posted on March 23, 2001 08:33:30 AM
Hi, I have heard about other great programs that let you print postage from your computer. I've been a Stamps.com customer for a long time now but their customer service has gotten really bad and I would like to switch to another service.
I can't remember the names of the other ones I've heard about - I remember there was one mentioned on these threads that only costs like $1.99 a month?? Can someone tell me what that was? Thanks!
posted on March 23, 2001 10:14:13 AM
I have Stamps.com and am still waiting for a 60.00 refund due to printer conflict they never acknowledged was a software problem.
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I guess leaving them would be a good idea since I still pay a 5.oo monthly fee for nothing.
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I DO KNOW Pitney Bowes WAS notorious for ripping businesses off at one time.
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I did have their Home Postage Machine for 2 years before I got fed up with their double dipping charges.
Roughly
1. 40.00 a month for the machine
2. percentage of every postage purchased
3. THEN it was hard to get any label but thiers to work in the darned thing ...
so there went MORE money!!
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Before jumping on board I would see if anyone else chimes in and is actually using them and ask how much it REALLY COSTS!
posted on March 23, 2001 11:05:09 AM
I would NOT recommend clickstamps. I could never get their software to work and their Customer Service was TERRIBLE. I spent a week trying to get them on the phone and never did--just the recording. I finally gave up and cancelled via email. I haven't researched others yet so sorry can't be of help there.
posted on March 23, 2001 05:25:14 PM
I've been with clickstamps for 1 month & it is BOTH great & awful!
THE GOOD:
1) The price! $1.50/month!
2) The price!
3) $1.50/month!
THE BAD
1) BIZARRE software! Ill-conceived!
2) Yes, it supports DC, BUT only by printing a POSTAGE CORRECTION LABEL!
3) BUT you can only print POSTAGE CORRECTION LABELS in the upper left corner label -- none other!!!!! HOW WIERD!!!! (in other words, each sheet has six labels, but ONLY TWO can EVER be used for postage correction!)
4) USES HUGE avery 8164 expensive labels -- you'd think that big of a label could include a RETURN ADDRESS!!
5) I have a pretty good printer (Lexmark Z51) but it sure does HATE those labels!
6) CS is friendly, but their philosophy is basically: "TS!"
posted on March 23, 2001 06:13:40 PM
I use stamps.com for the bulk of my mailing. It's software is the best and you have a wide variety of label formats to choose from and you can even use custom size envelopes. It supports all the popular postal classes except Media Mail. The software supports insurance, delivery confirmation, etc. They give you a very nice free scale, which is a big plus.
I use clickstampsonline also only because it supports Media Mail. I figure the $1.49/mo. is worth it to be able to print Media Mail Postage. You have to print on huge #8164 labels that are expensive. The software is very buggy and there are few options, but if you need the media mail option, this is your choice..
Both services have absolutely the WORST customer service I've ever encountered in my life. Even worse than Ebay. Stamps.com is a victim of the dot.com downfall and they had to lay off something like 80% of thier customer service folks. There was concern about them even remaining in business not too long ago. (Don't keep a bunch of postage in your account.) Clickstamps is small side operation of Pitney Bowes, so the company has a lot more backing behind it. I don't see how they are making anything at $1.49/mo though. Before stamps.com, I had one of thier home meters and it was costing me a fortune.
As far as I know e-stamp has revamped it's business model and stopped offering service to individuals. Another victim of the dot.com downfall.
There's one other service called simplypostage. They require purchase of thier label printer. I'm sure the cost of refill labels for that thing are sky high. That was enough to scare me away. They do offer the convenience of being able to print postage without being online.
If Clickstamps had comparable software, I would use them exclusively. Right now, the combination of both is working well for me.
Either service is well worth the money. It sure beats waiting in line at the post office and provides you with good mailing records.
I've been using Simply Postage for about a year now. I really, really like it. You get a thermal printer and software to hookup to your computer. The current printers have an integrated digital scale. You go online to purchase postage, but not to print.
You can set the stamp amount for whatever you want and are not locked into the postage the software calculates. No need to enter addresses either.
One feature I really like is the "insta stamp." You set an amount for a stamp and you can just print by pressing a button on the printer. No need to be connected to the computer. Since many of my packages fall in the 2 pound range, my Insta stamp is set for the 2 pound postage + delivery confirmation.
The company that produces this is Neopost, which is a longstanding shipping solutions provider. They won't suffer the fate of e-stamp.
I have found their customer service to be excellent and I've really only had 2-3 problems this year, when their servers were down and I could not purchase postage.
It's not cheap. I think it's $14.95 a month plus the set up fee. The labels work out to be about 5 cents each and I have not tried to find cheaper alternatives. I round my shipping costs anyway so that the cost of the label is absorbed by the fee.
Considering the volume of business you handle, you may want to look into it. I have been really pleased with it. There are cheaper alternatives, but for your level of sales, a $15 fee won't make that much of a difference.
And if you are really shipping a lot, you can get a Priority Mail Bulk Shipping Account. There are no discounts on postage, but you don't have to meter your packages. You just use the bulk mailing permit indica on your labels. It's $100 a year. Which, when you think about it, is cheaper than the monthly fees from most services.
posted on March 24, 2001 05:07:29 AM
ExecutiveGirl,
I have used both Stamps.com and clickstamponline and there are shortfalls with both. I am going to get a free trial with endicia. They are $9.95/mo unlimited postage but the big plus here is that they can print the DC for Priority Mail packages for FREE. This would save some sellers $0.40 per package! They currently don't support Media Mail or Parcel Post directly but they plan to do so in April. At that time, DC will be $0.12 for Parcel Post and Media Mail packages.
Very interesting! 90% of the stuff I send is First Class, but for any seller that uses mostly Priority Mail - This IS DEFINITELY the way to go.
Built in electronic Delivery Confirmation at no extra charge. Why doesn't stamps.com offer this? What a great deal!
Also 1 full year of service $99. Very economical for the service.
One question: Is the basic software FREE? The only mention of software I can find is 3 programs that cost $295 each. It won't let you see the download page until you sign up. This is my only reason for hesitating to sign up now.
posted on March 24, 2001 08:51:05 AM
I'm surprised at reports of problems with ClickStamp, as it is the opposite of my experience with them. I have been using them since November with no problems whatsoever.
The software is easy to use, it supports Media Mail which I understand the other systems do not, and the few times I have had questions, their Customer Service reps have been extremely helpful and friendly. For $1.49 a month flat fee, I think it's great.
I just stick on a stamp to cover Delivery Confirmation.
I can't see paying several times the monthly fee, having yet another peripheral on my crowded desk, and it doesn't even do Media Mail.
Re the Avery labels, look for the MACO brand. Identical to Avery in layouts, but much more reasonable in price.
I'm not sure about the software, but you can email endicia's customer support people and you will get a response from a real person (not just an automated email like stamps.com.) I sent them two questions and the response time was amazing... within a few hours of my initial email.
