Stamps.com Review

Pros

• Easy to use
• Convenient
• Flat monthly rate
• Discounted shipping rates

Cons

• Limited carriers
• Difficult to cancel
• Unreliable refunds

Stamps.com Overview

Stamps.com is a shipping software designed to save you time and money. How well does Stamps.com deliver? And is it the right eCommerce shipping software for your small business? Let’s find out with this in-depth Stamps.com review.

For starters, Stamps.com offers a four-week free trial and offers new users $5 in free postage. You’ll also get discounts on USPS postage rates, with no special equipment to buy or lease.

Now for the downside: Stamps.com may not offer all the features you’d expect to find in eCommerce shipping software, including a choice of shippers, because Stamps.com works only with the US Postal Service and UPS. However, if your business already ships primarily with these carriers, you could benefit from using this software.

What Is Stamps?

Stamps.com is software that lets you buy discounted postage from USPS and UPS and print labels from your home or office. You can even schedule pickup times with USPS directly from your Stamps.com admin. If that sounds like a good option for your small business, you definitely want to read this full Stamps review.

Stamps Pricing

Stamps has three pricing levels based on the number of user accounts and locations you can access. Note that the service plan price does not include the cost of postage. Here’s what is included with each Stamps pricing plan:

Stamps Pro Plan

The Stamps Pro plan costs $17.99/month and includes:

• One user account (can accommodate multiple users, but only one computer signed in at any one time)
• One location
• Ten reference codes that allow you to assign a category to the items you ship

Stamps Premier Plan

The Stamps Premier plan costs $24.99/month and includes everything in the Pro plan, plus:

• Three user accounts
• One location
• Printable certified mail forms
• 50 reference codes

Stamps Enterprise Plan

You’ll have to contact Stamps.com to learn about pricing for the Enterprise plan because pricing is customized for each Enterprise user. This plan includes everything in the Premier plan, plus:

• Multiple users
• Multiple locations
• 1,000 reference codes
• Advanced reporting features
• Dedicated account manager

Stamps.com offers all users a free four-week trial, with no contract required. You can cancel online or contact customer service if you decide not to continue using Stamps.com. Just be sure to cancel before your trial period ends, or you will be charged an ongoing monthly fee of $17.99 for the service, including the trial period.

When you sign up for the trial, you gain access to a few additional perks, valued at $80. These include:

• $5 in free postage to use during your trial
• Free Stamps.com Supplies Kit with address labels, postage labels, and a user manual
• Free 5 lb. digital scale when you pay for shipping and handling
• Coupons for $20 in postage that you can use after the trial

Stamps Features

Stamps.com comes with all the features you need to ship with the USPS. Here’s a summary of those features:

Discounts

Stamp.com offers users on all plans special discounted rates on postage. Discounts are not based on your shipping volume. USPS discounts include:

• First-Class Mail: $0.03 off 1-ounce letters
• Priority Mail: Up to 30% off
• Priority Mail Express: Up to 16% off
• First-Class Packages: Up to 26% off
• Priority Mail International: Up to 12% off
• Priority Mail Express International: Up to 7% off
• First-Class Package International Service: Up to 5% off
• Package Insurance: Up to 40% off

Stamps.com also integrates with UPS, so users can get discounts on shipping rates, although only within the continental US. These discounts include up to 69% off UPS two-day air and up to 55% off UPS ground rates for domestic shipments. Common UPS fees, such as a residential surcharge for ground shipments, are waived for Stamps.com users.

Multichannel Sync

Stamps.com automatically imports orders directly from marketplaces where you sell, including eBay, Amazon.com, and Etsy. You can also import orders from a CVS file, Excel, XML, or your own ODBC. After you print a shipping label for an order, Stamps.com automatically uploads tracking and mailing information back to the order source, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or your shopping cart.

Address Book

Stamps.com’s address book feature lets you store addresses, phone numbers, and email information for everyone you ship to. You can connect to your address books in other applications, such as Outlook and Act as well. You can also import address information from many popular contact management programs.

Tracking

Once you print a shipping label, your customer automatically receives a shipment notification via email. This email will include the delivery address, mail date and class, estimated delivery date, a link with the tracking number, and a personal note that you can customize.

Order Management

You can use batch processing to print shipping labels for up to 10,000 orders at once. You can email your customers a pre-addressed, postage-paid shipping label for returns. The customer can print the label from any web browser, and you maintain control of the delivery speed and shipping costs for the return delivery.

