DoorDash has officially rolled out a new feature for picking up packages for a $5 fee
- DoorDash officially launched "Package Pickup."
- The new feature returns packages on behalf of customers to local UPS, FedEx or USPS locations for a $5 fee.
Online shopping — and returning — just became a little bit easier for DoorDash customers.
On Wednesday, DoorDash announced the official launch of a new feature called "Package Pickup." Users can pay a flat fee of $5 to have the company pick up up to five packages and drop them off at a nearby UPS, FedEx, or USPS location.
For DashPass members — the company's subscription tier — it's just a $3 fee, per the company's announcement.
DoorDash began pilot testing this feature back in March 2022.
A spokeswoman for DoorDash told Insider, "during pilot testing, we found that the period right after Christmas was, indeed, the most popular time for Package Pickup, with Dec. 27 as the most popular day the service was used."
As a result, she said, "DoorDash is leveraging our existing logistics infrastructure to meet a new use case for consumers, especially relevant during a time when consumers are navigating stricter return policies, higher return rates and shrinking return windows from retailers following the 2022 holiday season."
Users will have their first package picked up for free in January, according to the announcement.
To access the feature, users select the "Packages" hub on the DoorDash homepage and then select the appropriate carrier — FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Or they can simply search for the term "packages" in the platform's search bar.
The user does not need to include boxes if they have a QR code, which they can send directly to their Dasher in the DoorDash app. If they're using a prepaid shipping label though, they'll need to have a box for the items designated for pickup.
Back in 2015, Uber launched a similar service called "Returns." It was announced as a "limited time" feature that let customers send packages to nearby post offices via Uber. The company shut the service down in 2018.