Renting a postage meter may cost as little as $20 per month for the most basic equipment and $1,000 per month for specialized mail processing operations. There are also additional expenditures to consider, such as ink, paper, maintenance, and rental rates.
The number of items delivered every day, the scale or meter type, and features such as an embedded address book, account codes, and laser printing influence a USPS meter’s pricing.
Even while mail accounts for a small portion of a person’s daily conversations, it is significant. Written communication remains the industry standard for official notices, critical information, bill collection, and other purposes. Using the postal service to send written correspondence preserves your legal status. So, what is the cost of USPS meters?
What Should You Know About USPS Meter Costs?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers cheaper rates for first-class mail sent with a postage meter. When contrasted to the post office, the retail fee for mailing a first-class postal letter (1 oz.) is $0.58, but the postage meter price is $0.50, a 16 percent savings per letter. So, when you lease a postal meter, there are four types of postage meter costs:
- Expenses of leasing;
- Costs of postage;
- Costs of mailing supplies;
- Costs of maintenance and repairs.
Let’s look at each cost kind in more detail.
The Lease Costs
Because buying a postage meter is difficult, your best option is to lease one. This entails paying a nominal monthly charge to an approved supplier to rent one of their devices.
Some vendors have set costs, while others charge dependent on consumption (the volume of mail you process). The sort of lease you may receive is usually determined by the type of postage meter you want.
Pitney Bowes, for instance, charges a fixed fee of $36.99 per month for the low-volume SendPro C200. However, for an ultra-high-volume device like the SendPro P3000, they’ll normally provide a unique price based on the amount of mail you send.
Fixed fee leases are the easiest solution when you want to set a firm limit on your monthly spending. A usage-based charge structure stands to reason when you send variable amounts of mail each month and want your cost to reflect that.
Depending on the source, model, and occasionally your consumption, this might cost anything from $20 to $200 each month. When comparing postal meter leasing pricing, look beyond the web pages of the individual postage meter businesses. Calling suppliers is the greatest approach to getting preferred pricing and learning about unique deals that aren’t advertised on their websites.
The Postage Costs
A first-class stamp costs 58 cents for a mail weighing 1 ounce (the retail rate). If you processed the identical letter using a postage meter, you’d have to pay $50. Your direct mail expenditures have already been cut by 16 percent.
It will get better. Organizations that send mail in bulk can take advantage of substantially lower Commercial First-Class Mail rates. You must presort your mail before sending it to the USPS for delivery to qualify for these rates.
There’s terrible news, excellent news, and extremely wonderful news regarding presorted mail. Unfortunately, you must organize your mail meticulously to apply for the lowest prices. At least you must send 150 items to the same five-digit ZIP code in each group.
The good news is that you can presort everything with any excellent mid-level postage meter. Postage is 24 percent lower with five-digit presorting than first-class retail mail. What’s more, the truly excellent news?
If you’re considering renting a postage meter, you should know that these services are ideal for mailing large, heavy, or emergency shipments. You may avoid going to the post office using a postage meter to check and stamp your letter. Furthermore, the USPS may pick it up directly from your office or facility once you’ve completed it. It can’t get much simpler than this.
The Supply Costs
When you’re looking for estimates, don’t forget to include the cost of postage meter supplies. While some vendors provide gratis ink refills or paper as a basic feature, others do not. If a supplier’s website doesn’t specify whether or not these things are included in your rental charge, call them and ask.
Ordering postage meter supplies from an office supply business is almost always less expensive. Find a postage meter provider who doesn’t charge extra for materials like labels and ink to save money.
The Upkeep Costs
Last but not least, maintenance. When you rent a postage meter, the equipment remains the property of your provider. In principle, this means they’re in charge of all preventative maintenance and repairs.
But how does it work in practice? It is dependent on the conditions of your lease. This is all the more reason to conduct your homework and have a thorough discussion with vendors before deciding.
The important question is if your provider will send repair personnel to you or if you will have to return broken items to them for repair. What types of hardware damage are covered by their guarantee, and what insurance do they provide?
Mailing automation software is available from Pitney Bowes, FP, Quadient, and Data-Pac. On paper, they all claim to improve the efficiency of your mailroom. However, you should conduct your investigation to see if this is the case.
For example, how long will they continue to provide free bug patches and software upgrades? How user-friendly is the software? Remember, this might cause more harm than help if it has a high learning curve or a perplexing design.
The True Cost of USPS Meters
Many companies offer free postage meter trials that you may use to help you make your selection. This trial period can easily run anywhere from 30 to 90 days. “Try before you buy” is a wonderful method to use free trials.
A hasty choice might bind your company to a costly and pointless contract. Moreover, you should err on the side of prudence, as it’s typically quicker – and less expensive – to upgrade later than to hire “insufficient” equipment at the outset. We have mentioned the typical costs associated with USPS meters. The final choice relies on your shoulders and preferences. Good Luck!