

Buy Stamps from Your Command Line - jstreebin
http://blog.geteasypost.com/post/48133423082/stampsfromcommandline

======
niftylettuce
You can also use `$ npm install -g easypostjs && easypost --help` -- this will
let you print postage via CLI with inputs, see
<https://github.com/EasyPost/easypost-node#easypostjs->

~~~
jstreebin
Indeed, much easier than cURLing

Thanks for the awesome work, Nick!

------
btown
This is absolutely awesome. I'd love to see EasyPost integrate/replicate
Microsoft Office's mail merge functionality for commonly used label templates.
For instance, you could `GET
api/labels/ids=id1,id2,id3&template_provider=avery&template=15664&format=pdf`
and you would get a pre-filled PDF with 3 labels that would print directly to
an Avery 15664 label sheet out of an inkjet printer. If EasyPost doesn't do
this, we'd probably end up replicating this in-house, but since every self-
fulfilling online retailer (a) needs to do this, and (b) would probably just
buy these label sheets from the local Staples, it just makes sense for you
guys to offer it as well.

~~~
icelancer
Absolutely. This is the missing link in any shopping cart that I've tried out.
We don't do huge volume (maybe $100,000/year for 2013), but this is a
continual source of annoyance for me - that there is simply no good, automated
way to deal with this. Paying a 5% surcharge is absolutely reasonable if
someone can just use the USPS APIs and wrap it into an automated postage
plugin where my orders get posted to their API and I simply just print out the
PDFs that come out. Or something like that. We're not even close to that right
now and it's silly!

------
memset
This is neat! Can you also support negotiated rates by using our account's
credentials?

Also - shameless plug - I myself am working on an actually-usable python UPS
library (with a real quickstart and example code and everything!) It is
surprising how weak open-source library support is for this kind of thing,
which is tedious, but not alltogether insurmountable.
<https://github.com/classicspecs/ClassicUPS>

~~~
jstreebin
You can! Nice work!

------
JaggedJax
I like the simplicity, but from my experience with warehouses no one is
willing to take a 5 cent increase in postage costs, let alone a 5% (or less)
increase.

Is the rate you're basing the ~5% on commercial base, commercial plus, GEPS?
There are other consolidators that will offer those prices (Express1 for
example). And while they are more work to integrate, the long term savings can
be enormous.

~~~
jstreebin
You're right. We started with % of spend because it was easiest. We've had
plans for a while now and will push them soon. These have competitive rates
for volume shippers. In need of something like this?

~~~
JaggedJax
We use the Endicia and Express1 API's in our software currently (Mainly
because Express1 will share a bit of our client's revenue with us). We are
definitely still in the marketplace for UPS, FedEx, etc solutions though.
Haven't gotten around to their API's yet, and I don't know if there are good
consolidator rates for them.

~~~
jstreebin
Great, we'd love to talk. Feel free to drop me an email at j at easypost dot
co (I can't find your email)

------
meritt
As a side-effect can your service be used for address normalization?

~~~
jstreebin
verification? yes

check it out here <https://geteasypost.com/docs>

~~~
meritt
Great.

Your service is doing more than simple verification. Verification by its
nature would result in a boolean. Your service is suggesting a better address
(which is what I'd call normalization). e.g.

    
    
        curl https://www.geteasypost.com/api/address/verify \
          -u cueqNZUb3ldeWTNX7MU3Mel8UXtaAMUi: \
          -d 'address[street1]=388 Townshende Ave' \
          -d 'address[street2]=Unit 20' \
          -d 'address[city]=San Francisco' \
          -d 'address[state]=CA' \
          -d 'address[zip]=94107'
    

yields:

    
    
        {"address":{"street1":"388 TOWNSEND ST APT 20","city":"SAN FRANCISCO","state":"CA","zip":"94107"}}
    

Anyhow, semantics aside, are you going to make it fuzzier or this is based
entirely on USPS' api?

~~~
jstreebin
What do you mean by fuzzier? We're doing it carrier-based, so that the
corresponding postage works. What are you needing this for?

~~~
jstreebin
There's SmartyStreets. You tried them?

~~~
meritt
Yeah, SmartyStreets sucks for a few reasons:

1) They are abusing the USPS api and charging access for it.

2) The USPS resolver sucks anyhow. "388 Townsend San Fran" yields an error.
Google & Yahoo both correctly match it.

3) Their pricing is pretty expensive, imo.

~~~
plusbryan
How did you arrive at #1? We used USPS's api for a year before switching to
SmartyStreets, and there's no way their api is powered by USPS's buggy api.

------
toomuchtodo
Jarrett,

Just got the email from your blog post. What's the preferred method of
printing first class labels/postage generated via your API?

~~~
jonknee
DYMO printers are pretty standard and come in different sizes. The 4XL would
certainly fit this use case:

[http://www.amazon.com/DYMO-LabelWriter-4XL-Label-
Printer/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/DYMO-LabelWriter-4XL-Label-
Printer/dp/B002M1LGJ4/)

~~~
toomuchtodo
Thank you sir!

~~~
jonknee
An aside that may be useful, DYMO has a somewhat supported JS library to print
labels from a browser. I implemented it with an inventory system to print
shelf labels, but I don't see why it couldn't be used here.

------
shalmanese
We're currently spending about $2000 on shipping a month and evaluating moving
to either easypost or <https://www.postmaster.io/> (away from Endicia). Both
are small, agile, responsive companies and have a bunch of awesome features.
Feel free to email me at hang@getjuniper.com if you want to hear about our
experiences.

------
quellhorst
I would like for the API documentation to have more examples of shipping with
flat rate boxes or different shipping options. Right now I find myself having
to guess or look into the source code before printing certain labels.

~~~
jstreebin
Agreed, we need to better lay out the shipping options. What types of labels
are you printing? Feel free to email me and I can give you the correct calls

------
zdw
So, where's the Bank or Credit Union that has an interface like this?

~~~
toomuchtodo
Simple is almost ready to launch it's API:
[https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/simple-
ap...](https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/simple-api)

And Dwolla already has one: <https://www.dwolla.com/developers>

~~~
krasin
By "almost ready to launch" you mean "they abandoned that idea 2 years ago"?
At least, your link suggests that (last post in the group dated by 2011)

~~~
toomuchtodo
I'll have to get more info. I interface with their support team frequently,
have a Simple account, and use it on a daily basis. "Abandoned" wouldn't be
the info I've heard.

------
fbpcm
Do you support Media Mail - <https://www.usps.com/ship/media-mail.htm> ?

~~~
jstreebin
We do! You can see it in the rates calls, and then select it with MediaMail
for service

<https://geteasypost.com/docs>

------
alexvr
Wait till my grandma gets word of this...

------
icelancer
Oh wow, this is awesome. Integration with WooCommerce and/or other shopping
carts would be amazing.

------
plusbryan
Do you support international rates? I looked into Postmaster.io but they don't
seem to yet.

~~~
jstreebin
We do! We're live with USPS International. Shoot us an email to international
at easypost dot co for access

------
Xymak1y
Very nice website.

~~~
jstreebin
Thanks!

