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PC Postage Debuts

U.S. Post Office parcels out postage purchases online.

By Giada Zampano, PCWorld   

After more than three years of research, the U.S. Postal Service Monday launched PC Postage, a service that allows authorized vendors to make stamps available on the Internet.

"Life just became a little bit easier for those who mail," says Pam Gibert, the Postal Service's vice president of retail. "With PC Postage, you can purchase and print postage 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the convenience of your home and office."

You can go online to the site of one of the companies offering the new system and, with an ordinary laser or inkjet printer, put postage on an envelope. For packages, you can enter the weight, buy the appropriate amount of postage, and print it on address labels to be put on the box.

Each Internet stamp's barcode includes a unique digital signature capable of verifying that the postage information has not been tampered with or changed in any way.

"Detection of duplicates will be very swift," Gibert says.

This is the first time in nearly 80 years that commercial businesses have been allowed to offer a new form of postage.

"In the early 20th century, we encouraged development of a highway in the sky for airmail," said William Henderson, postmaster general. "Today, as the world approaches the new millennium, PC Postage further increases a universal approach to postage."

Competing Electronic-Stamp Stores

PC Postage stamps, which are tested and approved by the Postal Service, contain a digital barcode that indicates mail processing information and postal payment. Currently, four companies offer the new products, but only two have met the criteria for commercial availability.

E-Stamp began providing the service on Monday, while Stamps.com will make it available in September. The Internet postage is valid for domestic first-class, priority, and express mail, and for parcel post.

"The digital revolution will change the postage industry forever," says John Payne, chief executive officer of Stamps.com. "Our customers find Internet postage fast, easy, and cost-effective."

Stamps.com users must be logged on to the Internet to get their stamps, while E-stamps requires the purchase of a separate hardware device that connects to the PC and stores postage data. Consumers also will pay the companies handling fees, ranging from $1.99 to $24.99 depending on usage rates, along with the postage price. Payment methods include electronic funds transfer, debit, or credit card for a postage amount up to $500.

Any company wishing to offer PC Postage products must pass a series of security tests and get an authorization from the U.S. Postal Service to ensure the reliability and financial integrity of the system.