Patent ID: 8370187

Claim:
A method for shipping a package from a shipping service provider's customer to an intended recipient, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a customer-entered order to ship a package, the customer-entered order including a same day on call pickup option, from an Internet accessible computer system operated by a customer; validating shipping information associated with the customer-entered order, by an Internet-accessible shipping computer system (ISS), including validating whether a shipping service provider is capable of picking up the package on the same day; in response to successfully validating the shipping information, communicating printer indicia to the customer at the Internet accessible computer system such that the customer is able to print a label for affixation to the package, the label containing predetermined label shipping information; acquiring the package from the customer via the shipping service provider; scanning a label affixed to the package to obtain the label shipping information from the label on the package; delivering the package to the intended recipient in accordance with the shipping information entered by the customer and label shipping information obtained from the label affixed to the package; and in response to unsuccessfully validating the shipping information, generating at least one alternative shipping option, by the ISS, and displaying the alternative shipping option to the customer; wherein receiving the customer-entered order, communicating the printer indicia and generating and displaying the alternative shipping option are all accessible through a common application of the Internet accessible computer system.