Stamps.com is an online postage printing service. The company provides a software program that allows you to print customized stamps directly onto your envelope. In addition to this convenience, there are a number of other benefits to the system:
- Discounts are available on some types of postage
- Detailed cost reporting and permissions are available for employees or branch offices
- The custom postage and direct printing provide a professional image
- And a whole lot more – check the bottom of this article
Stamps offers a 4 week trial period, and offers $80 worth of bonuses to new customers.
Read my review, or Visit Stamps.com for a no-risk trial account.
How Did I Like It?
Overall, my experience with Stamps.com was satisfying.
The signup process was smooth. You have to provide a credit card, but are not charged until the 4 week trial is up. If you want the free digital scale, a s&h charge applies. The scale is worth it, because it connects directly to your computer via USB, allowing you to automatically print the correct postage for each package you send.
Once the signup is complete, you download the Stamps software, and are able to import contacts from your address book.
When you want to send something, you choose the contact, or input a new address, and then place your package on the scale (or enter the weight). The system calculates the postage, and you are able to either print on a shipping label or directly onto the postcard/envelope. This is a nice convenience, although you might want to try printing on an envelope once or twice first – I had one printer that tended to jam every time an envelope went through. This does not seem to be a common problem, but would be very irritating.
Once everything’s printed, you can just drop it in your mailbox or schedule a USPS pickup. Compared to the hassle of visiting the post office for shipping a package, this is a gift. After your package has shipped, all you have to do is visit the Stamps.com website to keep up with any available tracking information.
Overall the service is pretty slick. There were two other features that I really like:
- The custom postage printing is very cool. You can put the image of your choice right on the postage, which is also bar-coded for ease of use by the USPS. You can also choose not to print the postage amount, which may be nice when working with clients. Overall it’s a very professional look.
- The cost-tracking is amazing. You can assign codes to different customers, or to departments within your company. The system automatically tracks and aggregates these costs. This is all right there, accessible on your computer, which is great for small company owners. (Stamps also has an enterprise solution for companies with more than 5 offices. I have not tried this version).
Costs
So what do you pay for all the convenience?
The Stamps service costs $15.99 per month, although this is offset somewhat by postage savings. There are a wide variety of these, including free delivery confirmation with Priority Mail, and discounts ranging from 5% on Express Mail to 21% on FedEx. Visit the Stamps website for all the details. Also, as I said before, the first 4 weeks are include $5 in free postage to try.
Is It Worth The Cost?
This will greatly depend on the amount and type of mail you send. If it saves one trip to the post office, it might pay for itself right there. Also, if you send large amounts of packages, the discounts will quickly add up. Finally, if the tracking abilities or professional image are important, the cost may not be an issue. On the other hand, if you send mostly regular mail, the monthly fee might be tough to stomach.
Other Features
There are a bunch of features included with Stamps.com’s service that did not interest me, but could be helpful for some users. These include:
- Free supplies – USPS normally supplies free flat rate boxes and Priority Mail envelopes/tubes – but Stamps.com receive the benefit of free delivery for these supplies (stay out of that post office!)
- International customs forms are built-in to the software
- Free package pickup by USPS
- Integration with eBay, Amazon, Yahoo, Google Checkout, Quickbooks, and Excel for easy import of required shipping labels. The system also posts-backs data to eBay and Amazon stores.
- The ability to use a barcode scanner to grab an order number and print shipping labels on the fly.
- Automatic address correction
- The ability to email return shipping labels
- And there are even more listed on the Stamps website.
Conclusion
There is a cost associated with the Stamps.com service, but it could easily prove worthwhile for anyone who does large amounts of shipping. People running an online business, and shipping packages all over the country, could particularly benefit from the convenience and savings offered by Stamps.com
Be sure to take advantage of the $80 Stamps offer – Click here to try the service.
Find this useful? Get site updates via RSS / Email or follow this site on Twitter / Facebook.
Very good review on Stamps.com. Reading it, I am now enticed to also try the service of this company.
DON”T TRUST STAMPS.COM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One year ago I went on this website to order a roll of 100 stamps. They ask you immediately to create an account (name – credit card, ecc). After I created my account I figured out that they don’t sell stamps but a way to stamp your enveloppes for a forfait monthly price. So I logged out without buying ANYTHING. From that moment they started to charge me 15.99$ monthly. As usually my assistant take care of my AMEX bills I did not notice this weird charge. Some days ago I changed c/c # and they wrote me to update my account and I figured out that I paid for 1 year their fee without even know how to use their complicated method to stamp. So I called to cancel my account and ask for a refund. I have had to stay 2 hours on the phone. At beginning they told me that they don’t do refund. After talking and arguing with several people and supervisors they told me that I can use their service till the end of this month but on the opposite they cancelled from today this possibility and after another long argue they accepted to refund 74$ on the 192$ which they took illegally from my card. I also told them that I don’t have anymore that card and they told me that AMEX will accept anyway their refund but I guess that this is impossible. This has been a bad experience with one of the companies that use Internet to trick people. I don’t care about few dollars but those way to earn money disgoust me, for that I’m furious and I want that eveybody knows my story. DON’T TRUST STAMPS.COM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you can only really judge a company once you have tried their services for yourself. There is going to be a very very small percentage of customers with issues and problems in any business. I think it’s clear to most people that a signup involving a credit card will lead to charges at some point, unless you instigate a cancellation. I always check my CC statement every couple of days from anomalies.
Have been a customer of stamps.com for years, and have had a series of software compatability issues, but this last one, as of Mar 2011 is a real kicker . . after I upgraded from IE8 to IE9 (win7 64bit OR 32bit, I tried both) their software stopped working . . after a series of their folks worked with me and their own testing couldn’t reproduce the problem, they basically said, “yr on yr own,” instead of spending more time with me to isolate the issue, so that OTHER customers don’t have the same problem . . I canceled . . . buggy UI, not enough resolve when the problem isn’t immediately apparent to their support folks.
They have had other similar problem solving technique when in a previous version, they stopped being able to print international labels, I give up . . USPS.com does the same thing for free, and doesn’t cost $16 a month.
Thanks for the comment. I’ll readily admit I haven’t spent years with the
software – so it’s good to get feedback from someone that’s been using it a
long time.
Hi,
I found a bug in the Stamps .com software when I upgraded to the pro version.
On occasion, when trying to print, I will get a Stamps.com error and “Please try again”. Well, I tried 3 times and got the same error. I also noticed after trying 3 times, my postage balance was depleted!!!
I spoke to their “tech” and he insisted it was a printer compatibility issue. The “fix” has done nothing to resolve my problem.
I also have to wait 15 to 20 days for my postage refund!
Now I have to go through all of my shipments to see how many other times this has happened!
I wonder how many other customers have had this happen to them???
Randy – That sounds really frustrating. I haven’t seen the problem myself – maybe someone reading this article will chime in?
Nice enough service, but they charged me a $16 fee to cancel
Never got their stuff to work and they charged me 16.00 for over a year, and then another 16 to cancel. They suck. Don’t sign up for this scam.
Stamps.com is a rip off for the average mailer, and the service numerically makes no sense unless you’re doing a heck of a lot of mailing. They conveniently don’t mention the service fee when you sign up. The service fee is mentioned in an email they send you, but it is slickly tucked away within the text and not noticeable. Unfortunately, I did not realize they were charging me this fee until I received notice from them about a billing problem.
I have been a user and fan of Stamps.com for years. The downloaded software version is great. However, I recently switched to a Mac, for which downloaded software is not available. I have to use the online version of Stamps.com instead and it is awful compared with the software. It’s slow and lacks many of the features the downloaded version has. I now have a pile of (expensive) shipping labels that I can’t use anymore and it takes much longer to do what I used to do quickly. If they beef up the online version or create software for the Mac, I’ll stay and be happy. Otherwise, I might as well go back to the post office. If you are a Mac user considering this service, DON’T until and unless it improves. If you’re a PC user, the downloaded software works great.
Received a package in a box marked priority mail. The post office said the Amazon shipper only paid $4.72 and they said I owed 5.63 for the 10.35 total.
Postage due when I aready paid the Amazon shipper for postage!!!
