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This comprehensive review of Stamps.com is based on -
- 200+ user reviews of Stamps.com from various review platforms
- 10+ interviews with shipping and logistics managers
- Discussion with 10+ e-commerce experts
- Conversation with 5+ D2C brands.
1) What Is Stamps.com?
Stamps.com is a web-based shipping platform that allows you to use USPS and UPS services at discounted rates. The software works as a 24x7 post office which will enable you to buy stamps and print shipping labels for orders from various e-commerce marketplaces under a single integration. This increases the convenience of shipping multiple items from the comfort of your home or office and avoiding the long queues at the post office.
Stamps.com is known for the special discounts on USPS and UPS services that cannot be availed at your local post office. The service also provides an optional additional feature that allows you to send tracking details to your linked marketplace account as well as send a notification email to your customer when their order is shipped.
Reviews of Stamps.com show that the software comes with end-of-the-day free pick-up service. The software's domestic and international shipping labels allow e-commerce companies to ship with USPS and UPS directly. But, you may have to purchase the equipment and stationery to use the services at higher prices.
However, after studying over 200+ user reviews of Stamps.com, we can conclude that the software may not be the best shipping solution. The software and the printing algorithm of the shipping service are not reliable and are prone to frequent glitches and bugs. The lack of responsive customer support makes dealing with these technical issues more challenging.
2) Reviews of Stamps.com: A Comprehensive Review of Stamps.com’s features
Now that we have an idea about the services that the software provides, let's take a deep dive into the features of the shipping management software and evaluate its usefulness and viability.
2.1) Shipping Services
Stamps.com is used by individuals and e-commerce businesses who prefer to use trusted postal services like USPS and UPS. The software allows you to use these services at discounted rates without physically going to the post office.
Pros:
1. Direct Integration with USPS and UPS [ Our Score: 4 out of 5]
Stamps.com is primarily used by most of its customers because of the reliable and exclusive integration with USPS and UPS shipping services. The software allows you to integrate your orders from various marketplaces and ship them through these reliable carriers.
2. Free End of the Day Pickup [ Our Score: 4 out of 5]
Since the software uses shipping services from the postal service, you can avail the free end of the day pickup services that USPS and UPS provide as a part of their standard service package.
Cons:
1. Regular Shutdowns [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Reviews of Stamps.com show that the system integration with UPS and USPS is glitched and buggy. The server downtime can affect the speed and efficiency of your fulfillment operations.
2. No Commercial Courier Partners [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
Commercial Courier partners can provide essential services and features in their logistic operations, indispensable for a smooth post-purchase experience.
3. Slower Delivery [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
We found multiple Stamps.com reviews that suggest that it may be slower than the standard USPS and UPS services if you use the software to fulfill orders.
2.2) Shipping Labels
Stamps.com allows you to print USPS and UPS shipping labels and stamps at home through your computer and printer. The convenience of printing the shipping labels for your orders from multiple marketplaces through a single portal can allow you to optimize your shipping operations,
Pros:
1. Direct Printing [ Our Score: 4 out of 5]
Reviews of Stamps.com show that the software allows you to directly print the UPS and USPS shipping labels and stamps from your personal system at a discounted rate.
Cons:
2. Clunky Interface [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
The interface of Stamps.com that allows you to print labels is quite clunky. Multiple user reviews show that Stamps.com software is not user-friendly, especially when using it to print shipping labels.
3. Glitches in the Printing Process [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Multiple Stamps.com reviews show that the software often glitches out while printing shipping labels, resulting in printer jams and stuck paper.
4. Expensive Stationery [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
While printing labels with the software, you will have to purchase the stationery and equipment needed to print the labels at home, and the software sells them for more than their general market price.
2.3) Pricing
Many e-commerce businesses start using Stamps.com as it is cheaper than using these carriers directly. The software imposes a monthly fee for you to use its services and avail of the discounts, and you can choose from the various Stamps.com Pricing plans available.
Pros:
1. Access to Special Discounts [ Our Score: 4 out of 5]
Stamps.com reviews show that most of its customers use the software to offer exceptional discounts on USPS and UPS services.
Cons:
1. Random Billing Adjustments [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
There is no regularity in the billing cycles of Stamps.com. These billing cycles can cause a headache, especially when there are irregularities in the charges.
