topic Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available? in Selling

Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

clarry100 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:57:29 GMT

I've been trolling the Aust Post web site trying to find out if there are any realistic ways of obtaining postage discount.

It seems unless you are a large business then you have no hope. Even then it may be around 2.5% discount.

Just mailing out 20 large letters per day gets you nothing it seems. You have to pay full tote odds.

Even if you are a pensioner or health care card holder you get to buy a maximum of 50 stamps per year at 60-cents instead of 70-cents. Big deal. WoW! $5 discount per year.

I've seen some kind of machines you must be able to hire or buy (maybe??) but don't seem to be able to understand the requirements to have/operate one of these. They must be able to generate postage paid stickers for your envelopes. But I suspect you need to be sending out something like 500+ items per day to qualify for these.

Anyone have any better knowledge than I on this area of business?

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

putney32 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 09:05:25 GMT

20 letters a say is very very small business to Aust Post

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 09:33:52 GMT

@clarry100 wrote:

I've seen some kind of machines you must be able to hire or buy (maybe??) but don't seem to be able to understand the requirements to have/operate one of these. They must be able to generate postage paid stickers for your envelopes. But I suspect you need to be sending out something like 500+ items per day to qualify for these.

You have to apply for a license to use a postage meter, but I don't know about any specific requirements (there doesn't seem to be volume requirements, anyway).

They look to me more like cost and/or time-saving devices for things other than actual postage costs, to be honest. I see hire charges for a machine start from around $10 a week (not sure about purchasing one outright, but Pitney Bowes supplies them.... )

At $10.00 a week hire, you'd need to be spending more than $400 a week on postage before the 2.5% rebate could actually save you any outgoing costs, and that's not taking into consideration any other associated expenses with operating one (which I'm sure there probably are).

Here's the AP guide for them, anyway: http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/Postage-meter-service-guide.pdf

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 09:52:16 GMT

I had a post here, it was definitely here, I saw it!

I'll wait for a bit to see if it reappears before typing out all the same stuff again.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:06:29 GMT

Ok, guess it's gone ninja on me.

Quick summary - you need a license to operate a postage meter, but I'm not sure about specific requirements. I haven't seen any mention of volume requirements.

Hire costs seemingly start from around $10 per week, and based on that you would need to be spending more than $400 a week on postage to actually save on any outgoing costs via the 2.5% rebate (not taking into consideration other operating costs, which there probably are) - no idea what they might cost to buy outright, so no idea how much money on postage it might take before one paid for itself via postage savings, so I think their value is more in time / labour / cost saving in areas other actual postage costs.

Pitney Bowes is one of the suppliers of the machines... (not wholly necessary to include....again....but I wanted to. :D)

AP guide on postage meters: http://auspost.com.au/media/documents/postage-meter-service-guide-jun14.pdf

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:09:42 GMT

What the?

Ok, this isn't funny. Why are my replies (the actual helpful ones) disappearing 10 seconds after I post them?

Is it because I mention the PB thing, in a total non-GSP way? o_O

Please explain.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

sparrow2207 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:24:43 GMT

I think you are referring to a franking machine - don't know if they even use them these days.

No you can't borrow or hire one.

You must be a registered business.

Have an AP business account.

You must also prepay all postage which gets added to the machines memory and reduces as you frank the mail. Don't know off hand how much it is but 20years ago it was $500 credit minimum so its probably $2,000 in todays money.

Discounts were minimal.

On an AP business account you use to only get discounted postage if you were bulk posting the same amount of letters (minimum 100) - all items had to be identical in thickness.

There were no discounts for parcel post.

These days its "e-parcels" and AP require a certain amount of parcels poer month.

Best enquire with AP about your needs and what is available. Bulk ordering prepaid envelopes and satchels gets you discounts.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:35:56 GMT

@sparrow2207 wrote:
I think you are referring to a franking machine - don't know if they even use them these days.

No you can't borrow or hire one.

This was the info I was trying to supply, twice now my posts have ninja-ed themseves into invisibility. o_O

But, they now have a device called postage meters, you can hire them (or buy them), and I didn't see any mention of specific requirements other than having to apply for a license to use one, and they can be used with or without a business account (not saying that there aren't any specific requirements like volume, just that I haven't seen any mentioned).

