect a package, letter, or flat that is not out for delivery or already delivered.” > > — [USPS Package Intercept page](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 ## Where you can send it *DMM 507.5.1.1 and USPS's Package Intercept page, checked Oct 19, 2026.* | Sender type | Request it at | Can redirect to | | --- | --- | --- | | Retail (most sellers) | usps.com, with a USPS.com account | Back to you; the destination Post Office as Hold For Pickup; another Post Office as Hold For Pickup | | Commercial | Business Customer Gateway | All of the above, or a new delivery address | ## What it costs *Fee: Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026. Postage rules: DMM 507.5.2.1 (as revised Jul 12, 2026).* | What you intercept, and where it goes | Fee | Postage | | --- | --- | --- | | Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail or Ground Advantage, back to you | $19.45 | None; not relabeled | | Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail or Ground Advantage, to a new address or Hold For Pickup | $19.45 | The original service at its commercial price, plus any extra-service fees | | Media Mail, Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Parcel Select | $19.45 | A new Priority Mail label at commercial prices, from where it's caught to the new destination | | Not intercepted | Not charged | None | > “intercepted Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail and Library Mail pieces ... are relabeled and handled as a new Priority Mail piece.” > > — [DMM 507.5.2.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 > “Customers will not be charged if the shipment was not intercepted.” > > — [USPS Package Intercept page](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 ## Worked example: a 2 lb box of books *Worked example: A 2 lb Media Mail package of books you want back, caught in Zone 4 from you* | Original Media Mail postage, already paid | $5.13 | | --- | ---: | | Package Intercept fee | $19.45 | | New Priority Mail label, 2 lb, Zone 4, commercial (holiday prices included) | $11.19 | | **Cost to get it back, on top of the original postage** | **$30.64** | The Priority Mail part depends on where the package is when USPS catches it. Compare the total with the books' price before you ask. ## What can't be intercepted - Anything already out for delivery or delivered. - Mail without a tracking barcode, and USPS Marketing Mail and Periodicals. - International mail, mail to or from APO/FPO/DPO addresses, and domestic mail needing a customs form. - Packages marked surface-only or with hazardous-materials markings, such as Label 127 or ORM-D. - Packages redirected to a PO Box, addressed to a commercial mail receiving agency, or over 130 inches in length plus girth. From DMM 507.5.1.3 and USPS's Package Intercept page. COD Hold For Pickup pieces are excluded too (DMM 507.5.1.2). ## How it's paid, and refunds - Estimate first: “After submitting your request, you’ll be provided an estimated total (intercept fee plus estimated postage, if applicable).” ([USPS Package Intercept page](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm)) If USPS catches the package: “If the actual postage is greater than estimated, any additional postage will be charged accordingly.” ([USPS Package Intercept page](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm)) - Retail: by credit or debit card at usps.com. New postage is charged at the time of the intercept when possible, or collected as postage due on delivery (DMM 507.5.2.2), which on a package coming back means you. - Commercial: through the mailer's Enterprise Payment System account. - Not intercepted: “The USPS Package Intercept fee ($19.45) plus any applicable postage charge may be refundable if the shipment was not intercepted.” ([USPS refunds page](https://www.usps.com/help/refunds.htm)) - Intercepted: the fee isn't refundable (“For the Package Intercept per-piece fee once USPS successfully intercepts the mailpiece” ([DMM 604.9.2.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/604.htm))). - Commercial redirect to a new address that turns out to be bad: “Packages designated for redirection to a new address provided by the mailer that are undeliverable as addressed will be returned to sender” ([DMM 507.5.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)). When redirecting to a new address or Hold For Pickup you can add Signature Confirmation, Adult Signature or insurance (insurance only if the original had it, for the original value); for a return to you, Registered Mail (DMM 507.5.3). USPS's Package Intercept page also says “Intercepted items will be redirected as the service it was originally sent with” ([USPS Package Intercept page](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm)) and that you pay the applicable postage, while DMM 507.5.2.1, revised Jul 12, 2026, says Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage pieces sent back to the sender aren't relabeled or charged more postage. The estimate shown when you submit the request is where to check what you'll be charged. ## Questions ### Can the buyer request a Package Intercept? No. Only the sender or an authorized representative can (DMM 507.5.1.1). ### Do I pay if USPS can't intercept it? No. USPS says customers aren't charged if the shipment wasn't intercepted. ### Can I intercept a package that's out for delivery? No. USPS's page limits it to mail that isn't out for delivery or already delivered. ### How much did Package Intercept cost before? $18.35 in the Jul 13, 2025 edition of Notice 123; $19.45 from the Jan 18, 2026 edition on. ## Related questions - [When will USPS refund postage or an extra-service fee?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/refund-postage-fees/) When USPS refunds a fee it didn't deliver on, the 30-to-60-day window, and what it never refunds. - [Can I ship a package to a Post Office for the buyer to pick up?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/hold-for-pickup/) Ship to the buyer's Post Office at no extra charge: which labels qualify, the ID rule and the 15-day return. - [How does USPS Hold Mail work for a seller going on vacation?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/hold-mail/) Free for 3 to 30 days, returns included; the 10-day pickup rule and longer trips. - [When should I file a USPS Missing Mail search instead of a claim?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/missing-mail-search/) From day 7, insured or not: what to send, and how it differs from a claim. - [How do I get a refund for a USPS label I printed but didn't use?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/refund-unused-label/) Click-N-Ship within 60 days; other PC Postage labels within 30 days of printing. More in Managing packages: intercept, searches, pickup, Hold For Pickup, Hold Mail, proof of mailing: [Free package pickup rules](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/free-package-pickup/) · [Proof of mailing: SCAN forms, certificates](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/proof-of-mailing/) All 20 questions: [USPS claims, refunds and extra services](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/) ## How we checked this Fees come from [Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) effective Oct 4, 2026, read on Oct 19, 2026 by USPS's own price code for each fee and matched to the [USPS price file](https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/Time-Limited%20OCT%202026%20Price%20Change%20-%20Notice%20123%20-%20Final.zip); earlier fees come from the same codes in the Postal Explorer archive editions back to Jul 13, 2025. Every fee on these pages is the same in the Jul 12, 2026 and Oct 4, 2026 editions: the Oct 4 holiday edition changed package postage, not extra-service fees. Rules are quoted word for word from the Domestic Mail Manual sections and usps.com pages listed below, fetched on Oct 19, 2026. Package postage in examples is USPS's own price; selling platforms and label services can charge their own. ## Sources Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below. - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: Mailer Services (Package Intercept, Pickup on Demand)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm) - [USPS: Package Intercept](https://www.usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm) - [USPS: Request a USPS Refund: Domestic](https://www.usps.com/help/refunds.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 604: Postage Payment Methods and Refunds](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/604.htm) - [USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026): Domestic Extra Services and Fees, Other Services](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) Subscribe: https://resellerindex.com/subscribe/ Pricing postage into every listing? 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