HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 16, 2001 01:25:50 PM
Harry: could you explain exactly how the electronic DC process works so folks will have a better understanding of it?
I've probably butchered the explanation (in thread "Zen of Shipping" over the past two days![/i]
Believe me, you've been doing fine!!!
I have a pretty reasonable post on another AuctionWatch thread (see below) which describes the DC process. It's my May 11th post (one of several) in that thread that really discusses DC.
http://www.auctionwatch.com/mesg/read.html?num=2&thread=368950&id=378219
I'm going to have my crew create some FAQS on our Website to more clearly explain electronic DC, but for now the thread mentioned above should be a good reference.
Best
Harry
[ edited by HarryWhitehouse on Jul 16, 2001 01:51 PM ]
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paintpower
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posted on July 16, 2001 01:40:32 PM
Harry: Thanks for that link to the street database. I was able to put in the zip code for the city of the buyer I was having a problem with (small town so not many streets) and pull up all the street and road names for that zip code. Sure enough, she kept telling me her address was Co Rd 82 when it really was Road 82. I then reverified it in my address and it worked like a charm! Lots to learn and remember here, but I think I'm getting the hang of it and I think I can solve most of my own problems now without screaming for help. Thanks so much.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 16, 2001 04:00:12 PM
I then reverified it in my address and it worked like a charm!
Yes!!! That made my day!! Glad I coded that!
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darrelll
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posted on July 16, 2001 11:04:57 PM
I'm a newbie with Endicia, (still waiting for my blue labels to arrive) but I bought some 4x6 Avery labels to get started. While expensive, the Free/cheap delivery confirmation more than offsets the expense of the labels and the monthly fee.
I've been using www.u-pic.com for my package insurance and coupled with endicia, I think I've found an awesome combination.
u-pic charges me $0.60/$100 for USPS insurance and $0.40/$100 insurance when used with Del. Conf. so the savings I achieve is huge on packages that are a couple hundred bucks and more. It is a truly paperless service as each week I email them a copy of my shipping log which is an excell file and then I send them payment at the end of each month via Paypal... PLUS I get my own account executive with a toll free number and her direct extension... HOW COOL IS THAT!
JEEZ... I feel important...
Well after about 1.5 months and 300+ packages I get to submit my first claim on a damaged shipment. u-pic says they pay off claims within 7-14 days, so I'll report back to all with my findings... It's only a partial damage claim for $15-20 and the buyer didn't even want to bother but I begged him so I could test the service. If they settle the claim promptly, then I could give an unconditional recommendation. But so far their service and their program is awesome!
BUT... I signed onto both these services, not for the cost savings but for the time savings as I can now just drop off all my packages without the usual 20+ minute wait in line.
The advantage of u-pic is the low cost insurance and avoiding having to fill out all those little green or blue/white slips. Endicia is great for the free/cheap DC plus having DC lowers the cost of my insurance by 1/3...
Harry, I like your service... keep up the great work... I have had a few probs with addresses not being recognized... so unfortunately I will have to keep some stamps on hand for those cases... I have a lot of customers in rural areas...
Cheers,
Darrell Lee
www.vfish.net
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sun818
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posted on July 17, 2001 12:35:44 AM
Yeah, like how do you handle a city that is listed on Mapquest, but not in the USPS city guide. I had to do the ol' lick and stick! Yummmm!
Anyway, I tried printing on a Priority Mail label (Label 228, August 2000) with DC. I had to choose the "Narrow" option for the To: Barcode, place DC on the upper right and postage on the lower right. Its not ideal, but if its FREE, its for me! 
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avaloncourt
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posted on July 17, 2001 05:27:31 AM
sun818: That's a very good question. I had a very tough time with that last week. I had to send a shipment to the NFL Players Association and the address provided was not Washington, DC but rather Takoma Park, DC. According to the postal service, this does not exist. I ran the ZIP code, 20036, through their association checker and it came back as Washington, DC. I then changed the city name to Washington and the verifier stated the street address (Hodges Lane)didn't exist.
This one really has be puzzled. With a city and street that don't exist by verification standards, what is one to do? Harry, any thoughts?
