franked envelopes

[BolshieBastard]

Contact Pitney Bowes. They sometimes do an offer worth £20 of free franking with a franking machine. They even do your art work.

I got one after I turned down the offer as I said there would be an obligation to continue. They said not and were as good as their word!

[PHP4Hosting]

Franking machine and options

Hi

A franking machine is not what you want, the reason being is it will cost to print every envelope (Which may or may not be returned). You would want one of these if you are sending out quite a bit of mail to people. Or you can buy prepaid envelopes however they are not cheep although in terms of speed and time maybe they will be a cheaper option for you.

A franking machine will cost you around £25 a month for a 12 month contract, you save a small amount on letters and more on parcels. Some of the items we send out saves up to £0.45 per package. For a second class letter you will save £0.03 per letter. However don't forget you also have the cost of ink and they all charge you to top up the machine.

If I was sending out say 1000+ letters I would be buying the pre-paid envelops from Royal Mail (Online shop)

Receiving replies on the other hand is slightly different. If you know everyone will send them back then a pre-franked envelope will be fine (Either a royal mail bought one or one done on your franking machine)

But if you are unlikely to get everyone back then you should look at a freepost address. The way this works is you buy pre-printed envelopes, these have a postage mark and your address printed with a free post address. You only pay for the ones that are returned hence using the postage. You obviously have to buy the printed envelopes in the first place but they are cheep. This looks very professional and if you send 1000 and only get 50 back it hasn't cost you the earth.

Regards
Darren

[thunderlizard]

Thanks Mule, you are a dear. Please pat yourself on the head and give yourself sixpence. I had looked at their franking machines page and it said stuff like "price on application" and "please contact us for a quote" which is always a bad sign, I mean we're not talking custom built yachts here.

So basically it's £70 plus the postage. Meaning it becomes cheaper than stamps if you do a mailshot and expect at least about 280 people not to reply. Hence why those tinpot charities (and I include HMRC in that description) use them.

Or it's worth having if you think £70 is a reasonable price to look reassuringly sorted in the postal department.

Yes Sue of course I could just send out stamped SAEs and it would be cheaper: but it would also look cheaper and that is the opposite of what I want.

so any of you used them? any tips?

[SueEllen]

What is it that makes an IFA/Solicitor/etc a normal business, when a Utility Company isn't?

tim

Utility companies are just mean... sorry more efficient in keeping costs down to maximise shareholder value.

They are all normal businesses.

[tim123]

The companies that write to you are mean.

I guess you mean utility companies they do that.

Normal businesses either send prepaid envelopes with a first class stamp on them ( usually IFA's, solicitors and the like) , or prepaid envelopes with the vertical bars on it.

thunderlizard just send clients a self-addressed envelope with a stamp stuck on it. Much cheaper.

What is it that makes an IFA/Solicitor/etc a normal business, when a Utility Company isn't?

tim

[SueEllen]

Do they?

Most proper companies that write to me enclose an envelope with "stick stamp here" in the corner.

(Actually I think it says affix, what a poncy word that is.)

tim

The companies that write to you are mean.

I guess you mean utility companies they do that.

Normal businesses either send prepaid envelopes with a first class stamp on them ( usually IFA's, solicitors and the like) , or prepaid envelopes with the vertical bars on it.

thunderlizard just send clients a self-addressed envelope with a stamp stuck on it. Much cheaper.

[tim123]

...that all "proper" companies use for return of post, even tiny tinpot charities.

Do they?

Most proper companies that write to me enclose an envelope with "stick stamp here" in the corner.

(Actually I think it says affix, what a poncy word that is.)

tim

[Moscow Mule]

They aren't franked, that's something else entirely. You want this link,

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/c...5&catId=400041

And in answer to your question, not very.

[thunderlizard]

I'd like to get some of those pre-printed envelopes for the company. The kind where there are 2 big vertical bars in place of the stamp that all "proper" companies use for return of post, even tiny tinpot charities.

How economical is it?