D_Blackwell - 1:56 am on Jun 15, 2008 (gmt 0)

USPS branches are 'fiefdoms'. There are fantastic branches that can't do enough for you - and some that don't care a whit. Solid personal relationships with your branch is crucial. It helps if you do their job for them by being very well organized and super easy to deal with.

As mentioned: Free boxes. Free Priority tape too if you've got a good relationship. Twenty-four rolls to a case. It's a supply that you can't order, but they can get if for you if they want to.

We can get internationals picked up with no problem. They are all done online; we just give them their copy of the customs form separately.

Tracking is non-existent and their recently introduced Acceptance Scan Form is a joke attempt to mimic tracking. But you do get Delivery Confirmation included, and packages very rarely go missing, so the lack of real tracking is not an issue for us.

USPS is FAST (though often not as fast as they claim) - and customers love that.

Many postal workers can be quite ignorant and seem to know very little about their own rules.

Do this long enough and you will know more about their job than they do. No joke.

For integration, take a look at Dazzle by Endicia.

Pretty slick system. Especially popular service for shipping/handling scams because of the 'stealth' shipping options. Good software though; super fast. Plus, do enough volume and you can get discount rate below USPS online cost. That break can more than pay for the cost of the service.

I have worked with numerous branches, and currently have regular contact with three. One is so-so. One doesn't have a single employee that I would give you a nickel for. The third is unbelievable. I would hire every single person there if I could. Each branch has its own culture and attitude and it always shows. If you've got a bad one, then you have suck it up, smile, and do everything possible to build a positive relationship. You need them - like it or not.

We are not thrilled with the idea of losing real-time tracking...

Mostly overrated for our purposes. Our shipments arrive before people feel any concern about looking for them.