If you are doing mailings with anybody, please read this

[BKessler]

As some of you may know, we were Grip Marketing's mailhouse that they used to fulfill their postcards.

Here is an education from my side of the mailing industry.

http://1stclassmailing.com/TEST3602.PDF

If you look at the attached link, it is a PDF of the postal paperwork you should receive with your invoice for mailing. If you are not getting a copy of this form 3602, just figure your mail did not go out!!!!

Item numbers:
1) The owner of the permit. It could be you if you have your own mailing permit, but most likely it will be the mailhouse being used.

2) This should be your marketing companies address and/ or a code referencing your mail piece.

3) The post office that the mail was verified through.

4) The total number of pieces. If this reads 5000 and you were charged for 10000, get your money back!

5) This is the total postage charged to your mailer. Some people mark up postage, others don't. We do not.

6) This form has to be signed by the permit holder...it's mandatory!

7) Every post office that I have ever dealt with in my 17 years of experience stamps the 3602 here. If it is not stamped, again, figure your mail is not mailed. Plain and simple. The date stamps do look different, but it should have a date and a location, and is 99% typcially round! If it is handwritten, ask questions!!!

8) This is the breakdown of postage paid. Add up the numbers and make sure they add to the front of the page, area 4 in our case. Most of the mailings we do for tanning members go at the SCF rate, but we have to pay a shipping company to get them from Georgia to California, so expect a shipping charge on top of the postage. If the mail is "drop shipped" there is an additional postal form called an 8125. You can ask your marketing company for a copy of this also. It will show you where the mailed was shipped to, and when it arrived.


I hope this helps somebody in the near future or down the road. If you have questions, feel free to ask them here or email me.

[esun]

Awesome post! Great info. Thanks

[ITBuyersGroup]

Anyone that is not using our partner Vistaprint is nuts.

Your mailer is too important to entrust to little guys like chronos or helios.

A mailer messup with some other player can literally cost you a prime window that will impact your revenues for up to a year. Why tempt fate?

Vistaprint is the only option AND THEY COST LESS!

After doing hundreds of mailers to millions of homes, I know that the timing of a mailer is oh so important.

Look at what happened to all those folks with money out to Grip. They would have paid less and had a guarantee with Vistaprint.

Got a pending project. MOVE IT. You will pay less and have security that none of these smaller players can provide. www.vistaprint.com

Even if they totally messed up your print they are so huge that 24 hours later they could have your cards reprinted and back the the post-office.

IF ANYONE COMES IN LOWER PRICED remember they are not mailing your cards.

[movieking]

Can't wait for Dean's response to this.

[sunsally]

IT Buyer's Group IS a sponsor here, right? So this isn't spam, just one sponsor deciding to trash talk another?

Nice..........


I'd stick with Chronos -- they KNOW what works for tanning salons and can give great ideas. Plus - very creative, very easy to work with - and right here, supporting the site with their $$ and their ideas.

[Jones]

The problem I see with dealing with a vendor that is not in the USA is they will not be held accountable if a problem does arise.
Be CAREFUL!

[Jones]

Bkessler,
Thanks for the info....I appreciate it! AWESOME!

[ITBuyersGroup]

I was not aware Chronos was a sponsor here. I apologize to them for putting them in the post I easily could have listed 20 others they just happened into my brain at the time.

Sunsally is right it was in poor taste I should be more careful.

I am not able to retract it on my end. Perhaps an admin can delete that line out of the post.

[Din]

WOW.....okay then. With 7,300+ posts, i can see how i got missed as a sponsor. Since everyone is waiting for my response....here goes.

So Vista Print is awesome. Good for them.

Just looking at their pricing and they charge pretty much the same that i charge...as an example. 5,000 oversized postcards (5.5x8.5) But for printing only. NO DESIGN IS INCLUDED.

Good....so you can design it yourself and send it off to them to print them. Great...Go for it. I'm sure everyone can design....or they can call us, pay pretty much the same price, give or take $50 and have it designed for them from scratch, geared towards their customers, Their market, with images of their beds, targeted at the tanning community, from a veteran tanning salon owners perspective, get free advice on what promotions would work great for their setup, create a theme for them, get unlimited revisions to their design until they are satisfied with their piece before they even spend a dime because Vista does all that.......right?

Vista is so big they can guarantee their work.....who says nobody else does cuz they are smaller?

And so if someone is cheaper than Vista, then they aren't mailing it out.......because what vista says...goes....rigggght......and if they are more expensive than vista??? Then they're a rip off....gotcha. So only Vista is the best out there and use nobody else, even though you get better quality and more for your money....for about the same price.

Did i mention that we also include thicker quality cardstock then them as well as UV high gloss finish in that price and not just an AQ gloss like what they include.

I didn't want to point out the differences you get for your money, cuz i'm not about bashing other companies and don't think it's professional....i let my customers speak for me. but hey, i figure if i'm gonna get bashed for offering twice the quality finished product and free design with unlimited revisions for the same price....then i'm the idiot. You're absolutely right. It's my own fault.

I think i'm gonna raise my prices......cuz from what i read above...if i'm cheaper (same price but giving you a lot more for your money) then your jobs are not being mailed out. So this way, maybe if i'm a rip off, then at least your work is being mailed out.

