Buying Postage Online - How Small Businesses Can Lower Their Mailing Costs

There once was a time when office mail rooms used bulky, inefficient and expensive meter machines to stamp their outgoing mail. The machines dispensed postage, all right, but they ran down, causing postal inspectors or company representatives to have to come to a stalled office to reset and recharge the meter. Once ink ran out, the same rep had to be called in to sell a proprietary ink that would invariably be the only one that worked in the meter – for a hefty fee. The meters were so inflexible that all they did was stamp postage – you needed a separate machine for addressing.And yet there are still mail rooms that use meters – in the new digital age, that’s tantamount to driving a horse and buggy down the freeway!Fortunately, thanks to online postage software, commonly referred to as PC Postage, the day of the postage meter is coming to an end. With PC Postage, you buy your postage online direct from the United States Postal Service or one of its selected partners (such as Stamps.com), and print your postage out right onto your envelope using an ordinary inkjet or laserjet printer.
What is PC Postage?PC Postage is a program originated by the United States Postal Service which allows customers to print official US Postage directly onto envelopes or mailing labels after being bought over the Internet. Unlike traditional postage meters, postage can be bought “A la carte” as needed as opposed to being bought in large block as with a meter. Therefore, your mailroom is not saddled with enormous amounts of paid-for postage that you might not need all at once. PC Postage is offered through a number of partner vendors, among them Stamps.com, Endicia, and Pitney Bowes’ Shipstream. Each offers PC postage services for nearly all mail classes, as well as support for nearly all mailpieces, from postcards up to the maximum 70-pound parcels allowable via the USPS. Why use PC Postage? Why not just lease a meter? PC Postage offers you several benefits over the traditional postage meter by empowering you to run your mailroom the way YOU want to, not the way the meter allows you to.
PC Postage is easy to set up. Register for an account, install the software, and you’re ready to go.
No additional equipment to purchase – an internet connection, computer and printer is all you need. Many of the leading PC Postage vendors such as Stamps.com even provide you with a free scale as a startup incentive.
No long-term contracts and no hidden fees - With postage meters, you can be on the hook for three years to pay the month-to-month charge of up to $70 just for the lease or payment on the machine.
Postage Meter Contracts Contain Tons of Hidden CostsAdditionally, postage meters include many different hidden costs that can increase their total operating expenses dramatically. Whiles these costs vary, here are the four most common hidden costs found in a postage meter contract:
-- Most meters have special blends of proprietary inks, or inks in containers engineered to fit only the machine – obtainable, of course, only from the meter’s service representative. Either way, the ink alone can cost you upwards of $0.10 per print – for a meter that can usually make around 800 prints per ink fill, that’s an outlay of $80 each time the ink needs recharging.-- When you “reset” your meter, either by buying more postage over the phone or having a representative come and recharge the postage inside, the meter company charges an additional fee. You are not charged a recharge fee (which can run as much as $25 per recharge) as a PC Postage customer. -- PC Postage gives your business more flexibility in its mailings. You can print postage, address, and tracking in one single print, giving your mailings a professional, polished look. This includes support for postcards and tri-fold mailings.-- In the unfortunate event of a misprint or other mistake, refunds can be handled right through the PC Postage vendor client, saving you time and money.PC Postage: the logical evolution of postal technology. Erase the headaches that come with the old postal meter – try PC Postage today!

