ComputerStamps
"Stamps.com ~ Avery Labels"

Revision 12/05/23

Stamps.com ~ Avery Labels
HISTORY

by Otto Bergman

Avery Starter Kit (#32401)

On July 15, 2008 Avery Dennison (Avery) and Stamps.com (SDC) announced an alliance in which Avery would market SDC's PC Postage with Avery's self-adhesive labels for its office products customers allowing them to print PC postage on Avery labels. Later, on December 2, 2009 the Avery/SDC partnership formally launched their "Desktop Postal Center." It would provide small businesses and home office professionals with quick access to the tools and resources needed for day-to-day postal shipping and mailing needs.

Avery Priority Mail Shipping Labels (#32402)	Avery Address Mailing Labels (#32403)	Avery Stamp Labels (#32404)

The Avery Starter Kit (#32401) included a Postal Printing Software CD, four weeks of trial service, five sheets each of Avery stamp labels (#32404), address mailing labels (#32403) & priority mail shipping labels (#32402), $45 worth of postage ($5 during the trial period), and a free 5 lb capacity digital scale offer redeemable by mail when paying shipping. The Starter Kit suggested retail price was $12.48.

A similar kit, but with a 25-pound scale, was priced at $149.98.Ê Unlike SDC that charged new customers for the trial service if it was not cancelled during the free trial period, Avery kits provided four weeks of unconditional free service.

The Avery stamp labels had light blue bars at the left and right edges that glowed orange under long and shortwave UV light for USPS handling/sorting equipment to locate and verify the postage. Each stamp label was inscribed with "Avery.com/postage" at the bottom and had an "Avery Logo" across the top. Both of these inscriptions were in light blue ink that was almost invisible to the naked eye & not UV light sensitive. A serial and sheet position number was also included in black starting with a V at the lower left reading upwards.

After a little over 3 years later on April 2013, Avery discontinued offering this service and its labels. Potential patrons logging on to the Avery site were automatically redirected to a SDC site that encouraged turning various Avery labels into U.S. postage with a SDC account offering a $100 introductory offer.Ê At the same time, on-line sites like Amazon.com and Staples offered 32401 Starter Kits for as low as $5.98 including shipping.ÊIt was still possible to print postage on these sheets via SDC as of December 2023 because Avery sheet serial numbers were still recognized by SDC's software.

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