Endicia vs. Stamps.com

[neutron spin]

Can anyone recommend which postal service they prefer...Endicia or stamps.com and the cost effectiveness of each? Right now I mostly ship via UPS through Paypal and want to have an alternative method of shipping especially to international locations. Any info appreciated.

[adafruit]

Can anyone recommend which postal service they prefer...Endicia or stamps.com and the cost effectiveness of each? Right now I mostly ship via UPS through Paypal and want to have an alternative method of shipping especially to international locations. Any info appreciated.

we use endicia and really like it (and the dazzle software that it uses). we have two shipping stations, our own system and ship hundreds a packages a day with it.

we will have a post here about it shortly, you have excellent timing!
http://www.adafruit.com/blog?s=software+sunday

cheers,
adafruit

[neutron spin]

Thanks!...will be looking for the post....much appreciated. Endicia was my first choice BTW

Regards

[StampsComCorp]

Hi Neutron Spin,

Please consider Stamps.com as an option. Coulple of differences that you'll find between Endicia and Stamps.com:
1) Stamps.com allows you to import order data from a variety of marketplaces (ebay, Amazon, Yahoo Stores), payment processsors (PayPal, Google Checkout) and shopping carts (ZenCart, OS Commerce, Magento, X-Cart, etc). This service is part of the standard $15.99 plan. For Endicia, you need to use a third party service to automatically import the data -- so that is an additional cost.

2) Stamps.com provides SCAN forms for all customers at the $15.99 plan. Endicia requires you to upgrade to their PRO plan which is $34.95

3) Stamps.com posts the rates for each mail class on our main "package info" screen. Endicia requires you to click and see another page to see the rates.

4) Stamps.com UI is very simple and intuitive and we also have a much bigger Tech Support team. Stamps.com has live tech support (based in Los Angeles headquarters). You can call and talk to a real person without a call-back -- a feature that many customers say is a big difference from Endicia.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Eric
Stamps.com

[adafruit]

Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Eric
Stamps.com

eric (and stamps.com) thank you for posting here! this is very cool to see a company jump in, we hope endicia does too!

can we ask some questions here about stamps.com ?

we have specific needs and who knows, maybe we'll switch !

cheers,
adafruit

[StampsComCorp]

I'm ready for questions!!! Please ask anything you want about Stamps.com. I can explain any features in detail.

Eric
Stamps.com

[TAUTIC]

For what it's worth, I've been using Stamps.com for my business for about 6 months now and am absolutely thrilled with the service. Great software and competitive shipping rates.

Best Regards,

Jayson Tautic
www.tautic.com

[adafruit]

One of the killer things about endicia (at least a few years ago) was that you could set it up to scan the clipboard or a folder for XML files. they can also handle international shipments. is this possible with stamps.com?

[TAUTIC]

They have a concept of "Batch" shipments which accept a number of datasources. CSV/Textfile, Excel, ODBC, XML, and Amazon MWS being some of the more interesting sources.

This functionality also integrates with OsCommerce, Zen Cart, Magento, eBay and a bunch more.

[StampsComCorp]

Great to hear Stamps.com is working for you Jayson!

Adafruit -- Yes, Stamps.com can import/monitor XML files. This works for both domestic and INTL shipments. We offer all mail classes for Intl, including First Class Mail International.

We also post the package Delivery Confirmation numbers back to an Output XML file. So you can import that Output XML file to your cart, and DC numbers will be updated.

To see more info on Stamps.com handles XML files, please visit:
https://stamps.custhelp.com/app/answers ... 994/kw/xml

Thanks!
Eric
Stamps.com

[BoltOf]

Another option is to use a multi-carrier shipping solution like what ConnectShip offers. This gives you a single screen for many different carriers including UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, etc., etc. Probably of more value with higher shipping volumes as it's more costly to buy/implement than a standalone Endicia or Stamps.com system. But they are fully programmable (.Net, VBScript, etc.) and support multiple stations. There are toolkits available so that you can write your own front end and custom business rules as needed.

[adafruit]

Fascinating, when we were staring out we moved from stamps to endicia because of the xml integration. sounds like stamps saw the light. we have a fully integrated system ourselves but it sounds like for new businesses both are good options. hopefully we can get an endicia rep to let us know how their system is better at least every one agrees that pitney bowes (ebay shipping) isnt an option

[adafruit]

hi folks!

this is an email from endicia!

Thank you very much for passing us this information. I am working on getting someone in there as we speak. In the mean time you may let the forum know they can email me directly at sales@endicia.com Just put ATTN JOSH in the subject line and I can answer questions directly.

so...... ask your stamps.com questions AND your endicia questions!

cheers,
adafruit

[Johndoe2]

Endicia has over 140 partners including Ebay and Amazon that does the same thing

Also SCAN is free for all service levels INCLUDING THEIR $9.95 SERVICE. Endicia also offers a free service Stamps.com cheapest plan is around $15 bucks

Yes stamps.com UI is easier to use and requires less steps here and there

both companies offer live tech support and chat support

[StampsComCorp]

Hi JohnDoe2,

Just to clear up some of the info here:

-- A big difference between Stamps.com and Endicia is that Stamps.com has the integrations built inside our software. So there is no need to download a secondary program as Endicia requires (ShipWorks is required for eBay orders and iABOL is required for Amazon orders). Other marketplaces/payment processors such as PayPal, Google Checkout, Yahoo Stores, and/or shopping carts require a third party program, usually with a fee, in order for the data to be imported into Endicia.

Stamps.com includes the batch import capability in the software for our standard monthly plan at $15.99. Once the connections are established, you can click one "refresh" button and the software will connect to each marketplace/store and import your data.

-- Stamps.com also has a free program specifically for eBay sellers. There is no subscription charge, but the account is limited to only importing orders from eBay. You can see it at http://www.stamps.com/ebayfree1/

With that said, Endicia does have some nice features that Stamps.com does not have yet like Business Reply Mail, Delivery Statistics and other features. Both programs work well and offer big money/time savings compared to going to the Post Office. I'm partial to Stamps.com for obvious reasons

Thanks!
Eric
Stamps.com