The Internet is empowering more and more entrepreneurs to launch businesses online. Whether it’s an e-commerce store selling products or an online business servicing customers, postage and shipping are part of daily operations. In fact, for e-commerce stores, business reputation depends on the speed and quality of shipping. With postage meters, also called postage machines, business owners can save time and money on this critical task.

Postage meters allow business owners to directly print accurate postage on package labels and envelopes without the need to go to post offices to weigh and postage. They calculate the exact postage based on the weight, destination and type of mail. In addition, you can also keep track of the amount spent on postage. Business productivity is also boosted as the time saved is used for more profitable tasks, such as business development.

How do postage meters help small businesses?

Postal machines are a boon for small businesses that are already strapped for time and money, not to mention staff that make frequent trips to the post office. Some of the main advantages of using them are:

Convenient Measurement: With postage machines, businesses can print and pay postage directly at the office. You don’t have to stand in long lines at the post office to weigh and seal your shipments. You only need to make the trip to send the shipments or pick them up at your office.

Easy management of all types of emails: They can handle most types of mail: Parcel Post, Priority, Domestic First Class, Express, International First Class, International Parcel Post, etc. Since it is easy to print directly on the envelopes, mass mailings can be sealed accurately and quickly.

Cost savings: They always stamp packages with the correct postage, unlike post offices where exact postage is not available all the time. Parcels are weighed on a scale at the postage meter and postage is calculated accordingly.

What are the disadvantages of postal meters?

While postage meters offer many advantages, they also come with some challenges. Some of them are:

Lease Rates: The country’s postal service manages the use, rates and distribution of these machines. Postal machines cannot be purchased and must be rented for long-term use. The leasing fee can range from $20 to $500 per month depending on the model.

Change of postal rates: Postage rates may be changed by the postal service and this should also be reflected on the postal machines. While newer digital meters can be updated electronically, lower cost models must be manually updated by the leasing company.

Government Restrictions on Repair: The government does not permit troubleshooting and repair of postage meters by any personnel except the authorized renter. This can cause delays and the utility must use regular mail until the meters are back up and running.

The convenience of owning a franking machine, reduced operating costs, and time savings far outweigh its drawbacks. Postage meters bring professionalism to official mailing and shipping and allow business owners to invest more time and money in business growth and other lucrative initiatives.