I have 4 books to mail, its a order  2 get 2 free......anyway the weight is higher than what PBS estimated since there are the 2 free books included.

I decided to use the label with the DC on it.......i am also taking it to the post office to be sure i add the correct amount of postage to the package.

My question is, how will they know its ok to charge me $0.19 for DC there?? Will it show up as $0.19 when they scan the DC on the label i printed out?? I think DC at the PO is $0.75, so just want to be sure they will know about it being $0.19 since it was printed on PBS and there won't be any problems.

Also do you find it more economical and safe to use the DC only from PBS or printed postage with DC and instant credit included  from PBS compared to using the PO?

I don't think i will ever mail a package without DC  and it looks like DC will be cheaper at $0.19 ,even when the $0.27 quick credit fee is added in for a total of $0.46.

What do you do???

When it scans at the PO it will show as .19.  I only use it on bulk orders. Otherwise I think it's a waste of money because it quickly adds up to more than what a lost credit or book might cost.  At .46/book through PBS that's $4.60 for every 10 books sent for $46.00/100. I've had 1 go lost out of a couple thousand sent between 3 sites, BOB and games.  It does help support PBS but I choose to do that in other ways 

Buying it direct from the PO is a waste of money.  It doesn't guarantee your credit and it costs more. 

I normally use the PBS printed postage with DC if I'm only sending out one book.  I usually always use the PBS DC regardless.  The post office should scan it when they are getting ready to print the postage (if you haven't used it before at your post office, you might want to watch to make sure they scan it).

I like using it because then I don't have to worry about waiting to get my credit.

It never hurts to point out to the clerk that you have already generated the DC as a prompt to scan it. I use it on bulk requests but I send out so many books that if I added it to every package it would end up cost me too much and I am not desparate for credits since I have a huge cushion of them.

It is definitely more economical to get the DC from PBS, even with fees its cheaper than the 0.80 the USPS charges. Whether going to full postage for the extra little bit over DC only, or going to the post office is worth more to you would be a personal choice. I consider my time worth something and now that I do not drive by the post office on my way to work, I use PBS full postage when the package is over 13oz. I can make more than .46 at work in the extra 15 minutes I am there if I don't have to do a post office run.

I only use DC on multi-book orders. When I first started at PBS I was using it on every order, and then I figured out that books rarely go lost. I've mailed out more than 900 books and have only lost 1 book. That's it. If you wrap your packages well, they will not be at risk of going lost, except in some really unusual case. Spend a couple more pennies on taping the package up well!

If I had used DC on each of those packages, I would have spent an extra $414 on mailing out packages. I could replace the single lost book many many times over at that rate.

In any case, yes, if you buy postage at the counter, the PO should scan the DC, and it will come up as 19 cents to be added to the postage. If they say that they can't scan it, then either have them add the 19 cents, or have them sell you a stamp for 20 cents and stick it on the package yourself. In no case should you allow them to cross off your perfectly valid DC and sell you counter DC instead.

Thanks everyone for all the info ..very helpful......  : )

As a window clerk at the PO - here is my 2 cents......

The PBS DC will scan in at 19 cents.  We have been told that UNLESS the mailer has affixed the correct postage to the package, that the online DC (whatever site it is printed from) is invalid.  The reason (according to the PO) that mailers are given a discount on an online DC is because the counter personnel are not being used to process the transaction.  We have been told to replace the online DC# with a DC# over the counter when this type of package is handed to us without postage already affixed.  You CAN use stamps for the postage on your package.  You do NOT have to use online postage.

I generally use the PBS DC on all my packages.  I also use stamps for my postage.  It's easy to do with only a few stamps.  

Cindy P.

I do not doubt that that is what you have been told. Do you know if there is a written regulation that explains that this is indeed the case?

And, why would the process not be for you to sell the person a stamp instead of removing their DC? Just curious.

Thanks!

Interesting Cindy.  I've been using PBS DC and buying counter postage for over two years without a single glitch (a couple hundred books).  My clerks just weigh the package, enter some data, scan the barcode, attach a postage sticker, and I'm done.  The credit transfers sometime overnight.  I assumed the discount was for the standardized label format (with barcodes), which is easier and faster to process.

Here's a PBS help doc on the subject: link

Choose the one titled:

My PO says that I can't use PBS-DC... How can I prove that I can?

There are links to USPS guidelines you can print out to show to your Post Office.