Entrepreneur's Journal: Stamp prices rising again, so what to do?

OK, so what can be done? Well, it's a good idea to check out a mail service like Stamps.com. In fact, this company focuses on the needs of small businesses.

Using the Stamps.com PC Postage software, you can calculate the exact postage -- and print it on a label. There is no special hardware needed.

Keep in mind that the software will find all discounts (up to 11% on domestic Priority mail). Stamps.com also has postage cleansing (that is, it makes sure that an address is valid). Actually, you can save more than 80% when compared to using a traditional postage meter.

The postage will look professional as well (yes, it's important to find any way to stand out).

Now, let's suppose you have lots of inventory and using a stamp service probably would be impractical. In this case, you can use an outsourced storage and shipping service. And, one that has a good small business focus is Shipwire.com.

The company handles fulfillment, and even returns. And, there is cost-optimization.

No doubt, storage and shipping costs can eat up your margins. But, the good news is that -- with web technologies and outsourcing -- there are certainly options to help manage things better. More importantly, they are fairly easy to implement and use.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and the founder of BizEquity, a free online business valuation tool for small businesses. You can reach him at his personal blog.