Frequently Asked Questions |
If you have questions, we want to answer them! Our FAQ covers a lot of
ground, so check here first. If you don't find your answer in here,
ask us directly. We'll reply as soon as we can
(and probably add your question and answer to our FAQ as well). |
General Questions
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Problems with the local Post Office
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Delivery Confirmation Questions
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Payments and Fees
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System Requirements
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General Questions |
Is it true that ShipperTools works with the United States Post Office, AND delivers the same money-saving tools as the big guys? |
| | We work directly with the US Postal Service (USPS) and their electronic services group.
We created ShipperTools.com to give small shippers access to the same money-saving and time-saving tools as the big guys. For years, the USPS offered big-time shippers all kinds of special rates and assistance. We simply looked at what the USPS offers and found things that could help small-volume shippers as well as big ones.
We also go further by adding extra services (like our online address book and customer contact e-mail system) that simplify shipping, package tracking, and confirmation messages for our customers. |
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How do you standardize the shipping addresses? What does that do? |
| | When you enter a destination address, we verify and standardize the address directly with the USPS through their online system, so the address comes out in exactly the format that the USPS mail processing machines expect.
Specifically, the process makes sure the address exists in the USPS database, looks up the pesky Zip+4 code that nobody ever remembers, and fixes abbreviations for "street", "apartment", "suite", and other such terms. If the system finds a problem with the address, it tells you immediately so you can double-check your information. |
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Do you have an affiliate program? |
| | Indeed we do -- we're so glad you asked! Our affiliate program pays better and longer than almost everybody else's out there. We're really proud of it! |
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What's your privacy policy? |
| | Our obligatory lawyer spells out the details in our Terms of Service document, but basically our policy says this:
We don't send junk mail to our customers.
We don't sell our customer lists to anyone. (If someone buys us, they buy the customer list as well, but that pretty much goes with purchasing the company.)
If you don't want to hear from us, you won't -- except for system administration messages like maintenance announcements and such.
We protect your online address book to the best of our ability, and we never, ever use it for any marketing purpose whatsoever.
If you have any specific questions or concerns about your privacy on our site, please contact us! |
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Problems with the local Post Office |
How should the local Post Office handle my Delivery Confirmation label when I drop off a package? |
| | Point your local postal employee to the July 26, 2001 postal bulletin, page 17. This explains the online shipping labels, and how to handle them.
Since ShipperTools labels are automatically registered with the USPS, they don't *require* scanning to work. However, electronic Delivery Confirmation labels now scan correctly at USPS offices and will alert the postal employee how to charge correctly for the label. Last we knew, Signature Confirmation does *not* scan correctly at the USPS offices. You may need to let them know the correct postage to add for your electronic Signature Confirmation label.
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My Local Post office keeps charging me incorrectly for my FREE (or discount) Delivery Confirmation labels. What should I do? |
| | It's terribly frustrating that the USPS doesn't understand their own services. Usually, all that is needed is to show them to the correct postal bulletin. However, sometimes a little more prodding is necessary. Point your local postal employee to the July 26, 2001 postal bulletin, page 17. This explains the online shipping labels, and how to handle them.
Ask to speak with the Postmaster if you have continue to have trouble. Often, the individual employees don't have all the details (Or the correct training).
Have them refer to the DMM (Domestic Mail Manual), section R900 (Rates and Fees - Services section), 9.0 (S918).
These lists the EXACT fees for all delivery confirmation types.
If by some chance that doesn't get through to them, have them call the USPS Internet Customer Care center at 1-800-344-7779 (7:00AM to 11:00PM ET) - option 2 (API Support).
If you continue to have trouble, contact ShipperTools support and we'll help you iron things out. |
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Delivery Confirmation Questions |
Why does the US Postal Service offer free and reduced cost Delivery Confirmation? |
| | The USPS wants more shippers to use Delivery Confirmation with Priority Mail, Media Mail, and Parcel Post. To promote Delivery Confirmation (and to keep up with FedEx, UPS, and their other package shipping competitors), they created special software tools that electronically generate Delivery Confirmation labels and automatically enter the package information straight into the USPS tracking systems.
Because these electronic Delivery Confirmation tools save the USPS time and money (no little labels to print or store, quicker to handle at the Post Offices, and so on), so they pass the savings along to you, their customer. That, in turn, encourages customers to use the electronic labels. (Those USPS people are so sly!) |
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I send a lot of Media Mail and Parcel Post packages. Can I make Delivery Confirmation labels for those package through ShipperTools.com? |
| | Certainly! Our system makes Delivery Confirmation labels specifically for Media Mail and Parcel Post, plus the special Library Mail and Bound Printed Matter package services.
Because our system gives you an electronic Delivery Confirmation label, the USPS discounts the Delivery Confirmation fee for these services. Instead of paying the normal $0.55 fee per package, you only pay $0.13 for the Delivery Confirmation service. That's 76% off the normal cost -- a nice savings in anybody's book! |
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Does your system work with overseas shipments through Global Priority Mail or Airmail? |
| | Delivery Confirmation only works on Priority Mail, Media Mail, and Parcel Post shipments within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The USPS doesn't offer Delivery Confirmation for International Mail, APO/FPO mail, or for shipments addressed other U.S. territories or possessions. |
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Payments and Fees |
How do I pay for my membership? |
| | We currently accept Visa and MasterCard, and are adding American Express. At this point we can't accept Discover, or checking account draft payments. Let us know if you want these options in the future! |
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How much does the service cost? |
| | Your monthly membership costs $6.95. The membership automatically renews every 30 days. If you ever want to quit (we hope not!), our online cancellation system handles the request automatically. |
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Is my credit card information safe? |
| | To give our customers the best possible security and the highest level of support, iBill (www.ibill.com) handles all of our payment processing. They store and protect your credit card information, they handle your subscription, and they process all payments and refunds. We don't keep a copy of your credit card number at all -- only iBill has that. And since they provide payment processing services for thousands of companies all over the world, you can rest easy that they'll take good care of your information. |
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System Requirements |
Do I need any special software or a weird (and expensive) printer to make labels with your system? |
| | Not at all! ShipperTools.com works with Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and most other web browsers out there. In addition to your Web browser, the only other program you need is the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
On the printing side of the question, ShipperTools.com supports just about every laser and ink jet printer on the planet. If your printer works with Windows or the Macintosh, then it should work with ShipperTools. |
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Why do I need Adobe Acrobat to print labels? |
| | To make the printing process as easy, stable, and consistent as possible, ShipperTools.com generates Delivery Confirmation labels as Adobe Acrobat files. After testing and trying several other options, we chose Acrobat because it performed the best time after time. |
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Do I need to buy any special labels? |
| | Nope! You can print Delivery Confirmation labels from ShipperTools.com on plain paper or any white self-adhesive label. We frequently print labels on plain white paper, and then attach the label to the box with clear shipping tape. It works great and costs very little! ShipperTools.com also works very well with half-page size self-adhesive labels.
We also support Avery labels Avery 5168 when printing Complete Address Labels, 4 per page, and Avery 5164 for Barcode Only labels, 6 per page. |
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