Online Postage Stamps - Increase Productivity for Home Businesses
I mail fairly frequently in my home business, but I hate spending time (time is money) going to the post office. I have discovered that I don’t need to go to the post office, and that I can buy stamps and package labels online here in the U.S.
The two sources I have found are the U.S. Postal Service and Stamps.com. For both, you set up an account and put in a specific amount by credit card which you can work off as you go.
For either of these services you will need a postage scale. Get the best one you can afford, because you want one that’s accurate. Ignore the rates on the scale (they go out of date too often); all you need is the weight. Keep checking to be sure your scale is calibrated correctly and that it is on a flat surface, with nothing to interfere with the envelope lying flat on it. Or consider a digital scale that hooks to your computer.
The USPS allows you to
- Order stamps and have them delivered
- Print shipping labels
- Arrange a postal pickup (I love this one!)
- Send international mail, Priority mail, and Express mail.
You can print on labels of various sizes and on plain paper. There are no extra charges from the post office for these services.
Stamps.com allows you to print stamps, calculate and print shipping for packages. The service has a “free trial,” but beware. If you don’t specifically cancel at the end of the trial period, you will continue to get billed $15.99 a month for the service, even if you don’t use it. You can tell this happened to me.
They say they will send you a “free” digital scale (you just pay for postage and handling) that you can hook to your computer, but I never saw how to get one. The nice thing about Stamps.com is that you can compile a data base of customer addresses, so mailing to return customers is easy.
Stamps.com also says they discount postal fees - 3% on Express Mail and “up to” 11% on Priority Mail, for U.S. customers. I never tried these services, so I don’t know.
If you are interested in a scale, check regular postage scales or digital scales on EBay.
If you have used any other online postal services, send me a comment and share your experiences.
Tags: online postage service, stamps, United States Postal ServiceShare This
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Gadgets & Gizmos, Office, Organization, Personal Experience, Productivity, Technology
2 opinions for Online Postage Stamps - Increase Productivity for Home Businesses
Jon
Nov 11, 2008 at 8:54 am
The one thing not mentioned here about Stamps.com is how professional it looks when you are printing out your own postage rather than sticking stamps on an envelope. If this is something you’re interested in, the monthly fee may be worthwhile.
Jean Murray
Nov 11, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I agree Jon. The professional image is definitely a plus.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: