Office Mailing Equipment and Supplies

Guide to Mailing Equipment and Supplies

Everything you need to mail or ship your products efficiently
By Marcia Layton Turner

Whether you run an assembly-line operation shipping thousands of products daily or are a solo consultant who mails one or two items a week, having the right mailing equipment and supplies at the ready can save you both time and money.

Nearly every small business should considering investing in a:

1. Postage meter
2. Postage scale
3. Folding machine
4. Letter opener

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

A never-ending supply of stamps Don't waste time driving to the post office to stock up on stamps or to refill the office postage meter — there's no need. You can now order stamps online and refill your postage meter by hooking it up to a phone line.

I recommend:  Order stamps at USPS.com or print them out at your printer using Click-N-Ship, the postal service's online service.

An end to guessing at the proper postage Rather than throwing on a few extra stamps, or overestimating the weight of a shipment to ensure a piece reaches its destination — which the USPS estimates costs us up to 20 percent more than necessary — lease a postage scale to determine the proper weight of a package.

I recommend:  Sign up for a free 90-day trial at Pitney Bowes to see if their combo scale/postage-meter mail station can save you time. Or compare the prices of several postage scales and meters at BuyerZone.

Direct mail dynamo If your business relies heavily on direct mail, a letter folder will speed that process along. You first need to decide between a friction (most common) or air-fed machine, taking into account the equipment's speed, paper sizes and weights accepted, types of folds made, and whether it has an auto-feed mechanism.

I recommend:  Check out a variety of letter-folding options at Whitaker Brothers or OfficeZone, keeping in mind that basic models cost around $200, but commercial quality will cost thousands.

Consider used mailing equipment Buying pre-owned equipment can often save you considerable cash, especially on larger machines.

I recommend:  Check out Pro Mailing Equipment to compare old versus new pricing.

Speed up you mail opening Companies with lots of incoming mail will benefit from commercial letter openers, also called slitters.

I recommend:  Compare letter opening machines at ABCOffice, Staples or NexTag, all of which have models in the $20 range to start.

Box and packaging sources Don't wait until the last minute to discover you're out of boxes for the shipment you have to get out today. Instead, stock up on boxes, packing material, padded envelopes and other supplies you use regularly.

I recommend:  Order supplies directly from companies like Staples, Uline and Papermart, or through CNET Shopper. If you ship with FedEx, they provide boxes and supplies for free.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• There's really no need to go to the post office when you can order U.S. Postal Service (USPS) supplies such as stamps, forms, Priority and Express Mail envelopes and boxes online at The Postal Store.
• By shipping via Priority or Express Mail, you'll save money on boxes, since the USPS provides them to you for free.