What i like best though....is when we get compared to others from someone that hasn't used our services. That's the best part.

How was that Movieking....? And i didn't even say FAKEM once. I contained myself.

[Din]

ITBG...don't worry...no offense taken. As a moderator on this forum, i can edit your thread out....but i don't mind. I don't hurt easily.

When you're ready to offer your customers better quality for their money, my phone is always on.

[W8INLINE]

Originally Posted by ITBuyersGroup

I was not aware Chronos was a sponsor here. I apologize to them for putting them in the post I easily could have listed 20 others they just happened into my brain at the time.

Sunsally is right it was in poor taste I should be more careful.

I am not able to retract it on my end. Perhaps an admin can delete that line out of the post.

ITB... like din said....no offense taken...I actually smiled when I read it...one question though.

Why do you believe a smaller company is less credible than a bigger one in following through with a job they take? Wasn't Grip considered a "big" company being in business for many many years and having serviced many many customers? Was I wrong in considering them just as big as vistaprint?

[movieking]

Originally Posted by Din

How was that Movieking....? And i didn't even say FAKEM once. I contained myself.

That was the response I was looking for but my popcorn went stale while waiting for it.

[BKessler]

I only have experience with one other vendor that does tanning salons, and they are top notch as well. Never heard of Chronos until I was pointed to this website.

You're more than welcome for the information!

[ITBuyersGroup]

Thanks Chronos I appreciate your tolerance of my stupid statement. It did bother me this weekend that I couldn't remove. There is no excuse.

As to noticing your as an advertiser I think that most website viewers do not even see the banner ads nowadays so with one in rotation it is easy to miss. I know from my own websites that this is true as people get used to the format they stop seeing the static areas that contain banners. I am one of those people too so I totally understand the logic. And this website is even more static than most the banners are always in the exact same place.

The point I was clumsy in getting across is that the printing costs are virtually set and very low regardless of whom you have print them.

90% of the cost is in the mailing so use someone that you know will deliver the mailing.

[Din]

Originally Posted by BKessler

Never heard of Chronos until I was pointed to this website.

That's okay....i never heard of you before you came here either.


...and ITBG...just cuz i'm a sponsor on here, doesn't give me immunity to people's opinions. So don't worry about it. No need to apologize.

[BKessler]

I wish you were closer to me. We've got some great printers down here, and I'm proud out the product we put out as well.

:cheers:

[Din]

Give me a call and we'll see what you have to offer.

My contact info is on my website. Click on my banner in my signature.

Regards,
Dean

[Toasted_Tiki]

Bkessler: Is this 3602 form for every company? I'm using a company right now & they email my statements to me. I've been questionable about this company for a few months now. There's just a whole big story behind this that I won't get into.

[BKessler]

The 3602 is the form that your mailer takes to the post office, so yes, it is for every company.

[Brian Oshman]

Originally Posted by ITBuyersGroup

Anyone that is not using our partner Vistaprint is nuts.

Your mailer is too important to entrust to little guys like chronos or helios.

A mailer messup with some other player can literally cost you a prime window that will impact your revenues for up to a year. Why tempt fate?

Vistaprint is the only option AND THEY COST LESS!

After doing hundreds of mailers to millions of homes, I know that the timing of a mailer is oh so important.

Look at what happened to all those folks with money out to Grip. They would have paid less and had a guarantee with Vistaprint.

Got a pending project. MOVE IT. You will pay less and have security that none of these smaller players can provide. www.vistaprint.com

Even if they totally messed up your print they are so huge that 24 hours later they could have your cards reprinted and back the the post-office.

IF ANYONE COMES IN LOWER PRICED remember they are not mailing your cards.

Originally Posted by ITBuyersGroup

I was not aware Chronos was a sponsor here. I apologize to them for putting them in the post I easily could have listed 20 others they just happened into my brain at the time.

Sunsally is right it was in poor taste I should be more careful.

I am not able to retract it on my end. Perhaps an admin can delete that line out of the post.

Originally Posted by ITBuyersGroup

Thanks Chronos I appreciate your tolerance of my stupid statement. It did bother me this weekend that I couldn't remove. There is no excuse.

As to noticing your as an advertiser I think that most website viewers do not even see the banner ads nowadays so with one in rotation it is easy to miss. I know from my own websites that this is true as people get used to the format they stop seeing the static areas that contain banners. I am one of those people too so I totally understand the logic. And this website is even more static than most the banners are always in the exact same place.

The point I was clumsy in getting across is that the printing costs are virtually set and very low regardless of whom you have print them.

90% of the cost is in the mailing so use someone that you know will deliver the mailing.

What an a$$hole. You are not even a sponsor here and you are spamming the companies that you are pushing and bashing the ones that are. There is no immunity here but casting blanket statements to bash advertisers here without anything to back up your statement and sell your company without putting up a banner shows no class. The only reason that you want to retract it is because you were called out, not because you feel it was a bad thing to do, and you would not have tried to remove that statement if you were not called out on it.

Here is a suggestion, if you want to promote your business and the businesses under your umbrella then you will need to contact the Advertising Dept. here. Any future references to your business or the businesses that you promote from here on in will be removed until you ante up. You are in no position to spam until you do.