I would like to know how you that cancelled even managed to do it. I have been calling to close my Stamps.com account since November. I do not use it enough to make it worth the money. Everytime I call to close the account they give me the run around and the last man I spoke to refused to close it altogether. Now I have to issue a dispute with the bank and I am going to file fraud charges since they refuse to let me close it. I have had the account for a year and there is nothing in the fine print that states I have to keep it open. I will be going back to be sure that a $16 fee is legal as well. How unfortunate that I am going to have to go these extremes with an account that they have already made a killing off me just from monthly fees. What is the world coming to that a company has to fraud and steal from others to stay afloat.
There is one MAJOR OVERSIGHT in the Stamps.Com program that runs on the customer’s desk top computer. In my business we mail 9×12 envelopes containing insurance policies of various weights. The program will not accomodate loading the address data and the postage data so that a group of lables can be printed on one page of labels, at one time. Stamps.Com wants me to Input a lable, print the label, take the labels off of the printer, put the lables back in, and then input and print another lable. Eight labels requires 8 trips to the printer to cycle the label blanks in and out. Having written some software, I could not believe that the program is that incomplete, and hasn’t been fixed by version 9.5
I just signed up for this service. Seem pretty good, but I put a reminder in my Outlook to cancel on 15 April. If they try to charge me $16, I will just dispute it with AmEx. If they bury some small print about some kind of cancelation fee, then they do not have a “free” 30 day trial. If I shipped more, and this was cost effective, I would stay joined up.
horrible experience. I signed up for their site to buy some postage because I didn’t want to go to the post office. They gave me this six-step process. When I got to the second, the page froze and the site is not reachable. The next thing I know: I got charged $16 in past two months for “pro membership fee”. Good job for stealing my money, stamps.com.
WARNING… DO NOT USE STAMPS.COM!!!
I canceled the service in October and they still have been charging me every month. This company is a SCAM!!! They are thiefs that will not stop after you cancel their services. I had to call again today, will see what happens.
I had the same problem they charged me for a extra month and when I called to cancel again they claimed to not find any record of my first cancelation attempt. Horrible website with rude representatives
DO NOT SIGN UP FOR STAMPS.COM!! You may be charged and charged and charged, even if their service does not work for you. Their software does not work on a Mac (a feature they neglected to mention) and their online version (the only option for Mac users) is horrible and undependable. I received no useable service from the company. The company ignored my first 2 attempts to cancel the service. Even complaining to my credit card company did not help – Stamps.com told the credit card company that I still had an active account. Finally, on the 3rd attempt to cancel, the company agreed to cancel my account and not charge the last month’s fee. We will see………………..
Awful experience with this website. The $14.99 charge monthly is ridiculous for a site that rarely works and is slow as death. Almost every day there is an error message when printing a label, and then when you need to be refunded for the label that NEVER PRINTED it takes weeks!! I am going to cancel today, it’s not worth having my money stolen from me when I don’t get refunded for labels that never print… then they add $14.99 per month for an awful service. Oh, and they claim to do “maintenance” every week or so which is an inconvenience in itself because you can’t print on those days, but the kicker is that the site seems to get worse not better. Shame on stamps.com. Thieves!!
I recently signed up for Stamps.com for future use with my online business. However, ever since I didn’t actually PAY for anything, I’ve been getting 3-4 phone calls a day from a telemarketing company trying to get me to make a purchase. This is extremely inappropriate and unnecessary, as I was planning on buying anyways. I’ve been harassed for over a month. Come to find out, you can’t even delete your account without calling Customer Service between certain hours.
Don’t sign up for an account (or give them real information) unless you want the product, or you’ll be harassed by telemarkers for months. Impossible to get on their Do Not Call.
DO NOT DO IT! THEY CONTINUE TO CHARGE MY ACCOUNT AFTER IT WAS CLOSED. IF THE STAMPS DON’T PRINT (WHICH IS OFTEN) IT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A REFUND. I COULD HAVE RENTED A LIMOUSINE TO TAKE ME TO THE POST OFFICE ONCE A WEEK AND WASTED LESS MONEY.
I have absolutely had it with Stamps.com. I would have left this feedback for them on their contact page of their website but that too is never working!!
