Endicia Premium Plan

Cost Effective Internet Postage

Endicia - (pronounced en-dee-sha) offer their Dazzle software for PC based internet postage together with an extensive selection of supplies and specialized hardware on their web site.

Signup to the service is a straightforward five step process where you create an account and password, select payment options and download the Dazzle software. After the sign up process is complete and the software installed you're ready to go.

Service Plans

There are several different service plans available but most users will want to opt for the Premium plan at $15.95 a month with a 30 day free trial. The more basic Standard plan is less expensive at $9.95 a month but you can't do stealth postage or pre-paid return labels as well as a number of other restrictions.

If you want to dive right in Endicia also offer a starter kit for $249.95 that includes 7 months of Premium Service, a DYMO LabelWriter with USB cable, a Pelouze 10lb postal scale and two rolls of Dymo labels.

Printing Labels

Labels can be printed on most printers using plain paper or envelopes. You can also design your own labels with graphics and caption to give yourself a more professional look.

When you print a shipping label your account is automatically charged the indicated amount. If your printer has a jam or the label does not print correctly Endicia have several options you can use to either re-print the label or get a refund. Be aware that you only get one chance at a re-print so it makes sense to use the test print feature first to check that the printer is working correctly.

In the event you need a refund there are two options depending on the mail class (specifically Signature or Delivery Confirmation). An electronic refund is the simplest but when all else fails you will have to complete a refund request form and mail it together with the mangled label to the company for credit.

Address Management

A sore point with most shippers is having a package returned due to an invalid address. One of the most useful features in Dazzle is its ability to verify any domestic address you enter before sending the package out. You can set the level of corrections to either the full address or 'Add only ZIP+4'.
To help manage addressing Dazzle has a built in Address Book and it can import address files in tab or comma delimited format from an external file. The system also allows you to easily map fields in your input file to their corresponding Endicia database equivalents without having to re-format the input first. If you have addresses already stored in Outlook you can link it to Dazzle by clicking on the button in the preferences & options screen.

Return Labels

Endicia's premium service allows you to create Prepaid Return Labels (PRL's). The PRL can be sent to a customer who needs to send something back to you. You can either create a hardcopy label and physically mail it to your customer, or you can email the label image to them as a PDF file attachment.

PRL's are restricted to domestic US addresses (including the territories). You can't use an PRL to return goods from a foreign country because US postage is not recognized outside the United States.

Reporting

The DAZzle postage log contains a complete record of every letter and package you have mailed. This means you have a complete cost accounting of all your postage.

The log also supports custom group codes. Just specify a group code at the time you print the label. Later you can export the log in tab or comma delimited format and open in an Excel spreadsheet. All you group codes will be present so it's a simple matter to get sub-totals for each group code.

Postage Stamps

Endicia also offer the ability to print regular postage stamps using their 'Instapostage' service. With 'Instapostage' you can specify the stamp face amount and number to print and unlike mailing labels they don't expire. Use them just like a regular US postal stamp (requires special 'Printable Postage Stamp Sheet' paper sold separately).