Hi,

I just want to check something.  If we print a label, then get postage from the post office, do we NOT get credit for the book sent?

thanks.

You can use any service you want to send out books, and when they are marked received, you will get credit.  It's just a matter of cost.  Generally, Media Mail from the USPS is the least expensive, along with First Class, depending on the weight of the package.

There is just no credit guarantee or quick credit if you get postage from somewhere other then PBS. So if the book goes lost and you didn't use PBS postage or PBS DC then you would not get the credit.  The number of books that go lost is so low that for me it's not worth the fee for the credit guarantee.  But some people want the credit right away or the guarantee even if the fee ends up adding up to more then the occasional missed credit.  Also the printed postage is convenient if you can't get to the post office.

Stephanie, if you print the label with Delivery Confirmation from PBS, but still get your postage from the post office, you will get the advantage of both QuickCredit (you get your credit automatically when the DC label is scanned, rather than when a member manually records the book as "received") and CreditAssurance (you get your credit even if the book goes lost in the mail). 

If you print out postage + Delivery Confirmation from PBS, you'll get both of the advantages above, as well as getting your credit sooner -- you'll get it when the book is marked "mailed".  You can also skip the line at the post office and drop your book in any blue mailbox, or give it to your letter carrier.

What you use is entirely up to you; there is a small fee involved for using postage and delivery confirmation on PBS which goes towards supporting the operating costs of PBS.  I've used printable postage for years, and to me the peace of mind and ability to mail books at 3am is worth the additional cost.