Old Colony Elder Services Encourages General Public

DATELINE: PLYMOUTH COUNTY AND AVON, EASTON AND STOUGHTON, MA. Old Colony Elder Services (OCES), a private, non-profit Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) that serves Plymouth county as well as the towns of Avon, Easton and Stoughton, is encouraging the general public to participate in the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program by providing agift to a senior in need.Old Colony Elder Services, working in conjunction with Home Instead Senior Care, the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program sponsor, has identified approximately 170 isolated elders who otherwise would not receive a gift this holiday season.
Each of these seniors is represented by an ornament with their "wish list" on it. The wish lists may include items such as postage stamps, clothing, a gift card to a grocery store, candy or other item. The ornaments adorn Christmas trees located at Duval's Pharmacy at 571 Washington Street in Whitman and Southeast Medical Center on Route 18 in East Bridgewater. To be a "Santa to a Senior", simply select an ornament from one of the two trees and purchase a gift that is on that senior's "wish list". Then, bring the gift (unwrapped) along with the ornament, back to the participating location from which the ornament was selected.All the gifts will be collected by Home Instead Senior Care and a wrapping party will be held on December 16th. Representatives from Home Instead Senior Care and OCES will help wrap and distribute the gifts to the seniors.For questions about "Be a Santa to a Senior", contact Susan Willis, Home Care Program Director at OCES (508) 584-1561.About Old Colony Elder Services Incorporated in 1974, Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) is one of 27 private, non-profit Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. OCES serves elders, their families and caregivers in the towns of Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleboro, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, Wareham, West Bridgewater and Whitman. The organization's mission is to provide services that support the dignity and independence of elders by helping them maximize their quality of life; live safely and in good health; and, preventunnecessary or premature institutionalization. The agency has 130 employees and operates more than 12 programs serving elders, their families and caregivers. For more information call (508) 584-1561 or visit the new website at www.oldcolonyelderservices.org.

Do You Know Where To Buy Postage Stamps?

Catalogs are a safe bet, whether you want to buy postage stamps, sell or appraise your collection. Stamp collecting and trading has captured America's heart and millions of collectors for over a century.

For the every day collector who can't wait for the next auction, a Scott's catalog can fill the void in one's collection. Additionally, the APS, Stanley Gibbons, Kenmore Stamp and the US postal service offer catalogs for your enjoyment.

Scott's Catalogue is a world-renowned philatelic reference for people who want to buy postage stamps and sell or appraise their collection. Annual subscriptions for this 5,000 page pamphlet cost as little as $18.97 for six months or as much as $98.97 for three years. Subscribers can choose between print or online, or even receive both for a small price! The Scott's Catalogue numbering system is how most collectors categorize their collections, so it's not uncommon to refer to an "Inverted Jenny" simply as "C3a."

The American Philatelic Society has a database of over 270,613 items that you can search by country, type, keywords, Scott Catalogue number, country and its type, country and keyword, its type and keyword, or Stamp ID number. You needn't be a member to browse, but if you'd like to buy postage stamps or get personal stamp information, you must become a member. Membership fees go toward publishing their monthly journal and costs range from $11.75/year to $38, depending on when you register (July - September is best).

The first Stanley Gibbons catalogue was published in 1865 and since then, they've been a leading resource for collectors looking to get postage ones from Great Britain or elsewhere, with the exception of the United States. You can find a $181,575 first day black cover from Great Britain (1840), an unused 1847 one from Tobago for $8,070, or 1 1913 "kookaburra" one from Australia for $80.

This is the place to find a rare stamp or special gem for your collection. It should also be noted that in addition to the free online catalogue, Stanley Gibbons also offers personal, web-based stamp "My Collection" organization where you can keep an online database of your collection.

Kenmore Stamp Company from Buffalo, NY has been in operation since the 1930s and offers a wide array of them from $10-20, Pope John Paul II and Lord of the Rings souvenir sheet types to $195, first Trans-Atlantic crossing / Zeppelin flight covers, $3,900 red-brown 5 cent Franklin imperforates and mint 10 cent Washington blacks for $16,000! This is a great place to acquire them, whether you're a beginner or expert philatelist.

The United States Postal Service puts out an annual catalog where you can find all the commemorative and press sheet stamps put out each year. At Shop USPS, you can order the full catalog or just browse a few categories. Buy 20 Marvel comic ones for $8.20, a 79-cent Gerald Ford one or an uncut Star Wars press sheet for $18.45.

There are decent prices for first-time collectors. Whether you'd like to purchase postage stamps with pop culture themes as gifts or collectibles, you can find them here.

Many people buy postage stamps through legitimate catalogs to safeguard their investments and receive some sort of guarantee of authenticity. However, beginners might find it more advantageous to collect stamps online through an auction site like eBay, where bids start as low as one cent.

Trading stamps through catalogs isn't free, which is why other internet sites seem to have such an enormous selection on hand.

Mike Selvon has some great stamp collecting articles for the hobbyist, where you can find out more about places to buy postage stamps. We appreciate your feedback at our stamp collecting values blog. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon