Lease your meter Per federal guidelines, individuals and businesses may only lease, not purchase, postal meters.

I recommend:  Consult postage meter manufacturers such as Francotyp-Postalia Inc., Hasler, Inc., Neopost, and Pitney Bowes Inc. for information on leasing a meter.

Carefully choose a provider Consider several factors when choosing a postal meter provider, including the type of service you will receive and the price you'll have to pay per month.

I recommend:  Find a local postage meter dealer in your area at Supplier-Match.com.

Consider online postage options If you ship a smaller amount of mail, you may want to consider using either online postage sites or the U.S. Postal Service, which offers special e-commerce and pickup options.

I recommend:  The U.S. Postal Service offers small businesses a variety of special services and postage advice, including a licensed vendor service at Stamps.com, where you can purchase postage online and print it from your home or office computer.

Purchase a scale Scales, which weigh your letter or package and determine how much you will pay to mail the item, are a necessary part of any postage meter system. Digital scales are highly accurate, but if you have a small volume of mail you might want to consider a less expensive spring scale.

I recommend:  Browse a selection of reliable postage scales – ranging from the inexpensive to the higher-end – at OfficeMax.com.

Choose a base for your postage meter system Finally, you should consider adding to your system a base, which you can purchase to own at what might seem a higher cost, but which typically delivers significant savings compared to monthly rental fees. A base feeds mail into your meter, stacks it and even seals it.

I recommend:  Compare costs for postage meter bases online at BuyerZone.com, where former buyers have reported their own purchase prices.