I've sent a couple hundred books at least, and every time I've tried to use the delivery confirmation from PBS, and had PBS print that onto my wrapper, the post office charges me for it anyway! I've never understood this. It's been like this for the last couple years.

Instead, what I do is just print the "regular" label with no delivery confirmation, and the post office puts it on for me, and then I only pay once.

I feel like PBS just dings us left and right - we get charged a fee for delivery confirmation, we get charged again when we take the packages to the post office (so that's money that PBS is pocketing, I guess?). What's the point of having PBS charge us for printing a delivery confirmation when we'll just get charged again?

The Post Office should NOT be charging you again for DC that you purchase here at PBS.  It's the PO that is "dinging you" not PBS.  When you purchase DC here .27 goes to PBS & .18 goes to the PO.  When the PO charges you AGAIN that money goes to the PO.  

Each time you use PBS-DC, it will cost you 45 cents:

• • 27 cents to PBS paid in PBS Money
  • 18 cents to USPS paid in postage applied to the package. 

Here is the info from the help center regarding the PO "double dipping" and making you pay twice! While it addresses the use of online postage, the issue of DC already being paid can be found in the links.

My PO doesn't understand electronic (printed) postage!

Thanks a ton!

ARGGGGHHHH, I am so upset at my post office! They actually sent me back to talk to the manager about this and claimed that I was wrong, that they HAD to charge me. How frusterating! I'm sure they've gotten quite a bit out of me.

Are you using PBS for postage and the delivery confirmation? If you are only using the delivery confirmation, the post office should be charging you 18 cents which is the current electronic rate for the service. The retail delivery confirmation (bright green label you stick on), the price is 75 cents for first class parcels or media mail. When you print the postage from PBS, the 18 cents is added in for you and the postage is right if the weight is correct. The 27 cents PBS charges helps support the site.

From the PBS help docs....

If you use PBS Delivery Confirmation Only to send a package, you will need to add 18 cents to the postage.

• This is the USPS fee for DC
• This fee is not deducted from PBS Money; it needs to be applied in postage to the package.
• The PBS portion of the PBS-DC fee is 27 cents, and is deducted from PBS Money when you print the wrapper with DC.

Oh! So it's actually cheaper to use the printed version, and then pay the 18 cents?

Yes! Sorry if I wasn't a little clearer in my earlier post.   At the PO you'll only have to pay them .18 for the DC.  Where they charging you the .75?

Yep, they definitely were.

Well this is all very interesting! I've printed out the stuff to take to the post office. I'll start using the delivery confirmation again, and see how it goes. Thanks a ton! :)

Hollie, make sure they understand that you are paying for electronic DC, not the regular DC and if that doesn't help, make them scan the bar code - it will show up in their system as .18 not the .75.

I remember going to the PO and having the DC on the package and the cleark just sort of stares at it.  You can tell  she hadn't seen it in some time...if ever.  I clued her in and told her to scan the bar code.  The woman looked relieved!  I like using the PBS postage and I can avoid the PO all together.

I've had to explain a few times to postal clerks how the printed DC works.  I only use it on game books as it doesn't seem cost effective to use it on every book.  I've had to stop them from over charging me more than once. A few times I've seen them look at the bar code and start to toss it in the bin thinking it already has the postage as well.  I've had to stop them and have them put on the postage.