Problem Solver

The postal rate just went up again in May. Is there any way I can save on postage costs?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) sets the rates, so there’s no wiggle room there. However, you can save on the cost of gas and lost productivity from sending an employee to the post office by printing all your postage at work or home.

USPS offers its own online postage service, Click-N-Ship, that lets you print Priority, Express, Media Mail and even international labels from the Web site. Click-N-Ship also offers delivery confirmation and insurance.

Once the postage is printed and on the package, have a mail carrier pick it up for free.

"We have people going past you anyway," says Richard L. Barber, postmaster of Bonita Springs. He adds that customers who purchase stamps online instead of going to the post office have increased in his area by 17 percent this year, which he attributes to the rise in gas prices.

The postal service also has four vendors approved to sell online items and services that the Postal Service sells. They are: eBay, Endicia, Pitney Bowes and Stamps.com.

Vivian Li, marketing brand manager for Endicia, said that the company charges the same prices as Click-N-Ship for postage. However, Endicia also charges a monthly fee of $9.95 to $34.95. Li says that the company’s parcel insurance is up to 65 percent less than that of the USPS, and there are no forms to fill out. For very high-volume customers, Endicia waives the monthly fee.