6 Mailing & Shipping Mistakes You Might Be Making

The USPS^® recently paid $3.5 million for using the wrong Statue of Liberty image on a stamp. The key takeaway—we all make mistakes. While we can’t help you avoid all errors, we can help you avoid six common mailing and shipping mistakes.

1. Not taking advantage of USPS savings. Postage meter users save 3 cents on every first-class mail piece, so if you are paying more for stamps or spending time at the post office, this is another reason to make the switch. Plus, when you ship parcels, padded envelopes, Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® with IM®pb barcodes, which is produced by low-cost shipping software like NeoShip, can save you up to 39% off of shipping costs.  

2. Ignoring data quality. When 40 million people and roughly one-in-five businesses move each year it is time to take a look at your addresses and invest in address correcting software. Inaccurate addresses result in costly returns, delayed payments, and poor customer service.

3. Not rate shopping. With so many carriers and service options available, not comparing rates shuts you off from savings. Rate shopping comes with shipping software that you can add-on to your postage meter. Some software, like NeoShip, allows you to upload your pre-negotiated carrier rates and automatically select the best rate* and fastest shipping options.

4. Processing mail manually. The envelope stuffing pizza party is fun but would be more fun without the envelope stuffing part. It is easy to introduce automation into your mailroom with low-volume folder inserters and postage meters. You can scale up as your automation and business grows.   

5. Not considering outsourcing options. If mailing from your desktop sounds like a dream come true, then outsourcing might be worth looking into. You can outsource part of your mailing operation or all of it. Outsourcing allows you to send a single document or a batch job of thousands in no time. Plus, you still get visibility and tracking so you can check out the real-time status of each mail piece. 

6. Not including ads and promos in invoices and business mail. Business mailing doesn't have to be solely transactional, you can turn invoices into an opportunity to educate or upsell your customers with customized promotional or marketing inserters. Check out output management software to find out more! 

Don't stop now! Step into our class, Mailing 101, and get the best practices to help you avoid errors and save. 

*Rate comparison is between the USPS^® and FedEx^®. UPS^® is not included in the comparison. UPS^® rates may be viewed separately