How to save with postage costs rising

Come January 27, postal rates will unfortunately be going up once again.

Mailers of catalogs, circulars, magazines and packages will see rates rise at least 2.5%. Two-day Priority Mail is going up 6.3% while overnight and holiday Express Mail will see a 5.8% raise. Meanwhile stamps will be climbing up to 46 cents.

There’s an obvious way to save on mailing out invoices: e-mailing invoices. But not everyone is going the paperless route just yet. For those who still rely on snail mail for a good portion of their business, keep these strategic moves in mind. The key here is to make the USPS’s job easier so you can take advantage of the discounts they offer and other savings involved.

• Use nine digits. Are vendors or customers giving only five digits of their zip code? Use the entire nine-digit zip code and you can save about 4 cents on postage.
• Use electronic postage. Look at services like Stamps.com, Endicia or Pitney Bowes to get software that can let you print USPS-approved postage at a discount.
• Sort your own mail. The Postal Service provides a 12.5% discount for business that sort outgoing mail by zip code and drop it off at central bulk mail centers.
• Be loyal. Delivery vendors like FedEx and UPS will extend a price break to customers that consolidate their delivery needs with one vendor.

What ways do you plan to save on postage rate hikes? Let us know in the comments below.