Question for my USPS friends... 

Someone I know online sent a padded FRE ($5.70) with a PayPal FRE shipping label ($5.05) and then added enough stamps to make up the difference. The package arrived 25c due. It could be a stamp fell off, but 25c is also the price difference between online and retail pricing for a PFRE. 

Assuming that stamps did not fall off... does adding regular stamps to printed postage make it due at the retail rate? Or did someone make a mistake? 

Also, does the scenario change if you use APC stamps to make up the difference? I've been getting tired of having to go to usps.com to print postage for PFREs, so I was going to start doing the PayPal postage + 65c APC stamp. I just printed a bunch yesterday but have not yet mailed anything this way. 

Thanks!

My understanding is commercial base pricing is only if the entire postage is paid by the approved methods. Stamps are considered retail postage and therefore you need to use the retail pricing. I know if a FR piece is postage due (say FRE commercial base price was paid and the piece was PFRE) the piece is marked up at the retail price because the entire postage was not paid by the approved method.

Also, APC postage is considered retail postage.

I've included a excerpt from usps.com.

Priority Mail® Commercial Base Prices

• Commercial Base Prices offer a discount from retail prices to commercial customers at a discount from retail prices who pay postage via:

• • Click-N-Ship®
  • An approved PC Postage Vendor
  • Pay postage with USPS®-approved IBI postage meters (specific criteria applies)
  • Permit Imprint 

Hope this helps.

Well, I sent two packages like that Friday, so we'll see what happens! I told the recipients to let me know if it arrived postage due. 

They're definitely getting better about catching people paying the regular FRE rate instead of padded FRE, it sounds like when the padded FREs first came out, this usually was overlooked if people didn't stop by the counter.