[bad trippy]

Hi, just wondering how much your spending on stamps if you post a sae through rather than collect? Is it worth the stamp money? Also what if he custy aint got a cheque book? Tis a bit outdated these days. And my final question is, does the bank start getting suspicous when you keep on banking cheques through your personal acount, surely the amount they would charge on a business account to cash cheques would be too much?

[sparklebright]

Two things I would say.

1. I never put stamps on my envelopes and no-one has ever complained.

2. Free business banking is available from Abbey, it's postal/cash machine account, but there is no better price than free. Or Alliance and leicester will not charge if you bank more than 1000 a month, if you don't it's a fiver a month.

[Niall McAllister]

don't put a stamp on them, but i print them with a stamp size rectangle on it with "don't forget the stamp" in it.

[jonisondell]

stamps, no way too tight, never had any problems

[Chameleon]

  Wow, I am so glad to hear the reply's!
I have always said NO, No, No to stamps! :
criticized  on here in the past for saying so!

If however you decide you want to what about franking, surely that would be cheaper in the long run?

As for banking, I told my bank, I didn't want a business account! (HSBC)
10 years later still no problem!
Tip; just make sure you ask customers to make them payable to you and not the company name... they (Banks) don't like it!
Obviously if you're too big, you will have to get a business account!

[johnny_h]

when as a new boy still green behind the ears i put stamps on them now i dont i have a business account with barclays which my accountant recomended i do i have just been offered a business loan if i want one something your not going to get with your personal account

[Window Washers]

Always wonder why people dont have a business account Cutting costs in wrong places imo.

SAE, you can get some sort of system where you only pay for the eveloped posted back to you, and would save money on posting stamps to everyone , im unsure what it is called but post office would tell you. I just invoice customers they provide an envelope and stamp, something I may change shortly.

[john tomkins]

I only use a personal account as recommended by our local Business Link manager on a course I attended a couple of years ago, who wants to pay 40p or whatever it is to cash each cheque
I use stamps on a SAE or it would just be a AE 
Use SAE for mainly out of the way customers that would take to much of my time to get there for the money.

Got a relative that works for my bank and the amount of cheques you have to deposit in a personal account for them to flag up on their system is huge, she just says if they ever query it  "tell em you do a lot of trading on ebay".

[Ian Mason]

I use stamps on a SAE or it would just be a AE 
Use SAE for mainly out of the way customers that would take to much of my time to get there for the money.

Hi,

It is funny that you mention SAE, as a "Stamped" Addressed Envelope, because I have always known a SAE to be a "Self" Addressed Envelope!

I have even seen things advertised on telly that require people to send a stamped SAE?

Ian.

[john tomkins]

I use stamps on a SAE or it would just be a AE 
Use SAE for mainly out of the way customers that would take to much of my time to get there for the money.

Hi,

It is funny that you mention SAE, as a "Stamped" Addressed Envelope, because I have always known a SAE to be a "Self" Addressed Envelope!

I have even seen things advertised on telly that require people to send a stamped SAE?

Ian.

You could be right,
Here are a few more to chew over

SAE Society of Automotive Engineers
SAE Stamped Addressed Envelope
SAE Self-Addressed Envelope
SAE Supervised Agricultural Experience
SAE Sigma Alpha Epsilon
SAE Serious Adverse Event (clinical trials)
SAE System Architecture Evolution (3GPP)
SAE Serious Adverse Event
SAE South American Explorers
SAE School of Audio Engineering
SAE Standard American English
SAE Siamese Algae Eater (tropical aquarium fish)
SAE Standard Australian English
SAE Secretaría de Análisis Estratégico (Guatemala)
SAE Self-Assessment Examination
SAE Sales Account Executive
SAE Service Acquisition Executive
SAE Society of American Engineers
SAE Site Area Emergency (Nuclear)
SAE Sexual Assault Examiner
SAE Strategic Account Executive
SAE Senior Associate Editor
SAE Systems Application Engineering, Inc.
SAE Sexual Assault Evidence
SAE Suspended Access Equipment
SAE Secretarial Acquisition Executive (DoE)
SAE Same not a very nice persons Everywhere
SAE Software Architecture Engineering
SAE Solar Array Experiment
SAE Surface Artificielle d'Escalade (French)
SAE Self Appointed Expert
SAE Single Above Elbow (amputation)
SAE Sustainable Agriculture Education
SAE Systems Architecture & Engineering
SAE Spreading Activation Energy
SAE Sons of Adam and Eve
SAE Stand Alone Edit
SAE Special Area of Emphasis
SAE Senior Articles Editor (law review)
SAE Services Assisted Evacuation
SAE Scientific Audio Engineers
SAE Somebody Anybody Everybody
SAE Site Acceptance Evaluation
SAE Secure Architecture Evaluation (SBC)
SAE Shared Application Environment
SAE Seamless Access Environment
SAE Shipboard Antenna Electronics
SAE Study of Artillery Effects
SAE Sharing-of-ELINT Analysis 

