Digital scales for your office can be a great benefit.  Postage fees can add up fast if your company mails many items. One reason for this is because many offices round up their postage costs, which can really put a dent in your postage budget. Small businesses can actually see a savings of 20% a year on postage costs according to one postage meter company.

With that said, how can you as a business owner negotiate with these digital scale/postage meter companies to get the best price?  You should first shop around and see what kind of meters are priced with various companies.  Doing this you should be able to find the average price for the scale you are looking for.  Once you have a ballpark price you can more effectively negotiate.

After deciding your price range, start talking to the vendors and ask if you can speak with current customers.  Going strait to the source is a great way to get information on the scale you think you might want.  Asking questions like:

• Was the scale easy to operate?
• Did it end up saving you money?
• How helpful was the company explaining how to use the scale?

All of these questions can be essential when buying the right postage meter for you.  After talking with enough people you should be able to weed out companies based on customer service and usability of the actual meter. Another aspect to remember when deciding on your postage meter budget is the price of actual postage.  Factoring the entire cost of your postage needs is crucial when negotiating on prices.

Get multiple quotes from multiple vendors and use the information against the other company.  Because the postage meters themselves are leased, you should be able to have a bit of a cushion for what the actual price is.  If you decide you really like a company but their price is to high, use a lower quote you got from a competitor to get the company you want to lower their price.

Buying a digital scale for your business might seem like an easy task, but when you start factoring in costs per month, and what other companies are charging for their postage meter, it can be a bit more complicated.  Using these tips can help you get the meter you need at the price you want.

Shannon Suetos is a writer based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for Resource Nation, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

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