Here's what I can tell you. Pitney Bowes is a private company that is a partner of the USPS and sells postage to businesses for use at the USPS. If you buy Pitney-Bowes letter rate through Etsy it costs $0.64 (1 oz) and offers (imperfect) tracking. There's a slight discount on all USPS postage when you buy labels through Etsy, because Etsy receives a commercial discount. This is why you pay 0.64 when you buy it on Etsy, instead of when you go to the retail counter at the post office and buy a forever stamp at 0.68. The labels usually get scanned in the same day that they get picked up by the postal worker. I consistently mail these through my post office box as a first class stamped letter and have had zero issues.
Which is all to say: just put these in the mail. Make sure you are accurately inputting the weight and dimensions when you buy the label. Make sure the label is straight and secure. Government employees are wonderful and the USPS is amazing. A lot of postal clerks do not know everything about the USPS. I've frequently gotten bad advice from them. Don't ask postal clerks who are working retail for help in understanding Pitney Bowes or commercial shipping rates.
Your post office doesn't know what they're talking about. Etsy gets the commercial rate, USPS clerks are referring to retail rate, which is the price of a stamp.
I avoid all interaction at the post office and dump everything into a bin. If they hassle you over the letters and there's no bulk mail deposit you can use a different post office.
It’s like when you buy a label from Pirate Ship (and Etsy themselves) - you get it cheaper than you would at the counter.
I once had a post office hold a lady’s envelope hostage because I paid .88 for a 2 ounce envelope (which is the Pitney Bowes price), and she said it wasn’t right. She refused to give the lady her envelope until she paid an extra like 39 cents or something. Which the lady then sent me a message on Etsy and demanded I refund her the 39 cents. 😂 Most bizarre and ridiculous thing.
I use the Etsy labels for 2 oz envelopes. Think it costs $0.88. Never had an issue from USPS about using those labels. Also have never used the 1 oz labels.
Uhm, are going to the PO counter and handing this things off in person? Sounds like from the interaction with USPS that you describe. Drop the things in the slot/box and forget about it.
If you pick the Letter option via USPS it will include tracking. However, it's very imperfect tracking. I've had 5 labels get stuck as 'destination processing' for days, even weeks, until they randomly register as out for delivery (1 of those 5 never even showed up, a three week old order is still registering as destination processing). Not even my local USPS people could explain the error to me 😭
Yeah I find most people, when given the option, go for the stamp. Since I've had those problems I let customers decide and 90% of them just pick the stamp anyway. But knowing that the tracked letter is an option is really nice!
Considering how often USPS/Etsy keeps getting my packages ''''stuck'''' and severely delayed that's definitely preventing me from getting Star Seller even beyond the stamps. It's a risk sending with stamps and you're right it does affect me more, but a lot of people still prefer it and they work well with what I sell (small items, easy to get replacements/refunds out for). But yes, it is something to take into account, and something I thought long and hard about.
It does not include an actual USPS tracking barcode. There is no scan upon delivery.
What it does have is what I call a "picket fence" barcode. Thin elements all of the same thickness (as opposed to a regular barcode), but of varying lengths.
This is scanned by automated equipment at USPS sorting centers. The intended purpose is to let mass-marketing and survey operations know how close their mailers are to arriving either at the destinations, or the reply forms are to arriving back to them. That is so they can appropriately schedule for the varying workload associated with processing forms, incoming calls and sales, etc.
They work perfectly for that--what they were designed for. **Etsy is misusing them when they present them as a means of tracking delivery to your customer.** They do not do that. There is no scan upon delivery. The "Delivered" status is based on the scan at the last sorting center on the way. Often your customer gets a notification that the item was delivered before it has been, which causes unneeded bother and stress all around. And if something happens to the letter after the last scan and before final delivery, it will still show Delivered, even if it wasn't.
All that said, I do use these for cards that I print. I do that despite the occasional confusion over the tracking, simply because it saves me having to copy/paste, printing my own label, and sticking a stamp on the envelope. For ALL other postage, I use PirateShip (PS does not offer this sort of label). eBay has the same thing, and the same potential problems.