Hire costs look like they start from $10 a week, and based on that cost alone, you'd need to be spending more than $400 a week on postage before you could even begin to save on outgoing costs via the 2.5% rebate on postage. (My guess is they're better for time-saving / labour costs for most businesses)

I don't know why my posts skedaddled, so I won't mention the infamous company who has the same initials as Peanut Butter, and who happens to be able to supply the meters (along with others), nor will I include the link to the postage meter guide from Australia Post, just in case either one of these was causing issues..., but you can easily find more info by googling postage meter guide etc

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

davewil1964 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:47:17 GMT

You get a 10% discount on prepaid envelopes in lots of 50; 5% in 10s

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

sparrow2207 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:48:39 GMT

All I know about franking machines/postage meters (same thing) is when I had to lug the thing to the post office to get more credit added. Yes the company did not own the machine we leased it from AP - it got upgraded every 18months free of charge as technology changed. Minimum lease period was 18 months with 12 month renewal after that.

The op needs to have a conversation withn AP direct to find out options.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

i-love-my-sheep — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:48:52 GMT

Could this be why your posts kept getting ninja'd?

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/postage.html

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:52:26 GMT

@sparrow2207 wrote:
All I know about franking machines/postage meters (same thing) is when I had to lug the thing to the post office to get more credit added.

The postage meters are different, postage is downloaded rather than having to take the machine into AP.

http://auspost.com.au/business-solutions/postage-meters.html

The links for all the guides and some suppliers are there, so I hope this post sticks.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

sparrow2207 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:58:05 GMT

That link refers to the Sale of postage meters. The op was enquiring about whether they can get one throigh AP and if there are any savings on postage.

@i-love-my-sheep wrote:
Could this be why your posts kept getting ninja'd?

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/postage.html

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:56:48 GMT

@i-love-my-sheep wrote:
Could this be why your posts kept getting ninja'd?

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/postage.html

Not sure, but another one just got all suited up in invisibility - it had a link to an Australia Post page explaining about sauage meats (not actual name of thing I'm referring to ) so that could also be causing issues.

The main info my third disappearing post had was that sausage meats are different to franks - the postage is downloaded so the machines don't have to be taken into Australia Post.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

sparrow2207 — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:03:13 GMT

I was referring to the technology of 20+ years ago before online technology was used mainstream.

Current items same use but different way of topping up with money.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

digital*ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:08:19 GMT

@sparrow2207 wrote:
I was referring to the technology of 20+ years ago before online technology was used mainstream.

Current items same use but different way of topping up with money.

I got that, I was just trying to provide the OP with more up to date info, and provide some avenues for further information, since it seems the forum won't let me post links to up to date info.

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

selpaw — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:28:15 GMT

Need a Business Account with Australia Post and you will get a discount.

You can use "POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA" or "POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA - PRIORTY"

on the letters

I use a preinked stamper (though I am now adding the postage paid mark to my address labels - using a brother 570 label printer)

pre-ink stamp I got here: http://stores.ebay.com.au/EBPACK/_i.html?_nkw=stamp&submit=Search&_sid=1012747416

"postage paid Australia" aka as surface mail can take an extra day or 2 compared to normal mail (stamped or "priority mail")

Large letter up 125gms I pay $1.24

Large letter up 250gms I pay $1.86

Large letter up 500gms I pay $3.10

Priority mail: (equivelant to using stamps)

Large letter up 125gms I pay $1.36

Large letter up 250gms I pay $2.04

Large letter up 500gms I pay $3.40

(Before July 2014, there was no discount).

NO MINIMUM. Send 1 letter if you want...

more info:

http://auspost.com.au/business-solutions/metered-imprint-mail.html

Cheers

Re: Australia Post mail Discounts -- Is it available?

egglesdtp — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 14:37:41 GMT

@clarry100 wrote:
I've been trolling the Aust Post web site trying to find out if there are any realistic ways of obtaining postage discount.
It seems unless you are a large business then you have no hope. Even then it may be around 2.5% discount.

Gee, I hope you meant trawling.