Postage meters cost more than you think

Postage meter ink is up to 100 times more expensive than inkjet printer ink

That’s up to $0.10 per print! Stamps.com uses the standard ink used in your desktop printer and ends up costing about $0.001 per print. Postage meter ink is about 100 times more expensive than even the most expensive inkjet printer ink or laser printer toner.

Equipment insurance, shipping & handling, and maintenance agreements

These additional fees may be added to your monthly bill and can add significantly to the total cost. Some are one-time fees like the $25 to ship your postage meter to you or to replace it if something goes wrong. Other charges are incurred every month, such as equipment insurance (up to $12 per month).

Reset fees

Reset fees are charges added to the amount of postage you buy. For example, if you load $200 into your postage meter, there is often a $5-10 fee that is charged on top of the postage.

Mandatory fees to update USPS postage rates

As you know, postage rates usually increase every January and May. With postage meters, this simple 30-second software upgrade may cost you hundreds of dollars. At Stamps.com, postage rates are automatically changed for you at no additional cost.

Property tax or “Return-to-inventory” fees

Property tax is an added fee you must pay each year based on the percentage of the value of the equipment. A return-to-inventory fee is a charge you may see even after your lease obligations have been met.

Automatic annual price increases

Many postage meter companies will raise your rates every year depending on how much postage you used in the prior year.

Charges for a company logo or seasonal images

If you want to print a logo or other message next to your postage, meter companies can charge you up to $95 per image. However, their cost is minimal, but it uses a lot more of their expensive inks, so they win both ways. With Stamps.com, images and logos are free, so you can add as many different looks to your mail as you’d like.

Extra telephone line

Postage meters need phone lines to add postage to an account. Since most companies don’t want to tie up their phone lines, they’re forced to purchase an extra phone line. With Stamps.com, all you need is your existing internet connection to add money to your postage account.

Stuck in a meter lease? We can still save you money.

The postage meter fees, on top of your monthly lease fees, can add up to much more than the cost of Stamps.com, so you’ll save money just by turning off your meter and avoiding all the extra postage meter expenses.