2. Hefty Monthly Fees [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Even though Stamps.com gives you access to special discounts, the monthly fees charged by the software to use its service can be a burden for most individuals.
3. Scam Free Trial [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
We found multiple reviews of Stamps.com, which say that the software asks for your credit card information while registering you for the free trial version but continues to charge you even if you do not use the service.
2.4) Tracking
Tracking can be crucial for both the business and the customer. Stamps.com allows you to track your shipments through an integrated dashboard, but you may have to check for updates on your parcels manually.
Pros:
1. Sharing Tracking Details [ Our Score: 4 out of 5]
Once you scan the shipping label and schedule it to ship with Stamps.com, the software sends the tracking details to the marketplace as well as you can choose to send an email to the customers once the order has been shipped.
2. Online Dashboard [ Our Score: 3 out of 5]
Stamps.com reviews show that the software provides an integrated dashboard that allows you to track all your shipments through a single portal.
Cons:
1. No Automatic Tracking Updates [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
Stamps.com does not send automatic tracking updates to e-commerce platforms or customers. The software only provides them with tracking information.
2. Buggy Tracking [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Reviews of Stamps.com suggest that the tracking API is quite buggy and can lead to the wrong tracking information. Incorrect tracking details can also result in the shipment going dark for days until the customer notifies it has received the shipment.
2.5) Software
While using Stamps.com, the software interface can be buggy, but the collaborative feature of the software allows you to use it with other software that suits your needs better.
Pros:
1. Collaborative Features [ Our Score: 3 out of 5]
Stamps.com has a unique collaboration with Shipworks to provide carrier services with commercial courier partners and other essential services.
Cons:
1. Integration difficulties [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
Multiple user reviews of Stamps.com show that the software is quite difficult to integrate within your software. The setup of the hardware and supplies provided by the software can also be time-consuming.
2. Bugs and Glitches [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
The Stamps.com software often glitches and bugs out at crucial moments. While multiple reviews highlighted the issue, we found this particular Stamps.com review that emphasizes the problems.
2.6) Post Purchase Experience
Post-purchase experience is essential for every e-commerce platform, but Stamps.com does not provide any post-purchase features. The software offers a seamless shopping experience through USPS and UPS carrier services.
Optional email notifications [ Our Score: 3 out of 5]
When you ship with Stamps.com, it provides an optional feature of notifying the customers through an email when their order is shipped.
Cons:
1. No Branded Tracking Page [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Most Stamps.com alternatives provide a branded tracking page that allows your customers to track their orders. A branded tracking page can unlock cross-selling abilities and reduce the WISMO calls on your platform.
2. No Delivery Date Prediction [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
Displaying the delivery date on your website can increase your website's conversion rate. Stamps.com does not provide you with an estimated delivery date.
3. No Returns Management [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Stamps.com reviews show that the shipping solution does not provide returns management services. Returns are an essential part of modern-day e-commerce and can hamper customer experience on your website if you do not offer any return services.
2.7) Shipping Management
Managing the shipments is essential, especially as you scale your operations. Stamps.com allows you to ship with USPS and UPS but does not offer services that can handle shipping exceptions.
Pros:
1. Integration with Marketplaces [ Our Score: 4.5 out of 5]
Stamps.com reviews show that most customers use the software because it provides seamless integration for shipping management with all the popular marketplaces, including Amazon, Shopify, etc.
Cons:
1. No Failed Deliveries Management [ Our Score: 2 out of 5]
Most of the Stamps.com competitors like ClickPost allow you to take measures to reduce failed and fake deliveries by providing industry-standard features like CSV upload and address validation APIs.
2. No Shipping Delay Management Services [ Our Score: 1 out of 5]
Stamps.com does not take any measures to ensure that the shipments are booked through its services and reach their destination. Although USPS and UPS are very reliable carriers, you will have to keep track of your shipments to ensure your customers manually.
3) Conclusion
Stamps.com is a shipping software that will allow you to ship with USPS and UPS at discounted rates from the comfort of your home and office. The integration with the e-commerce marketplaces enables you to manage your shipments under a single umbrella. The software also provides exclusive discounts on shipment insurance.
Reviews of Stamps.com suggest that most customers appreciate the USPS discounts on Stamps.com as it allows them to ship through the postal service affordably. The free end-of-the-day pickup is a bonus and optimizes your shipping operations significantly.