SCAN forms allow you to feel confident that USPS receives your packages, and you can include multiple shipments on one barcode.

Address verification is included with Stamps.com. You can access USPS special services, such as Certified Mail, return receipt, restricted delivery, registered mail, COD, signature confirmation, and more.

Reports

Stamps.com allows users to track mailing and shipping costs by customer, mail class, zone, and more.

Shipping Labels

You won’t need a special printer to use Stamps.com. You can print labels on plain paper, labels and envelopes, or NetStamps labels. You can even customize your packing slips with graphics, such as a logo or a custom message. And, if you’re already using software such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, or QuickBooks, you can print postage labels directly from there.

International Shipping

You can access all international USPS mail classes for international shipments, and the forms you’ll need are integrated into Stamps.com. The software will automatically select the correct form and include the delivery address, product description, and item quantity.

Product restrictions are shown for each country, and the date, your name, and an “electronic round stamp” are included on customs forms, so you don’t need to visit the post office to drop off international shipments.

Postage Payment & Refunds

Your Stamps.com subscription fee does not include the cost of postage. You can pay for the postage you use by invoicing, credit card, or ACH debit/credit, including PayPal debit card.

You can apply for a refund by mail if you misprint or spoil a shipping label. You will need to include physical proof of misprinted or unused postage. Refunds must be received within 60 days, with refunds processed within one to two weeks. You can track refund requests from your admin panel. Refunds are not available for unusable valid postage labels for First-Class 1-ounce or Priority Mail 1-pound shipments.

Package Pickup

You can schedule a package pickup through the USPS website or your admin panel. Called Carrier Pickup, this service is free if scheduled at the same time as your regular mail delivery. Package pickup is available only for these types of shipments: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail Express International, and Priority Mail International. However, if you are sending out at least one package in those classes, you can include packages sent by alternate methods, such as First Class, with no fee added.

There’s no limit on the number of packages, but the maximum weight limit is 70 pounds per package.

For more information on all available features, check out Stamp’s complete feature list on the Stamps.com website.

Is Stamps Easy To Use?

Stamps.com is a fairly easy-to-learn shipping solution. Test out the platform for yourself by signing up for a four-week trial of the software. Just enter your name, address, and credit card information to create a login and password. As you create your account, you should keep in mind that Stamps is a paid service. If you do not cancel your account before those four weeks are over, you will be billed automatically for the first (trial) month. Fair warning: It is difficult to have this charge refunded.

During the setup process, you can integrate with your online store and the online marketplaces you use, including eBay, Amazon, and Etsy. Once you’ve integrated those channels, you can import orders automatically. After I created my account, my first step was to sync my Shopify store. I was happy to see that my orders were imported immediately and automatically.

Once you’ve imported your orders, you can click on each order to select your desired shipping options. This is how you process orders. You can complete a few more actions using the Stamps.com dashboard, such as scheduling USPS pickups for packages, printing SCAN forms and return slips, and more. Overall, we think Stamps.com is simple to learn and use, which is a big plus.

Stamps.com Customer Service & Support

All Stamps.com users have access to customer support via phone and email. Additionally, users can find support through a knowledgebase, tutorials, and more. Users on some plans will be assigned a dedicated account rep.

Reviews of customer support are mixed. Some users say Stamps.com’s support is helpful and friendly. Other users blame support reps for not being able to resolve issues.

Here are a few ways you can access support:

• Phone: Phone support is available Monday-Friday from 6 AM-6 PM PST.
• Email: Stamps.com typically responds to email requests in one to two business days.
• Contact Form: Submit a contact form and receive a response through email.
• Help Center: Stamps.com has an easy-to-search help center with answers to common questions.
• Videos: You can view Stamps.com’s step-by-step tutorial videos to learn how to use the software’s basic features. You can also view prerecorded webinars. These webinars are about thirty minutes long and cover such topics as shipping efficiently and shipping internationally.
• Blog: Read up on shipping best practices.
• Social Media: Stamps.com is active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The company also has a YouTube channel, although it hasn’t added any new videos recently.

Stamps.com Integrations & Add-Ons

Stamps.com integrates with over 30 software solutions, including two dozen shopping carts, marketplaces, and multicarrier solutions. That list includes Shift4Shop, BigCommerce, CS-Cart, Magento, OpenCart, PinnacleCart, PrestaShop, Shopify, Volusion, and WooCommerce. You can also integrate your Stamps.com account with online marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Yahoo, as well as other solutions, such as Channel Advisor, Earth Skater, SureDone, and more.

