This is a question that we get from our customers frequently so we decided to create this post to help as many people as possible to make an informed decision if getting a postage meter is right for their business.
How Can A Business Pay For Their Postage?
- By Using A Postage Meter
- By Using Stamps on their Mail
- By Using a Post Office Account
What is a Postage Meter?
A postage meter is simply a device which a business can download postage credits on and use the machine to print the postage directly on to the mail in order to pay for their postage. In essence you could think of it as a stamp printer.
What are the top 5 benefits to my business from using a postage meter or franking machine?
- You don’t have to send staff to the post office in order to buy stamps or to lodge outgoing mail as you would on a post office account as you can lodge at a street box
- Generally the machines come with an integrated scale and postage calculator so that you always know that you are paying the right amount for your postage
- You will receive a small rebate on the value of your postage from the post office (at the time of writing this is 2.5%)
- You can download your postage by connecting that machine to the internet which means that you will never run out of postage
- You can have the machine print your company logo and return address on your mail which alleviates the need to have pre-printed envelopes
What are the top 5 business issues caused by using a postage meter or franking machine?
- Generally you will have to pay a monthly lease to have the machine on your site and these can get rather expensive (on average $160 per month)
- You still need to find a street box to lodge the mail and will have to visit the post office to purchase items such as express post satchels
- Each time you connect the postage meter to download funds (At least once per quarter) you will pay a “resetting fee” which can be as much as $20
- Each time the Post Office changes their rates you will need to update the machine – this is not free, it can cost up to $200 each time
- You will need to pay for ink cartridges to print your postage which uses a special ink and is locked to that postage meter supplier – these are not cheap (up to $400 each)
So there you have it, here are some of the things that your business needs to consider regarding postage meters / franking machines. There are many more and we are here to help your business with regards to anything mail related.
Feel free to give us a call on 1300 624 562 or click here to email us for a no obligation chat about anything mail related.