The Takoma Park, DC really confuses me. Since when isn't it just Washington DC?
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rent20
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posted on July 17, 2001 09:04:09 AM
For one thing Takoma Park is a suburb right outside of Washington DC in Maryland. It is not inside Washington DC city limits, so thats the problem. You need to put "Takoma Park, Md" in the address. You would think the person giving you the adress would have known that, but tons of foreigners in Takoma Park so might have been a misunderstanding
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darrelll
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posted on July 17, 2001 09:37:38 AM
I just ordered 960 labels 4"x6" for $1.61/40 and bought 24 packs in order to get that price. That works out to be about 4 cents per label. I got them at
www.fetpack.com
This is for the Masco 4"x6" labels. I just started using the Avery labels and they appear to work fine but I paid $5.50~ for a pack of 40 at the local Office Depot.
I'm still waiting for my blue arrow labels but I figured that for 1st class which you cannot get the Del Conf, this would be a good inexpensive option to the 8 cent blue arrow labels. Yes the 4x6 labels can also print the DC bar code on the labels... but I like the idea of the two extra labels so I can print out "Do Not Bend" or other labels... like the Post Office will actually care...
Harry I ordered the Blue labels via phone and was told they would get shipped the next day and I'm in L.A. and it's been over a week. I don't mind, but the CS people should not raise expectations of the customer to expect the items in 2-3 days when it takes longer.
Otherwise, I love Endicia! It's quite powerful and loaded with features so it will take awhile to get good at using it. Thank you... you da man!
Darrell
www.vfish.net
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marlenedz
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posted on July 17, 2001 10:38:04 AM
If an old priority mail label works then it looks like a sheet of 3-ups at gflabels.com will work. These are priced by the sheet so it looks like 3000 labels for 62 bucks. That doesn't include postage. Would an 8 up 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 work where you would use two labels for one package as that would give you 4 up total on a page.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 17, 2001 12:01:14 PM
darrelll
We checked and your labels were delivered to your PO Box on the 16th (yesterday) according the the DC log. They were sent Priority Mail.
Best
Harry
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darrelll
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posted on July 17, 2001 12:43:57 PM
Harry Thank you, you really didn't need to do that... I wasn't complaining...
I ship 200-400 packages/month so I'll have no problem using all my new labels...
Can't wait! Gotta go to the post office.
Question, Why can we not use DC on 1st class parcels, when we can use DC on Media Mail and other less expensive services...
Harry, have you spoken with u-pic.com? Your two companies and services are very complimentary and some good synergy could develop there...
Darrell
www.vfish.net
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 17, 2001 01:15:22 PM
Harry Thank you, you really didn't need to do that... I wasn't complaining...
It was too easy! We just checked our DAZzle log in the shipping room, found your entry, pressed the Status button and up popped your delivery status!
Question, Why can we not use DC on 1st class parcels, when we can use DC on Media Mail and other less expensive services
I *think* USPS is seriously considering this. I will research further.
I just heard from USPS HQ this AM that they should be ready to handle electronic signature confirmation by end of August.
BTW, if you do media mailing with DC and IBI postage, the delivery times I and others have seen have been spectacular -- close to if not equal to First Class.
Harry, have you spoken with u-pic.com? Your two companies and services are very complimentary and some good synergy could develop there
Not yet, but we will. Your earlier message definately caught my eye.
Best
Harry
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gamecock
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posted on July 17, 2001 01:49:01 PM
Wow... now there would be a great idea: Seamless online insurance coverage through u-pic from within the Endidia software... No more emailing the log files - It could all be done behind the scenes electronically.
I hope you guys seriously persue this!
gamecock
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sun818
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posted on July 17, 2001 02:05:45 PM
A little ColdFusion and programming smarts makes anything possible! 
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darrelll
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posted on July 17, 2001 02:28:57 PM
BTW, if you do media mailing with DC and IBI postage, the delivery times I and others have seen have been spectacular -- close to if not equal to First Class.
That's good news... I stopped using Media Mail when shipping East of the Mississippi (I'm in Calif.) because of the sloooooooooow delivery times... I have one right now that is on it's 18th day...
