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Doing Postage from Home This article has changed quite a bit since I first wrote it. Originally it was a comparison of various online postage services. However, one service was shut down and another started up, and it was too much work to keep abreast of all the changes. Now I simply give some general advice with some impressions of the various services that are available. There are two main reasons why you may not want to go to the post office: (1) the post office isn't near or convenient, and (2) the post office is understaffed and the lines are long. Also, postal regulations do not allow you to drop packages in a mailbox weighing over one pound unless they have metered postage on them. Whichever is your problem, here are your options for avoiding the lines at the post office: Online Postage Services It is now possible to print your postage online and drop your packages in a mailbox. The best known online postage service is Stamps.com (www.stamps.com). However, Stamps.com is expensive. A less-expensive service is Endicia (www.endicia.com). In both cases, you will have to download a program onto your PC which will allow you to print postage. Also, you must have a reasonably good printer that is capable of printing graphics (all ink-jet and laserjet printers can print graphics). Both Stamps.com and Endicia.com offer a basic plan and a premium plan. Stamps.com's basic plan is far more expensive than Endicia's, so my recommendation is that you sign up with Endicia (on my last visit to Stamps.com, I didn't see any promotional material about their basic plan, so they may have discontinued it). The premium plan at both companies costs a little less than $16, and Endicia's basic plan costs a little less than $10. Stamps.com's basic service, if they still offer it, charges a premium for each package you send and can end up being very expensive. As for a comparison of features, that is difficult because Stamps.com doesn't say much on their site. Endicia seems to be working very hard to provide as many features as possible in order to take business from Stamps.com. Pitney-Bowes also has a new service called Slipstream (www.pitneyworks.com). However, at just under $19 a month, Slipstream is the most expensive option. Pitney-Bowes used to have an inexpensive service called ClickStamp, but that has been discontinued. The United States Postal Service also has its own service, called Click-n-Ship, which is available on their web site at www.usps.com. Click-n-Ship doesn't require you to open an account or download a program onto your computer. Rather, it utilizes a Java script which works with your browser. Click-n-Ship has limitations that the other services don't: You cannot use it to print either First Class or Parcel Post postage. You can use it only for Priority and Express Mail. Also, the Java program is not as fast and streamlined as the other services, and you must use a full sheet of paper (or a full-sheet label) for each package you send) (with the other services, you can use smaller labels). An advantage of using the online postage services is that you can get the Delivery Confirmation either free or for a considerable discount. Delivery Confirmation, which makes your packages trackable, is a considerable advantage. However, one disadvantage of using online services is that you can lose postage if your printer malfunctions – that happened to me several times, and it was quite frustrating. Also, you must have a postal scale (although most of these services can provide you with a scale). An additional disadvantage of online postage (or any kind of metered postage) is that you must mail the package on the date indicated in the postage. Postage Meters Getting your own postage meter and scale is definitely an option. The cheapest meter available is the PostLink meter from Hasler (www.haslerinc.com), which costs $15 a month. The disadvantage of using an inexpensive meter is that certain services, such as Delivery Confirmation, certified mail and postal insurance, are not available unless you take your parcel to a window at the post office (and that is what you are trying to avoid). Expensive meters have some of those capabilities, but such meters are not appropriate for a small business. (Please note, however, that if you don't need Delivery Confirmation, and if you use private insurance [see below], a postage meter will do just fine for mailing packages.) Postage Kiosk If you are near to the post office but don't like to wait in line, your post office may have a postage kiosk which you can use. At the kiosk, you can buy stamps, buy postage for packages, and mail certified letters. You can get Delivery Confirmation at the kiosk, although you will pay full price for it (45¢). You must have a credit card or debit card to use the kiosk. Not everything can be done at the kiosk, however. You can't, for example, insure your packages. You also can't mail international packages that weigh over one pound (such packages must be taken to a window). Also, you can't use the kiosk for Registered mail. One disadvantage of the kiosk is that you can't mail simple letters that require only 37¢ postage – the minimum postage amount that the kiosk will sell is 50¢ (they instituted this change recently; I don't know why). However, the kiosk, for me, is very convenient, and I recently gave up my online postage account in order to use the kiosk exclusively. One disadvantage is that the kiosk occasionally breaks, so I have to wait on line to see a postal clerk. Insuring Your Packages Stamps.com and Endicia both provide parcel insurance from private insurers (I don't know about Slipstream or Click-n-Ship – I will get that information and then update this article). My recommendation is that you use a private insurer, and the one I recommend is DSI (www.dsiinsurance.com). DSI is the cheapest of the private insurers, and making a claim with DSI is far easier than making a claim at the post office. You can open a policy with DSI, or you can use their "Single Parcel Shipper Program". With their Single Parcel program, you don't have to have a policy with them – you just go to their site and register your shipment, and pay the premium with your credit card. Then, if the parcel is lost, you file a claim. If you decide to open a DSI policy, you will either record all your shipments on their web site or you will email them an Excel spreadsheet every week which lists your shipments, and then they will bill you every month for your premiums. Please note that self-insuring your packages makes good sense. If you charge each customer $1 for insurance, and then pay any claims out of your own money, you are likely to come out ahead in the long run. Conclusion I will add tips to this article as I think of them. If you have a particular postage problem, feel free to email me (my email address is on the home page) and I will try to find a solution for you. Tips - If your package weighs less than 13 oz., send it by First Class mail, as that is the most economical of all shipping methods for small parcels. - For parcels between 14 oz. and 4 lbs., you can use a flat-rate Priority envelope (postage: $4.60). You can use bubble wrap to provide padding for the items in the envelope. - For international packages more than 1 lb. but less than 4 lbs., you can use a large Global Priority flat-rate envelope (postage: $7.00 to Canada and Mexico and $9.00 to most other countries). Flat-rate envelopes are not available to all countries. If your international package is less than 1 lb., just use the First Class International rate. - All international packages carrying merchandise must have a green customs slip attached (form 2976 for shipments valued under $400, form 2976-A for shipments valued at $400 or more). However, Endicia (and probably Stamps.com too) has a label form that includes the customs form on it. - International packages 13 oz. or less do not have to be taken to the window. Simply apply your postage (at the kiosk or with your online account), attach your customs form, and drop it in a box. Make sure you know how to fill out the customs form correctly before you start doing this. |