US Postal service to offer personalised ‘Stamps’
The U.S. Postal Service are due to begin the second phase of a trial program that allows customers to access authorized Web sites where they can personalise postage with photos and images.
In an era of e-mail that is making old-fashioned letter writing a lost art, the Postal Service hopes to make hand-delivered mail more interesting and valuable.
The Postal Service’s authorised program, called PC Postage, is not a stamp. It includes an image generated by the customer and a secure bar code that is compatible with Postal Service mail processing systems.
Vendors that provide PC Postage must be authorised by the Postal Service but can determine their own prices. PC Postage will be accepted for first-class, Priority and Express mail.
The Postal Service began advertising for vendors April 27. Vendors can begin selling the postage 20 days after they are approved. The trial is expected to last through May 2006.
Stamps.com was the sole vendor for the first phase of the trial program in 2004. It charged USD12 to USD17 for a sheet of 20 stamps. The Postal Service charges USD7.40 for a book of 20 stamps sold at post offices or retail outlets.
Among companies that may try to win a share of the online postage market is Pitney Bowes, which has a Web-based system that complies with the Postal Service’s requirements.