I have yet to see a package with that kind of delivery time to the East coast via Media Mail... I only get complaints...
Also, DC with MM would help diffuse the complaints in that the buyer can verify for himself that I shipped the package and where it is...
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lorettab1
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posted on July 17, 2001 02:57:36 PM
Hi Harry, one more Endicia question; hopefully it hasn't been answered in the thread and I missed it. I was talking to the 'postmistress' where I go almost daily (hopefully not for long)about Endicia; she was not aware of it; and her question to me was.....with Delivery Confirmation thru Endicia; "how do you know when the package was delivered?" She says she cannot scan any DC forms except those printed by the USPS.......she claims that if I printed a DC on my computer that her scanning gun would not be able to scan it when it was 'delivered' to someone at her PO....does this make sense?
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sun818
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posted on July 17, 2001 03:21:50 PM
I've been meaning to ask the same thing. I tried two of my bar code scanners, my hacked CueCat and another wand. Both are capable of reading different encodings, but they do not scan the D.C. at all. They both read the green D.C. slip perfectly.
Is endicia using Code 39 encoding by chance?
[ edited by sun818 on Jul 17, 2001 03:22 PM ]
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 17, 2001 03:22:23 PM
lorettab1
The USPS has a qualification procedure for folks like us who print our own DC barcodes. We have qualified, and literally thousands of package labels created with our software are scanned successfully every week. We get the summary reports!
When I was first coding this, I even had my carrier scan the very first test pieces with his gun. No problem!
Ask your PostMistress to look in her latest Postal Bulletins for notices on electronic delivery confirmation. In addition there is a special flyer that went out to PM's in the last week or so regarding our new Express Mail label (which also has a scannable barcode). There is a picture of that label on the bulletin and it mentions Endicia specifically because we are the only one currently producing this new label.
HTH
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 17, 2001 03:35:07 PM
sun818
The barcode is a Code 128.
Our USPS scan statistics show a 95% read rate. For those pieces that don't scan, the carrier is still instructed to enter the number manually on his/her gun. Clearly, that's a waste of their time and we are trying to eliminate that 5%.
If your carrier drops by daily (or you see him on the street), ask him to scan one of your pieces. If it scans, then the problems you have seen must have something to do with your scanning tools. If it doesn't scan, I would love to see a specimen.
The "bad scans" we have tracked down thusfar often have some mitigating factor. In some cases, folks put clear tape over the entire label and the resulting reflection might cause a scan failure. We had one customer who sent us some ink jet samples where it was VERY clear that it was time to buy some new cartridges <g>.
BTW, what make/model printer are you using?
Harry
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darrelll
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posted on July 17, 2001 04:49:43 PM
Just back from the post office... they can't find my labels... bummer... I'll try again tommorrow.
The clerk never heard of Endicia and wanted me to pay the 40 cents for DC. I'm buddies with everyone there so I told him it's free and just ignore the extra 40 cents... He did, but if I don't know a teller, I suspect I'll catch heck from them.
Harry, do you have a memo that you could post on your website that I can give to the Pmaster and tellers so I don't have to hassle with them every time until they become familiar with your service? I would recommend you post a .PDF file for us...
Thanks,
Darrell
P.S. In truth, I didn't remember about the labels until I got home and they only gave me one package but there were two yellow pickup slips.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 17, 2001 05:01:18 PM
Darrell
This USPS Web page will hopefully be convincing enough for the counter staff. You might print it out and bring it down to the PO.
http://www.usps.com/shipping/deliver.htm
Best
Harry
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avaloncourt
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posted on July 17, 2001 06:11:08 PM
rent20: It is pretty strange that the person doesn't know the difference between DC and MD but I thought it even more odd that the ZIP code provided was a DC ZIP code. Not only did they have the address in the wrong area but the ZIP coes doesn't match either.
Thanks for identifying where the suburb was.
sun818: I used to use the trusty neutered CueCat for scanning the DC labels as well and then found it wouldn't scan the Endicia generated labels. I asked Customer Support if there was something special about the Bar Code and she told me she would check. An hour or so later she called back and said it should be exactly the same as the USPS code structure. I'm stumped. I wish I could get my scanning back. Oh well.
