Introduction To Internet PostageStreamline Your Mailing And Shipping TasksIf you run a small mail order business or you're an e-bay seller then one of your biggest chores is shipping and postage. It's a critical function with serious consequences for your bottom line if your customers don't get their purchases as expected.If this task is taking over more of your time than you would like there are a number of inexpensive options available that can greatly streamline this process. With Internet Postage you can save hours on mailing and shipping activities because you calculate the correct postage and print a valid USPS postage stamp right from your PC in your home or office. You never end up overpaying or waiting in line at the post office. Internet postage also lets you track and confirm your shipments, produce details reports on spending and send automatic e-mails to alert customers that their packages have shipped. If you've been using a postage meter, switching to internet postage will add another level of convenience and reduce overhead as it typically costs a good deal less than what you'd pay on the lease for the meter. Stealth PostageFor many retailers the ability to hide the actual postage amount normally printed on the shipping label is a real plus. It is particularly important if you add a handling fee to the shipping to cover the cost of packing materials or labor. Hiding the postage amount means the customer will not see the actual rate paid. Conversely, if you offer free shipping and want to make sure customers see what a great deal they're getting you can let the postage rate print as normal.The PlayersOver the years a number of companies have moved into this space so you have a reasonable selection to choose from. They all work in basically the same way but as we will see each service has it's own pros and cons.The first thing to note is that the three top internet postage service providers require a monthly maintenance fee which ranges from about $10 to $20 a month for a basic service plan. This fee is payable every month regardless of how many - or few packages you actually ship. Postage costs are in addition to this fee. Obviously, if you're only shipping a few packages a month these services will probably not be cost effective. (there are some free alternatives but they all come with restrictions). You can print labels on plain paper using your current printer but be aware that unlike a regular postage stamp, internet postage labels are valid only for the specified addressee and come with a mailing deadline. Some vendors allow you to print standard postage stamps that work the same way as regular stamps but this option requires you to purchase special paper. The three main players we're going to be looking at in this review are:
All of these vendors offer a free trial period so you can make sure they deliver what they promise before committing to any one company. Stamps.com and Shipstream Manager include a complimentary digital postal scale. Endicia offer scales on their web site for an additional charge. All three vendors support Microsoft's Windows but if you're a Mac user Endicia is your only option. If the volume and/or frequency of mail you send does not justify a professional level service provider there are several low cost alternatives available that do not require a monthly service charge. The downside is they all have some kind of restriction in the class of mail you can send. Endicia No-fee Endicia offer a no-frills service that will allow you to print official US postage stamps using special labels on your existing laser or inkjet printer. DYMO Stamps This free service is a actually a partnership between Dymo, the label printer manufacturer and Endicia. In order to sign up for this service you must have or purchase a new Dymo label printer. USPS Click n Ship The US Postal Service have their own system called 'Click n Ship' which is free to use and does not require a monthly maintenance fee. The downside is it only supports Express and Priority Mail class service. But if overnight and priority shipping is the norm for your business this could be a viable option for a small scale operation. PayPal - ShipNow Another option if you only need to send the odd package now and then is to make use of PayPal's ShipNow service. It's a web based program primarily designed for e-bay sellers, but with a little know how it can also be used to mail a non-e-bay package. Whichever system you pick, once you get used to the convenience of printing your own postage you'll never go back to old way of doing things. Tags: DYMO, Endicia, internet postage, Pay-Pal, Pitney Bowes, Ship-Now, ShipStream, Stamps-com, USPS, |