The software also automatically shares your tracking information with e-commerce platforms and allows you to opt for an email notification to the customer once their order has been shipped. The software also comes with an integrated tracking dashboard to find all the tracking information on a single screen.
Another great feature of Stamps.com is that it allows you to buy stamps and print domestic and international shipping labels for USPS and UPS. It even provides a special exclusive discount on Stamps and brands that are not even available at the local post office.
But, Stamps.com reviews show that the missing and buggy features of the software do not make up for the benefits. Customers have complained about the expensive Stamps.com pricing plans and stationery you have to buy from the software. Most of the reviews complained about the complete lack of customer service.
Apart from that, Stamps.com is known to misuse the credit card information you enter to avail of the free trial, even though you stop using its services. The entire interface of the software is clunky and is prone to frequent glitches and bugs. The lack of features to enhance the post-purchase experience is another thing most of the Stamps.com competitors provide.
Therefore, Stamps.com may be an excellent alternative for those who primarily use marketplaces to reach customers and prefer the postal service. But, the lack of features and the reliability of the software do not make it an excellent fit for businesses that have their platform.
4) Final Scores
The software can provide significant discounts on USPS and UPS services and eliminate going to the post office. However, the software lacks some key features and reliability. There are various Stamps.com alternatives available in the market that provide discounts on USPS and UPS and a host of other industry-standard features. These features can optimize your entire fulfillment operations rather than just assist shipping operations. In our expert review, Stamps.com only scored a 3 out of 5. We have listed the top 5 alternatives for the shipping software that you opt for instead of Stamps.com.
1. Shippo is an order management platform that offers automated order fulfillment services and exclusive discounts on services from various widely known carriers. The Shippo API has an uptime of 99.99% and can be integrated with popular marketplaces like Shopify, eBay, etc. Shippo pricing plans allow you to avoid the monthly fees and just pay for the labels you use. However, suppose you are looking to enhance customer experience. In that case, you may have to look for other Shippo alternatives as Shippo does not have commercial courier partners that allow you to provide features like returns management, etc.
Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5
2. ClickPost is a holistic shipping and fulfillment management solution that allows shipping and tracking shipments with over 250+ carrier services through a single portal. The software lets you focus on the post-purchase experience and improve your CAC by unlocking cross-selling abilities through a branded tracking page. The ClickPot API also has some best industry-standard features to automate returns and shipping exception management.
Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5
3. Narvar is an order management software that allows you to provide a cutting-edge post-purchase experience on your platform and integrate 400+ carriers. The software comes with a dedicated portal that will enable you to access all the shipping and tracking data. It also comes with a concierge service that optimizes your pick-up and drops part of your order fulfillment process to save effort and money. But, Narvar reviews suggest that the software is prone to technical issues and does not have the most user-friendly interface.
Overall Score: 4 out of 5
4. Shipstation is another popular shipping and delivery management software that can be an ideal choice. With 50+ integrated into its API, Shipstation reviews suggest that the software can help you to improve your shipping and delivery experience. The software provides invaluable insights from your shipping data to optimize your operations which it is lacking. But, the lack of customer support and technical issues with software might force you to find a ShipStation alternative in the long run.
Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5
5. EasyShip is a popular delivery management software to generate shipping labels. The software allows for multi-carrier access through an integrated dashboard for optimized order tracking and management. Another key feature of the software is that it provides a branded tracking page in multiple languages to deliver a personalized tracking experience to the customers and enables cross-selling abilities. With accurate time tracking and automated document generation, few EasyShip Competitors and Alternatives can provide you with better service.
Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5
5) FAQs about Stamps.com Reviews
5.1) Does Stamps.com charge a monthly fee?
Yes, a Stamps.com subscription comes with a monthly fee of 17.99$. The premium subscription allows you to access special discounts on USPS and UPS. The subscription will enable you to avoid the long queues at the post office and save the effort of having to go to the post office physically.
5.2) Do I need special equipment to print stamps with Stamps.com?
No, you do not need any special equipment to print the stamps. You can do so with a personal computer and printer. However, you may need to purchase exclusive stationery, which is expensive if you buy directly from the website.
5.3) Can multiple persons use one stamps.com account?
Yes, multiple users can use a single Stamps.com account. But if you are looking for simultaneous multi-user access, you will have to upgrade your account to a premium version according to your needs.