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sun818
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posted on July 17, 2001 06:46:40 PM
[i]The "bad scans" we have tracked down thusfar often have some mitigating factor. In some cases, folks put clear tape over the entire label and the resulting reflection might cause a scan failure. We had one customer who sent us some ink jet samples where it was VERY clear that it was time to buy some new cartridges <g>.
BTW, what make/model printer are you using? [/i]
My Smart Label Printer 220 prints out the barcode perfectly so the barcode scans in fine. My inkjet printer is a Epson Stylus Color 740 using a cheap Epson knock-off Epson cartridge.
Two issues -- either 1. the cartridge bleeds the ink too much for a good barcode, or 2. the priority mail label does not does not hold the ink well.
So, perhaps the requirement for a good DC code is a laser printer or a thermal printer that can print 300dpi or better.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 18, 2001 10:19:07 AM
AvalonCourt
If you haven't already, could you do a test print of a DC label (I'd like one that won't scan with your CueCat) and mail it to us?
Attn: Harry Whitehouse
Envelope Manager/Endicia
247 High St
Palo Alto, CA 94301-1041
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avaloncourt
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posted on July 18, 2001 02:03:28 PM
Thank you very much. I'll do that.
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paintpower
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posted on July 18, 2001 03:51:54 PM
Is there any way to enter addresses into the Address Book while you are offline? I checked the remember my pass phrase and now everytime I open the program it wants to be on the Internet! I like to enter my addresses several days before I'm actually going to print the label/postage so if there is a problem with verifying it I can email the buyer and get it cleared up. Since I have a very horrible ISP (Earthlink) who likes to dump me a lot I don't like to be sitting typing in addresses and get dumped.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 18, 2001 04:02:10 PM
Is there any way to enter addresses into the Address Book while you are offline?
Yep!
Select Postage|Options. On the first tab (Rate Tab), uncheck the box labeled
"Check Account Status at Startup"
I've got mine unchecked, even though I'm on a 24x7 T1 line!
With this option, the status check will occur when (and if) you do the first postage-related operation. Adding addresses is not a postage-related operation.
HTH
Harry
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jmr82
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posted on July 19, 2001 04:37:17 AM
Hello,
I have been using Endicia for about 2 months and am very pleased. I have come across several things that appeare to be problems:
1. DC to an APO/FPO address, I know this is not available, but didn't think to uncheck it, after I received the message it wasn't available, it still deducted $.12 (media mail printing) and printed the postage. I don't think there was any way to cancel the print at this point. Shouldn't there be a way to either cancel the print OR not have the system deduct the $.12?
2. Several times I have encountered not being able to connect to the PO for the DC. $.12 was still deducted after the message states try again later. How can you print DC later without postage and why did it deduct the $.12?
3. International postage. How can I add "additional" services for this? I had one where it needed to be insured. I was unable to see how this could be done.
Thank you,
Jean
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on July 19, 2001 01:30:34 PM
jmr82
I know this is not available, but didn't think to uncheck it, after I received the message it wasn't available, it still deducted $.12 (media mail printing) and printed the postage
We should have caught this. I'm having the development team look into this right away.
Several times I have encountered not being able to connect to the PO for the DC. $.12 was still deducted after the message states try again later. How can you print DC later without postage and why did it deduct the $.12?
Can you please email me ([email protected]) more details on this? Did a DC barcode print on the label? Did you get some sort of error message indicating it was a problem on the USPS Webtools site? We need to track this one down!
International postage. How can I add "additional" services for this?
Whoops! It appears that when you select international rates we hijack what is normally the "postage options" button (where you can add services) and use that button instead to get the International Rate matrix. Clearly something we need to fix.
Thanks for bringing all of these to our attention! Again, please contact me via Email and we'll get you revised versions as soon as they are available.
Best
Harry
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darrelll
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posted on July 26, 2001 09:44:16 AM
Sun818,
I have one of those QueCats that I never installed. I'm curious, what do you use it for with Endicia?
Thanks,
Darrell
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