I used to use USPS.com to just print postage and mail all my packages for my small business, (2-5 per day) and Stamps.com offers the same service and prices but with only one SINGLE benefit which is you can “paste” your addresses into their site instead of typing the whole thing out like on USPS.com. That’s it, oh and Stamps.com does charge a fee which they collect when you “Add Postage” to your account.
For the past 5 months of trying to use Stamps.com 1/5 times it completely stops working mid-transaction, won’t respond to input, or just spins in place as if it’s trying to figure something out… for infinity. I started timing the time it took to complete each transaction and often it was over 25 minutes spent just reloading, trying to be patient and re-entering sign-in info until I just drive to the post office and pay the extra dollar for them to do it.
Again, when Stamps.com works, it is slightly more convenient than USPS.com but the hair-pulling frustration of it when it doesn’t work is NOT worth the fee they charge. (Their $80 free package is not what you think it is, the scale ONLY works with their site and does not show you the weight; it only uploads the data to their applet.
I have been a happy Stamps Com user for a long time, a couple of years, at least.
I run a small business. As more of my business becomes international, I am frequently asked for tracking information from my customers, who need to know when the shipments clear Customs, etc.
Many months ago, they upgraded their software and defeated the copy and Paste function. I have to date had five conversations with them. At first, it was a “Security Feature”. The remaining conversations consisted of differing excuses.
Any time saved by using this service is negated by typing in LONG LONG numbers manually, or doing screen captures and sending my customers enormous graphics files.
At this point I feel I am being ‘Shined on”, trivialized, stonewalled and lied to.
The last conversation I was told a new upgrade is coming out “in a matter of weeks”.
I no longer believe them.
On 31 January I am closing the account, and have set up Endica and have it all ready to go. Frankly, I like the Stamps interface better, but one thing that kills that is ATTITUDE.
I will not argue with Stamps.com, I will TELL them, and shut off the CC.
I spend about $5,000 a year on postage. I am sure I’ll be welcome somewhere.
Wonderful items from you, man. I’ve be mindful your stuff prior to and you are simply too great. I actually like what you have acquired right here, really like what you are stating and the way through which you say it. You’re making it enjoyable and you still take care of to stay it wise. I can’t wait to learn far more from you. This is actually a tremendous web site.
Nicely reviewed! But there is a conflict in my mind, whether to try this service or not. I run a small business of my own and needed some online printing services. Your review is very impressive but the experiences which has been shared in the comments are very negative. I am so confused to make any decision.
Twin mattresses usually work well for children and if you require storage
space look for triple childrens beds there
are a few contenders for the bed.
Hahaha you must be joking.Something like that is nothing but just nonsense.
wholesale dolce and gabanna sunglasses http://www.dbaquestions.com/css/hnpxioa.asp?tip=ee76a139b571ed1ed22d59d6d7af03db.html
I was, in my opinion, tricked into a stamps.com account and was charged $15.99 per month for three months for a service that I did not want and never used. When I called to ask about this the stamps.com representative even admitted that I had never downloaded the software for printing stamps on my home PC, and that I never used the service. But they charged me anyway. I was trying to purchase photo stamps, which I had done several times previously, and was told that since I did not querry on photo stamps, and querried instead on stamps.com, I was automatically signed-up for an account. How convienient for them. Not only will I never buy photo stamps again or use stamps.com in any way (remember – do not querry on stamps.com or you may be tricked into getting charged for a service you don’t want), I will cancel my credit card since they did not have the charges removed. It is sad that this outfit is affiliated with the U.S. Postal Service.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both
educative and engaging, and without a doubt,
you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which too few men and
women are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy
that I came across this during my hunt for something relating to this.
Admiring the persistence you put into your blog and
detailed information you present. It’s great to come across
a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material.
Wonderful read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m
including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
I have researched stamps.com extensively and have found an amazing number of negative reviews, most of them relate to bad business practices. The complaints, spanning many different websites, are pretty much all the same so there has to be truth to them. Aside from the bad business practices, I can’t see the value of $15/month. You still have to pay for postage and supplies and the discounts offered can in no way pay for the service fee especially when you consider these same discounts and service are available to you at usps.com for Priority and Express Mail.