Stamps.com Reviews: Is It Worth The Hype?
Stamps.com Overview
When you first start with your small ecommerce business, it’s exciting to make sales, but you might spend way too much time in line at the post office. As you grow, you no longer have time to stand in line and need to find a shipping resource that works best for you. However, for those who do not have high-volume mailing needs, it might be more convenient and cost-effective to buy stamps directly from the post office.
If you’re looking for shipping software to manage your ecommerce business shipments, Stamps.com could be just what you’re looking for.
In this Stamps.com review, we examine software features, pricing, shipping features, integrations, and customer support.
We also provide a few alternatives if Stamps.com isn’t the right fit for your business.
Overview
What is Stamps.com?
Stamps.com is an online platform that allows you to print stamps and fine-print off shipping labels for letters, packages, and everything in between. This is the same postage other post office customers could get at a discount with a monthly service fee and printer while saving you a trip to the post office.
If you sell items online, Stamps.com integrates with many online stores, including Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and Shopify. In one dashboard, you can import your orders and easily print shipping labels for them.
Pros
- User-friendly interface, making navigation simple even for beginners and online retailers.
- Affordable pricing plans that cater to different business sizes and needs.
- Effortless integration with popular ecommerce platforms and marketplaces.
- It has time-saving features like batch printing and automatic customs form generation.
- It offers free supplies and NetStamps to new customers.
- Exclusive discounts on postage and providing cost-effective shipping options.
- 24/7 customer support, ensuring assistance is always available.
- Free end-of-day pickup saves you time by having the postal service carrier collect your packages, ensuring you meet shipping deadlines effortlessly.
- Stamps.com can be a great solution for businesses looking to streamline their shipping processes.
Cons
- It primarily supports USPS and UPS, which may need to be improved for businesses that need a more comprehensive range of shipping options.
- Some users have reported difficulty canceling their subscription service, which can be a hassle.
- There have been complaints about delayed or unprocessed refunds, causing frustration among customers.
- The monthly fees can be a significant drawback, especially for users with low shipping volumes. Many customers express dissatisfaction with being charged for a service they did not use and encountering difficulties canceling their accounts.
- The software can be complex for new users, initially requiring a steep learning curve.
- Limited carriers restrict your shipping options for different needs.
Value
Stamps.com Pricing
Looking into Stamps.com’s pricing, you’ll find that they offer a variety of plans tailored to different customer needs. Whether you’re an individual, a small business, or a larger enterprise, there’s something for everyone.
The Core Basic Plan is ideal for individuals or small operations. It offers essential services like 10-cost codes, printing postage, discount shipping prices, and carrier services at an affordable rate of $19.99 per month. It also includes features like delivery confirmation, which can help track shipments.
The Office Plan provides a more comprehensive suite of features for businesses that handle more first-class mail, users, 50 cost codes, user management, and postage funds allocation. If your needs are even more extensive in order management and activity and spend tracking, particularly for online retailers, the Ecommerce Plan is designed to integrate seamlessly with various ecommerce platforms, helping you manage shipping tasks efficiently.
Finally, the Enterprise Plan offers advanced features for large-scale operations, such as multi-location user management and dedicated support to streamline the shipping processes management team.
Each plan is priced according to the level of service and support provided, ensuring that you pay for only what you need. New customer’s special services benefit from a four-week trial period before paying the monthly subscription fee; others take advantage of free postage, easy printing stamps, a free scale, discounted rates, free supplies, and the convenience of printing shipping labels directly from your computer. In addition to the discount for printing postage, new users may include a digital scale.
For detailed pricing and specific features in each plan, visit the Stamps.com pricing page.
When shipping with Stamps.com, packages can be sent via USPS, UPS, or DHL mail. You can choose the option that best fits your needs and budget, and you can ship without visiting your UPS store or post office for postage.
Stamps.com plans include discounts on shipping when you purchase postage from USPS:
- Upto 89% off USPS®, UPS®, and DHL mail.
- Priority Mail Express Shipments can be discounted up to 16%
- Priority Mail Shipments can be discounted by up to 30%
- First Class Package Service Shipments could be discounted up to 26%
- GlobalPost International Shipments could be discounted by up to 78%
- Package Insurance could be discounted by up to 40%
Stamps.com provides transparent billing practices, with detailed monthly charge invoices, ensuring you understand all charges and can manage your shipping expenses effectively.
Use Stamps.com for postage meter benefits, postage on envelopes, and postage stamps. For added convenience, ensure you have the shipping address ready before printing. Consider gift cards for shipping discounts.
If you decide to cancel your Stamps.com account, you must contact customer support. The cancellation is effective immediately, and you can request a refund for any unused postage. Note that their policies specify that some fees may not be refundable.
Stamps.com says you can submit postage refund requests within 60 days of a printed order, but several customer reviews state that they could not get refunds processed reasonably. Many report being charged for their membership even after asking the company to cancel it.
Software Features
Stamps.com simplifies shipping and mailing with features designed for both individuals and businesses. Its multiple shipping choices allow you to select from carriers like USPS and UPS, tailoring options to your specific needs.
Unique to Stamps.com is the ability to print postage on various surfaces, including envelopes, special labels, and plain paper. This supports bulk printing to streamline high-volume operations. Form completion and address verification further reduce errors and save time, ensuring accurate shipments.
For those with multiple shipping locations, Stamps.com allows seamless management of shipments from different origins, centralizing your shipping process. Integrated digital scales ensure accurate additional postage, and features for international shipping simplify global operations.
Shipment tracking offers real-time monitoring, providing both senders and recipients peace of mind. Integration with numerous ecommerce platforms ensures a smooth transaction process.
Customer Support
Stamps.com customer service offers multiple customer support options, including a customer service phone number and an extensive help center. While they lack 24/7 and live chat support, their help center is rich with FAQs, guides, and troubleshooting steps—helpful in resolving common issues.
Phone support is available for complex or urgent problems but is limited to specific hours. Be sure to check their operating times for live assistance.
Regarding order tracking, customers receive tracking information with their orders, though this may only sometimes be available for international shipments.
However, some users have reported negative reviews about technical issues, billing discrepancies, and lack of customer service concerns, which have impacted their overall experience with Stamps.com.
Ecommerce Integrations
Stamps.com integrates with most major ecommerce platforms, including:
- PayPal
- Shopify
- Volusion
- BigCommerce
- Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)
- Adobe Commerce
- Yahoo
- Zencart
- Xcart
Marketplace Integrations
Stamps.com integrates with many popular marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Sears.
Some users have reported issues with the batch feature when updating shipping statuses for items from their eBay store.
You can connect your platforms to Stamps.com to auto-import from shopping platforms. Orders can also be uploaded via CVS, XML, Microsoft Excel, or ODBC.
Alternatives
Stamps.com is a great shipping service solution, but it’s not for every ecommerce business. Here are a few alternatives to consider:
ShippingEasy
ShippingEasy is another platform that lets you capture deep shipping discounts with the USPS. In addition, they offer discounted UPS rates and shipping automation. You can ship up to 25 monthly shipments for free and between 26 and 200 for just $19.99/month.
There’s a free trial to see how the system works before committing to payment. ShippingEasy integrates with major selling channels, including Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wish, and Etsy.
Easyship
Easyship is a similar platform that offers both pay-as-you-go and subscription-based pricing. It includes automation tools that help boost processing speeds.
It’s a great option for ecommerce businesses with a lot of international orders since it auto-generates tax and customs documents.
ShipEngine
ShipEngine is a shipping platform with usage-based pricing. The higher your shipping volume, the more you can save. You’ll pay pennies for each label generation, tracking, address validation, etc. You can even use the platform for less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping, which you don’t see with others in the space.
The website’s shipping cost calculator estimates your monthly shipping costs based on your shipment volume. For instance, on the Startup shipping plan, sending 250 shipments will cost you $12.50 monthly. You can choose the shipping carrier that makes the most sense for each package.
ShipStation
ShipStation is a similar tool that allows you to print shipping labels for your packages. With ShipStation, you have access to a wider variety of carriers and a mobile app. Both tools will enable you to import orders from your connected sales channels and capture carrier discounts. While ShipStation has package limits on its plans, it is affordably priced, with plans starting at $9.99/month for up to 50 shipments.
Is Stamps.com Worth It?
Stamps.com can be a valuable tool for small businesses looking to save time by streamlining their shipping process. Offering discounts on postage rates and simplifying the process of printing shipping labels from your own office eliminates the need to visit the post office regularly. However, the monthly fee of $19.99 might only be justifiable if your shipping volume is high enough to take full advantage of the discounts and features offered.
For businesses that ship frequently via USPS or UPS, Stamps.com can lead to significant cost savings. On the other hand, if your shipping needs are minimal, you might find that simply buying postage from the USPS as needed is more economical.
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