tuesday2001
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:15:52 PM
I am ready to sign up for an internet postage provider and wanted to get opinions on which companies you guys use or have had experiences with.
Please include startup costs, equipment needed, benefits & drawbacks.
Thanks so much!
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gr8ful2bhere
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posted on July 21, 2001 06:07:55 PM
I have been using stamps.com for over a year, and just switched to Endicia.com.
Endicia has better software. It will convert your address to the correct format, even if you copy and paste from a Billpoint email with all the extra spaces there.
Endicia offers free delivery confirmation on Priority mail, 12 cents for media mail (none for 1st class, though).
Endicia has international mail, but stamps.com does not.
The president of Endicia will personally answer questions on threads, and their customer service has a good reputation. Stamps.com customer service - well, it's not there at all. Check the buyer beware threads on the subject.
I don't know about Simply Postage or Pitney Bowes - they don't have the delivery confirmation, and that's what sold me.
Good luck!
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avaloncourt
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posted on July 21, 2001 06:16:31 PM
Another vote for endicia.com
I am extremely happy with all aspects of the service. You'll need a printer (laser or inkjet) and labels. Endicia is capable of using just about anything out there. For the most flexibility I continue to use the 3 1/3" x 4" shipping labels I was using with Pitney Bowes Clickstamp. These are flexible enough to use for any package purpose.
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gr8ful2bhere
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posted on July 21, 2001 06:18:29 PM
Oh yes, the endicia software is so flexible around labels, I can use the FREE Priority labels from USPS.
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ExecutiveGirl
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posted on July 21, 2001 06:41:47 PM
I was a Stamps.com customer for over 2 years. I closed my account a few days ago when I made the VERY smart move to switch to Endicia. There is absolutely no comparison. Endicia helped set me up, their customer support is awesome! They have free DC, international mail, among so many other great features.
Oh, and Endicia is also cheaper than Stamps.com (Stamps.com is $15.99/mo, Endicia is $9.95/mo).
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barbarake
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posted on July 21, 2001 09:00:23 PM
Count me as another vote for Endicia. I stumbled upon them all by myself and have been *very* happy. Great company with wonderful customer service.
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paintpower
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posted on July 22, 2001 06:04:10 AM
Another vote for Endicia. I'm still on my 30 day free trial, but I'm really happy with them. Give them a try. You can try them for 30 days and it will only cost you the postage you buy plus any labels you may have to buy. Customer service is great.
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tomwiii
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posted on July 22, 2001 07:00:21 AM
endicia is indecently fantastic! 
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ericahayes
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posted on July 22, 2001 09:23:42 AM
I joined Endicia after using Stamps.com for several years. And I only learned about Endicia from users who post on these threads on Auctionwatch. I did have printing problems at first which was frustrating, but again, auction watch users helped me through it. I am pretty happy with Endicia because it prints media mail, international mail and delivery confirmation. The user support here on these threads is great. I've learned so much from other people's opinions!
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rockaroladotcom
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posted on July 23, 2001 04:57:49 PM
Endicia works for me!! On another thread there was a great discussion over labels. I use the USPS FREE PRIORITY AUGUST 2000 labels. The only thing that won't fit is the return address and I have a mini sticker that I use. It is an Avery label and 8,000 of these little suckers cost about $19.
Caution: You may have a PO station that does not understand that DC is free when online. I had a huge hassle with my local postmaster. I went to Endicia help and FAQ and printed out the USPS publicity release which clearly defines the DC provision. After eating substantial crow the local postmaster admitted it could be done. However, she went on to emphasize that she was not in favor of any online system as it took away from her station's revenue and that is what she depended on to give her employees bonuses. And all along I thought the USPS was a federal entity. Boy was I wrong!!
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paintpower
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posted on July 23, 2001 06:21:42 PM
Doesn't the licensing post office for each user get credit for the postage purchased just as if you had a physical postage meter at your house that you took to them to be filled? That was my understanding of how the online postage is licensed.
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Torley
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posted on July 23, 2001 06:28:40 PM
We just started Clickstamps and we like it!
It is at www.pitneyworks.com
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avaloncourt
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posted on July 23, 2001 10:28:15 PM
I left Clickstamp for Endicia.com because of the highly restrictive single label size. The free Delivery Confirmation on Priority Mail helped as well.
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tomwiii
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posted on July 24, 2001 02:00:14 AM
hey...they just like Henry Ford...
Ya can have any size label ya whant, just as long as it is this ONE 
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tigerlady
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posted on July 24, 2001 03:01:25 AM
I can't get Endicia.com to come up... haven't been able to all day. Does anybody know if they're having problems with their website? 
Right now I have simply postage, they're pretty good, but I'm still checking out the alternatives.
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paintpower
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posted on July 24, 2001 05:37:10 AM
I have them marked in my Favorites and I just pulled them up with no problem. Used them yesterday to do postage and had no problems getting in.
Only problem I had with Clickstamps is that they would not let me use my PO Box address (which is a different town than my physical address). I would have had to take my mail to a HORRIBLE post office!
International postage (I usually don't sell outside US but this buyer asked in advance and paid with BidPay) was a snap! Would almost make me consider selling outside US.
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yisgood
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posted on July 24, 2001 08:00:13 AM
Now that I have finally gotten past the postal clerk who didnt understand how Endicia worked, I am using it and it's great. The support is incredible. And as a programmer, I am impressed with the software. Every enhancement I could think of was already there. It imports the addresses from my existing database, auto-checks the zip code, prints the standardized address with zip+4 and bar code, postage and DC, keeps a log of packages and lets me check status.
Most of my packages are small items under a pound. These I can just drop in a mailbox.
Last night I printed labels for 6 packages. I could have just dropped them in the mailbox except that one was an expensive digital camera, so to be safe my wife took it to the PO and bought insurance. She just called to say she was in and out of the PO in a minute. Not having the have each box weighed and each postage printed was a big savings. I think the process is also faster. I mailed off two boxes on Fri afternoon in New York. One was delivered in CA on Mon morning and the other in New Mexico on Mon afternoon.
Since delivery confirmation is free, the 9.95 a month is offset if you send 25 packages. But isn't your time alone worth more than that?
http://www.ygoodman.com
[email protected]
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tuesday2001
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posted on July 25, 2001 07:31:11 PM
Thank you everyone for your replies and feedback!!! It looks like the choice is clear! =)
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