How to Get a Good Deal When Buying Stamps Online
At one time, you could only purchase your postage stamps by making a visit to a postal outlet. The postal outlet offers a lot of different services so you would often have to stand in line and wait your turn. This wait could be considerable depending upon the time you arrived in the day and the purpose of the customers ahead of you. Infrequent visits did not cause the domestic customer too much of an issue but for businesses, it could be quite problematic as long waits at the postal outlet meant that a member or members of staff had to leave their desks to complete the task and this meant that the staff had to leave the other tasks that they may have been doing.
It was common to have post rooms in larger businesses and a dedicated team member to staff the room. As it was not practical to make repeated daily visits to the postal outlet, mailing was completed as infrequently as possible and so mail could be delayed. It was not a particularly enjoyable job for some staff as the visits to the postal outlets had to be made regardless of the weather and delays at postal outlets were extremely common with staff often being held up at the end of the day which was usually the chosen time for companies to post their mail. Parcels could be heavy and transporting bags of letters could be problematic.
There are no other options which have proven to be much more satisfactory. Stamps can be purchased online. If you don't send out too much mail, you can purchase single stamps or books of stamps but for larger users, this option may not be the most practical. There are size requirements for letters and different sizes of letters require different stamps. Parcels usually require to be weighed and measured. So, if you are regularly sending mail and don’t want to have to visit your local outlet, you have to look at options which would allow you to enter your specific requirements.
Using an online facility allows you many features. You can choose the weight of your parcel, the dimensions and enter the details. Shipping methods can be selected according to the speed of the shipment which you require and it is possible to have options for both international and local delivery. You can choose to add insurance if your parcel has a monetary worth. What can be very interesting about choosing to buy your postage online is that the stamps come with design features. You can choose from the pre-printed design options or you can choose to customize your own which would allow you to add your personal company logo, making for a unique and professional parcel. Your stamps can be purchased and printed in batches or singly using a standard printer. You can store the stamps for use at a later date, they do not have to be used all at once.
Some people make it their purpose to collect stamps and stamps are available to collect for the beginner to the experienced collector. They can be purchased from online suppliers who often offer a wide choice of options. Collectors can choose from starter packs to limited edition stamps, stamps to finish their collection and stamps can be purchased from all over the world. Stamp collecting can be a fascinating hobby as each stamp really represents a mini work of art when you consider the design, the shape, and the colors.
Whatever your requirements for stamps, if you are purchasing online, you have to make sure that you are able to access the best possible deal and the following points are considerations which should help you do that.
Supplier
Choose your supplier carefully. Check the online reviews and if you can it is worth making contact with the supplier to clear up any of the questions that you may have. Any reputable supplier will be more than willing to answer any of your questions.
Match Your Needs
If you are choosing to purchase stamps for your business needs for example, carefully consider how much postage you require per month and look around for the deals. You can often access discounted packages for a monthly subscription you many check sites like OnlineStamp. If you use the mail service regularly, this may well provide some savings for you.
Authenticity
If you are a collector, it is important that you check the authenticity of the stamps you are buying, especially if you are looking to purchase rare pieces. You can do this by making sure that you have a reputable supplier, asking questions of him/her and checking the price via other routes. If you are being offered too much of a bargain, tread carefully as the stamp may not be authentic. Like any purchase, you do have to do your homework and not be seduced on price alone. Check the condition, and again ask questions and ask for more photographs if you are not sure.
Auctions
There are online auctions available for collectors and you can source some rare stamps at the auctions, sometimes for a very good price, but again, you need to do your homework and be sure of what you are buying. Set a budget and avoid being carried away.
Negotiate
Do not accept the first price, ask for a discount or ask for a price reduction. It may be that none is available and then you know that you have managed to source the best possible price from the supplier. If you don’t ask, you will never know what you could have achieved. This is important for businesses who need to maximise their profits and minimise their expenditure, small discounts can mount up.
It really is all about doing your homework, reading reviews and negotiating. Weigh up your needs, set your price and avoid being carried away by sellers trying to convince you. Try to take a measured view of your own needs and have a good look around before committing to any purchase.