These integrations allow you to import orders directly into the Stamps.com admin. Integrations with multicarrier shipping solutions let you use additional shipping software to fulfill orders with other shipping carriers, such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL.

Stamps.com also offers an API for developers.

Stamps Reviews

Stamps has its fair share of reviews online posted by actual users. Overall, the company has 4.55/5 stars (based on 1,724 reviews) and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Although many Stamps reviews online are positive, you can see some clear patterns in the less favorable comments. Let’s take a look.

Negative Stamps Reviews & Complaints

Here are some common complaints from Stamps.com users:

• Quick To Take Money, Slow To Refund It: While Stamps.com is very regular in collecting monthly and postage payments, if you need a refund for any reason on the service or postage, you may have trouble getting it. That can be a big problem when it comes to postage misprints. It’s very easy to lose postage dollars accidentally through printer jams or alignment issues. It may take a long time to have those costs refunded, or they may never be refunded at all.
• Tricky Trial Period: Many users sign up for a trial of Stamps.com, not realizing that it is a paid service, and quickly forget about it. When the next month rolls around, these users are surprised by a charge on their credit card balance. In fact, some users have not realized they are being charged for this service for years. It’s also important to understand that the trial period is free only if you cancel before it ends; if you don’t, you will be retroactively charged the full monthly amount.
• Difficult To Cancel: Even if you cancel Stamps.com, you may still be billed in the following months. Multiple users say Stamps.com does not always cancel your account, even when you request it.
• Unhelpful Customer Support: Many users express frustration that customer support representatives seem unable to help.
• Available For Free Elsewhere: Stamps.com is not the only avenue you can use to purchase postage. In fact, USPS.com and many online marketplaces allow you to buy postage online without any additional monthly fee. You can access many of the same features using a USPS program called Click-N-Ship, which is available at no charge but does not include postage discounts.

Positive Stamps Reviews & Testimonials

Stamps.com’s user feedback isn’t all complaints. As I’ve said, there are plenty of advantages to using Stamps.com, and many users recognize those perks. That’s reflected in its overall high marks on user review sites like Capterra, where Stamps.com has 4.3/5 stars with almost 800 reviews.

Here’s what Stamps.com users like about the software:

• It’s Convenient: Stamps.com lets you purchase and print postage and shipping labels on any printer. Use Stamps.com to schedule package pickups, and you’ll never have to trek to the post office again.
• Easy To Use: You and your employees should have no trouble learning the basics of importing data, processing orders, and printing postage.
• Discounted Rates: Users appreciate that Stamps.com gives them access to significant shipping discounts.
• Helpful Customer Support: Some users say Stamps.com’s support representatives are courteous and helpful. It is very common to see mixed reviews when it comes to customer support for software products such as Stamps.com.

Final Verdict Of Stamps

On the whole, an in-depth Stamps.com review shows this is a decent software product, with a few flaws that are balanced by solid benefits and useful features. While any business can use Stamps.com, we think this product works best for small sellers who ship between 50 and 500 orders per month. In particular, Stamps.com is good for merchants who frequently ship through the USPS and can benefit from the significant postage discounts available through Stamps.com.

If you’re still not 100% convinced, sign up for a Stamps free trial and test it for yourself. You have to enter your credit card information, and if you forget to cancel, you will be charged the monthly fee for a Stamps.com Pro account. So set a reminder, and don’t forget to evaluate the service and make a decision well before the 30-day mark hits.

During your four-week trial, give the software a thorough test. Link your online store and run through daily operations, testing advanced features such as return label creation and postage refunds. Give the support options a trial, too, so you can be sure that help will be there for you if and when you need it.

If Stamps works for you, there’s nothing else you need to do. Just keep using the software. But if Stamps doesn’t fit your needs, keep looking into other options. Stamps.com parent company Thomas Bravo owns several other shipping software companies, including Endicia, ShipStation, ShipEngine, ShippingEasy, and ShipWorks. So if you think Stamps.com misses the mark for your small business, check out one of its sister companies, and you may find a better fit.

While finding the best shipping software for your business needs may take some time, it’s worth the effort. When you find a way to make shipping easier, you’ll have time to make all kinds of adjustments that boost eCommerce sales overall.

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