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Pricing and how to buy a meter

As we've discussed, the central part of a mailing system, the postage meter itself, cannot be purchased: you can only lease it. Some companies will sell you the accompanying equipment - the base, sorter, and sealer - while others include the entire system as part of the lease.

Either approach is fine, depending on your needs: for many companies, a slightly larger cost per month is easier to absorb than a couple of thousand dollars for a complex mailing system. Other companies prefer to own as much of their essential equipment as possible as a business strategy.

Postage meter pricing

Basic pricing for a simple meter starts at about $15 - $20 per month. You can see that it doesn't take many saved trips to the post office to make that kind of small cost pay off. For that price, though, you won't get much more than a basic postage meter, possibly with a simple built-in scale.

The more features you add, the more you can expect your monthly costs to rise, of course. The biggest, most feature-rich mailing systems can cost up to $400 or $500 per month, but you probably don't need to spend that much. Those big systems are capable of handling 200+ letters per minute - that kind of speed is only really needed by large corporations or very busy mailrooms. For them, though, the top-of-the-line systems are lifesavers.

Getting a price quote from one dealer isn't enough: even if you like their offer, you should always get at least a few competitive bids. Submit a free request for postage meter price quotes and we'll introduce you to dealers in your area.

Understanding postage meter contracts

In most cases, you'll have to sign at least a one year lease for a postage meter. Some dealers will try to get you to commit to longer terms, either by offering lower per-month costs or by upgrading your equipment. It's worth considering: now that all postage meters are required to meet the latest USPS standards, your machine won't get outdated anytime soon. Even if postal rates change, it's a simple matter to update the settings in the meter.

Do make sure you know what your options are to upgrade or downgrade. Many dealers will let you upgrade the machine within your lease term at no penalty - but with a corresponding increase in your monthly fee. It's less common to be able to downgrade, but worth asking about.

With multi-year contracts, you'll probably have to accept clauses that call for an increase in your monthly fee based on how much postage you use. In return, make sure that responsibilities for maintenance are spelled out in detail: what's covered, how soon a technician will be at your site if needed, and how much you'll have to pay. (They should cover routine maintenance; you may have to pay for replacement parts.)