United States Post Office Scan Form 5630 is Not Required

 Earning a Living Online  No Responses »
Apr 272012
 

If you ship a lot of packages through the United States Postal Service you have likely had a postal employee request that you use the “scan form 5630”.  This is an acronym for Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice and basically associates several packages to one scan form.  This simplifies things for the postal employee because they only need to scan the bar-code on the form rather than each package individually.

I have been told several times by both employees at the post office as well as my postman that I should be using the scan form since I ship several packages each day. I would have no problem using the form if it were a simple system that fit my shipping process.  However, the only way to make use of the scan form 5630 is to process every order that you plan to ship on a particular day, all in one batch, at one time.  That may fit for some businesses, but I process orders all day long as they come in.  Mail is typically pick up midday and after that, any orders processed are piled up and await pickup the following day.  Any orders through the night and the next morning are processed in the morning and added to the pile to be pick up.  If I could print a scan form for all the packages for the previous 24 hours then that would work, but that is simply not possible.

So, having been told so many times that because I ship a lot of packages I need to generate a scan form to make things easier for the postman, I sent an email to USPS to see if in fact the United States Post Office scan form 5630 was required.

Here is the response I received:

Thank you for contacting the United States Postal Service to see if the PS Form 5630 is required for shipping multiple packages.

Your business is very important to us and I appreciate your patronage. I am very happy to assist you. I have checked my resources and I see that the Form 5630 is not required when shipping multiple packages. The “Scan” Form is designed to better meet customer needs regarding tracking and visibility. It is important to note that items with online postage labels will show only the “Shipment Accepted” event scan. With this feature, mailers will have a complete online solution for shipping expedited packages – online labels with postage, free packaging, free Delivery Confirmation service, free Carrier Pickup service, and the ability to validate shipment acceptance.

To obtain a Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice or SCAN Form:

When you go online to ship packages via a PC Postage application such as Click-N-Ship or eBay, you will have the option of associating your labels with a SCAN Form (PS Form 5630).  At the end of the process, you will be able to close out your form and print it.

Please Note:

  • SCAN Forms (PS Form 5630) are only available for labels with online paid postage.
  • All packages associated with a particular SCAN Form must be shipped from the same ZIP Code and on the same day.
  • To check package status, enter the individual package label number into Track & Confirm on the below website. You can also use the SCAN Form number to see the “Shipment Accepted” time and place.

So, the key phrase is “I have checked my resources and I see that the Form 5630 is not required when shipping multiple packages.”  So, if you are ever badgered by the post office to use the 5630 Scan Form and you prefer not to, be confident in your knowledge that it is absolutely not required.

 Posted by at 11:14 PM

A Short Story – Breaking Away From the Status Quo in your Small Business

 Earning a Living Online  No Responses »
Apr 112012
 

I need to be kicked in the ass now and then to break from the status quo! Virtually all small businesses have relationships with other small businesses. Some of these relationships are key to your core business and some are just part of your normal administrative processes.  Either way, we need to step back now and then to be sure we are not missing any potential opportunities by maintaining the current relationship simply because it is easy.

I operate a small business selling outdoor power equipment parts online. Most of the items we sell are products purchased from wholesalers but some of our most profitable items are manufactured for us. I have been working with the same local machinist for several years and things worked relatively well. The pricing was okay and it seemed convenient working with someone in the same city. Over the years the service declined and ultimately the shop went out of business. I was forced to find a new manufacture.

Attacking the problem like it was 1973, I looked up other local machine shops and found three that looked promising. I grabbed my product specifications and jumped in the car.  At the first location I was greeted with a smile from and energetic shop owner eager to show me around and get my business. His quote came three days late and at about four times what I had been paying. The second location I tried no longer existed and at the final location I was “greeted” by a grumpy and grimy man disinterested in even coming to the counter much less getting my business. He did eventually drag himself out of his chair to accept my request for a quote. That company ultimately never called with a quote.

The solution to my problem came from mfg.com. This is a great resource for any business needing a quote for nearly any manufacturing process. From machine work to chemical processing to casting to coating to engraving to forging to assembly and almost any other manufacturing process you can think of. I submitted my specifications and within a few hours began receiving quotes. I received thirteen quotes ranging from $8.25 to $29.50. I ended up going with the company with second lowest price because not only did they offer to maintain inventory for me which would greatly reduce lead times, they also were able to handle a post production process that previously had been completed by another company.

Unfortunately, it took having my back to the wall to get me to act and finally find an alternative supplier for my most profitable parts. And what did I gain in the process – better service, a better product, improved logistics, reduced lead times and all for about fifteen percent less than I was paying.

 Posted by at 10:45 PM
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