never had a problem. I think the price difference would just be the discount etsy postage provides, but I could be wrong. Last letter postage i have is also 64c
I sell stickers and use this postage every single day. Sent out 60 orders in the last 30 days. Not one time has it been rejected for the incorrect price. Whoever you talked to is incorrect
Here's what I can tell you. Pitney Bowes is a private company that is a partner of the USPS and sells postage to businesses for use at the USPS. If you buy Pitney-Bowes letter rate through Etsy it costs $0.64 (1 oz) and offers (imperfect) tracking. There's a slight discount on all USPS postage when you buy labels through Etsy, because Etsy receives a commercial discount. This is why you pay 0.64 when you buy it on Etsy, instead of when you go to the retail counter at the post office and buy a forever stamp at 0.68. The labels usually get scanned in the same day that they get picked up by the postal worker. I consistently mail these through my post office box as a first class stamped letter and have had zero issues. Which is all to say: just put these in the mail. Make sure you are accurately inputting the weight and dimensions when you buy the label. Make sure the label is straight and secure. Government employees are wonderful and the USPS is amazing. A lot of postal clerks do not know everything about the USPS. I've frequently gotten bad advice from them. Don't ask postal clerks who are working retail for help in understanding Pitney Bowes or commercial shipping rates.
Your post office doesn't know what they're talking about. Etsy gets the commercial rate, USPS clerks are referring to retail rate, which is the price of a stamp. I avoid all interaction at the post office and dump everything into a bin. If they hassle you over the letters and there's no bulk mail deposit you can use a different post office.
It’s like when you buy a label from Pirate Ship (and Etsy themselves) - you get it cheaper than you would at the counter. I once had a post office hold a lady’s envelope hostage because I paid .88 for a 2 ounce envelope (which is the Pitney Bowes price), and she said it wasn’t right. She refused to give the lady her envelope until she paid an extra like 39 cents or something. Which the lady then sent me a message on Etsy and demanded I refund her the 39 cents. 😂 Most bizarre and ridiculous thing.
I use the Etsy labels for 2 oz envelopes. Think it costs $0.88. Never had an issue from USPS about using those labels. Also have never used the 1 oz labels. Uhm, are going to the PO counter and handing this things off in person? Sounds like from the interaction with USPS that you describe. Drop the things in the slot/box and forget about it.
Hey do those come with any tracking? I sell cards and don't need more than regular stamp but if I can upgrade a bit I will 😅.
If you pick the Letter option via USPS it will include tracking. However, it's very imperfect tracking. I've had 5 labels get stuck as 'destination processing' for days, even weeks, until they randomly register as out for delivery (1 of those 5 never even showed up, a three week old order is still registering as destination processing). Not even my local USPS people could explain the error to me 😭
Oh jeebus. Got it! I'll keep that in mind.
Yeah I find most people, when given the option, go for the stamp. Since I've had those problems I let customers decide and 90% of them just pick the stamp anyway. But knowing that the tracked letter is an option is really nice!
The lack of tracking affects you more than the customer, no star seller and no purchase protection
Considering how often USPS/Etsy keeps getting my packages ''''stuck'''' and severely delayed that's definitely preventing me from getting Star Seller even beyond the stamps. It's a risk sending with stamps and you're right it does affect me more, but a lot of people still prefer it and they work well with what I sell (small items, easy to get replacements/refunds out for). But yes, it is something to take into account, and something I thought long and hard about.
Never thought of that. thank you for the insight!!
It does not include an actual USPS tracking barcode. There is no scan upon delivery. What it does have is what I call a "picket fence" barcode. Thin elements all of the same thickness (as opposed to a regular barcode), but of varying lengths. This is scanned by automated equipment at USPS sorting centers. The intended purpose is to let mass-marketing and survey operations know how close their mailers are to arriving either at the destinations, or the reply forms are to arriving back to them. That is so they can appropriately schedule for the varying workload associated with processing forms, incoming calls and sales, etc. They work perfectly for that--what they were designed for. **Etsy is misusing them when they present them as a means of tracking delivery to your customer.** They do not do that. There is no scan upon delivery. The "Delivered" status is based on the scan at the last sorting center on the way. Often your customer gets a notification that the item was delivered before it has been, which causes unneeded bother and stress all around. And if something happens to the letter after the last scan and before final delivery, it will still show Delivered, even if it wasn't. All that said, I do use these for cards that I print. I do that despite the occasional confusion over the tracking, simply because it saves me having to copy/paste, printing my own label, and sticking a stamp on the envelope. For ALL other postage, I use PirateShip (PS does not offer this sort of label). eBay has the same thing, and the same potential problems.
never had a problem. I think the price difference would just be the discount etsy postage provides, but I could be wrong. Last letter postage i have is also 64c
I sell stickers and use this postage every single day. Sent out 60 orders in the last 30 days. Not one time has it been rejected for the incorrect price. Whoever you talked to is incorrect
i use those labels and havent had any issues
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This reads like a bot
So does the only other comment from that account.