[traps7]

I put a second class stamp on if available because they're a tad cheaper, if not I put a first on. I run a load of white envelopes through the printer. I still get a few late payers though, but I'll never go back to collecting. I've dropped a few who refuse to post a cheque. I don't understand these people and I can do without them. I dont know what else they want me to do? - Pay it for them? I think if I didnt put the stamp on it would give domestic customers especially a reason to moan about having to pay for a stamp or them not having one which would slow up payment and then they'd want to start leaving money under mats etc which i dont want to do. Majority of my customers are in so it only costs me about a fiver a week I guess. I'm trad and if I was earning the sort of money some of you seem to be then I really don't see the problem. Besides that I value my evenings more than a few quid.

[pjulk]

I spend about a tenner on stamps a week.

I always put stamps on SAE and i usally get them back within a week.

I used to spend a good few hours collecting before going over to SAE and would spend £10 on diesel collecting.

Now i no longer have to go out in my own time which means i have more time to take the missis shopping   

[elite mike]

I spend about a tenner on stamps a week.

Now i no longer have to go out in my own time which means i have more time to take the missis shopping   

id rather go collecting 

ime with you stan

[windowswashed]

I'd rather leave a stamped SAE for custies that don't pay cash or online payment as it's cheaper and less time consuming  than going out collecting evenings.

[geefree]

all addressed... none stamped.... i used to just put a slip saying... send cheque....etc.

now i address an envelope and they love it....!

sweeten them gradually...dont spoil them. 

[AuRavelling79]

all addressed... none stamped.... i used to just put a slip saying... send cheque....etc.

now i address an envelope and they love it....!

sweeten them gradually...dont spoil them. 

I still just put a slip through- no envelope - obviously no stamp!

I divide an A4 sheet into three and I use coloured paper as it catches the eye and when it is put amongst their other paperwork it stands out.

I am thinking about getting a rubber stamp made with my address on it and stamping envelopes to look a bit more "profeshnial."

Larger commercials I send an invoice in the post.

[Alex Gardiner]

all addressed... none stamped.... i used to just put a slip saying... send cheque....etc.

now i address an envelope and they love it....!

sweeten them gradually...dont spoil them. 

I still just put a slip through- no envelope - obviously no stamp!

I divide an A4 sheet into three and I use coloured paper as it catches the eye and when it is put amongst their other paperwork it stands out.


Larger commercials I send an invoice in the post.

Ditto for me except most domestic are now standing order but the few that aren't I use coloured slips.

[Window Washers]

all addressed... none stamped.... i used to just put a slip saying... send cheque....etc.

now i address an envelope and they love it....!

sweeten them gradually...dont spoil them. 

I still just put a slip through- no envelope - obviously no stamp!

I divide an A4 sheet into three and I use coloured paper as it catches the eye and when it is put amongst their other paperwork it stands out.


Larger commercials I send an invoice in the post.

Ditto for me except most domestic are now standing order but the few that aren't I use coloured slips.

Alex, how did you get most of yours to go on standing order ?

[Oakley Windows]

Two things I would say.

1. I never put stamps on my envelopes and no-one has ever complained.

2. Free business banking is available from Abbey, it's postal/cash machine account, but there is no better price than free. Or Alliance and leicester will not charge if you bank more than 1000 a month, if you don't it's a fiver a month.

Thats cheap. Never realised it was just a fiver.
Might pop into town later.