Stamps.com

{{Infobox brand

| name = Stamps.com

| logo = Stamps.com logo.png

| currentowner = Auctane

| producttype = Internet postage, Custom postage stamps, Shipping software

| introduced = {{Start date and age|1996}}

| website = {{url|stamps.com}}

}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Auctane

| logo = Auctane-logo-white.svg

| type = Private

| traded_as =

| key_people = {{unbulleted list|Jim McDermott|(Stamps.com Founder)|Jeff Green|(Stamps.com Founder)|Ari Engelberg|(Stamps.com Founder)|Albert Ko|(CEO)|Amit Deodhar|(CFO)|}}|

| industry = Business Services

| products = Internet postage, Custom postage stamps, Shipping software

| revenue = {{increase}} {{US$|757.98 million|link=yes}} (Stamps.com 2020){{cite web|title=Stamps.com, Inc. 2020 Annual Report |url=https://investor.stamps.com/sec-filings/all-sec-filings/content/0001082923-21-000033/0001082923-21-000033.pdf |website=stamps.com |accessdate=6 October 2021|date=31 December 2020}}

| operating_income = {{nowrap|{{increase}} US$198.152 million (Stamps.com 2020)}}

| net_income = {{increase}} US$178.665 million (Stamps.com 2020)

| assets = {{increase}} US$1.297 billion (Stamps.com 2020)

| equity = {{increase}} US$974.119 million (Stamps.com 2020)

| founded = {{Start date and age|1996}} (as Stamps.com)

| location = {{nowrap|Austin, Texas, U.S.}}

| location_country =

| owner = Thoma Bravo

| subsid = {{Unbulleted list|ShipStation|Stamps.com|Packlink|ShipEngine|Metapack|ShippingEasy|Endicia|ShipWorks|GlobalPost|Shipsi}}

| num_employees = 1,100{{Cite web|url=https://www.owler.com/company/stamps|title=Stamps.com's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding, Acquisitions & News - Owler Company Profile}}

| website = {{url|auctane.com/}}

}}

Stamps.com is a brand and the former corporate name of Auctane, an American company that provides Internet-based mailing and shipping services. Until its acquisition by Thoma Bravo, Stamps.com was a public company traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol STMP.{{cite press release |url= https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005990/en/Stamps.com-Stockholders-Approve-Merger-with-Thoma-Bravo |title=Stamps.com Stockholders Approve Merger with Thoma Bravo |date=September 30, 2021 |agency=Business Wire}} The company's main offices are located in Austin, Texas.

History

Founded in 1996,{{cite web| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacks/2013/06/03/plenty-of-potential-for-stamps-com-even-after-run-up/| title=Plenty Of Potential For Stamps.com Even After Run Up| date=June 3, 2013| work=Forbes| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} Stamps.com was created under the name StampMaster by Jim McDermott, Ari Engelberg, and Jeff Green, who at the time were MBA graduate students at UCLA.{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-18-fi-9092-story.html| title= Stamps.com Raises $30 Million| date=February 18, 1999| author=Debora Vrana| newspaper=LA Times| access-date=July 11, 2016}}{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-21-fi-48680-story.html| title=Stamps.com Online Postage Due, but First an IPO| date=June 21, 1999| author=Karen Kaplan| newspaper=LA Times| access-date=May 12, 2015}} StampMaster was among the first companies to obtain approval from the United States Postal Service for beta testing and introducing Internet postage to the market. The Postal Service began announcing proposals for digital delivery of postage in 1996.{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/10/us/buying-stamps-can-now-mean-just-a-trip-to-the-computer.html| title=Buying Stamps Can Now Mean Just a Trip to the Computer| author=Melody Petersen| date=August 10, 1999| work=The New York Times| accessdate=May 12, 2015}}

Stamps.com finished its Series A funding in February 1998 with $1.5 million. Series B funding followed in August 1998 with $4.52 million.{{cite web| url=http://www.builtinla.com/company/stampscom| title=Company description| publisher=Built in Los Angeles| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} It had its last round of private financing in February 1999,{{cite journal| title=Mail Ego| date=October 2001| author=Peter Gumbel| journal=Los Angeles Magazine}} generating an additional $30 million from investors including former Postmaster General, Marvin Runyon. The company went public in June of the same year{{cite web| url=http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/837.html| title=Stock Watch: Stamps.com Rockets After Office Depot Announcement| author=Andy Wang| date=July 20, 1999| publisher=ECommerce Times| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} and raised $55 million in its IPO. Less than six months after its IPO, the company had its secondary public offering. In August 1999, the Postal Service granted permission for Stamps.com to sell its service nationally. Stamps.com purchased IShip.com, a company that compared prices of shipping services, for $305 million in stock or eight million shares, in October 1999.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-26-fi-26287-story.html| title=Stamps.com to Purchase IShip.com| date=October 26, 1999| newspaper=LA Times| access-date=May 12, 2015}}{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/26/business/company-news-stampscom-agrees-to-acquire-ishipcom.html| title=Company News; Stamps.com Agrees to Acquire iShip.com| date=October 26, 1999| work=The New York Times| accessdate=May 12, 2015}}

In 2001, Stamps.com named Ken McBride its CEO.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2013-mar-18-la-fi-stock-spotlight-stamps-20130318-story.html| title=Stock spotlight: Stamps.com delivering sales, profit growth| date=March 18, 2013| author=Stuart Pfeifer| newspaper=LA Times| access-date=May 12, 2015}} The U.S. Postal Service authorized the first market test of PhotoStamps in 2004.{{cite web| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-09-17/your-stamp-here| title=Your Stamp Here| date=September 17, 2006| publisher=Bloomberg| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} In 2005, the company reported $10.4 million in net income. PhotoStamps was re-launched in May 2005 for another year-long test run.{{cite web| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2005/05/16/daily15.html| title=Photostamps goes live, again| date=May 17, 2005| publisher=L.A.Biz| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} The United States Congress amended a law in January 2006 that had prohibited attaching business advertising to postage, effective in May of that year, which cleared the way for businesses to use PhotoStamps. In September 2006, the company launched Photo NetStamps, which combined its previous NetStamps product with PhotoStamps. This combination allowed PhotoStamps to be used with exact postage printed from Stamps.com software.{{cite web| url=http://creativepro.com/stamps-com-launches-photo-netstamps/| title=Stamps.com Launches Photo NetStamps| publisher=Creative Pro| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} By 2008, Stamps.com had more than 300,000 customers.{{cite web| url=http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/907-The-PeC-Review-Stamps-com-is-A-Helpful-Tool-for-Many-Merchants| title=The PeC Review: Stamps.com is A Helpful Tool for Many Merchants| date=December 22, 2008| author= Armando Roggio| publisher=Practical ECommerce| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} The company recorded revenues of $38.6 million in 2012.

By 2013, it had approximately 465,000 registered customers. Stamps.com reported $147.3 million in revenue the following year.{{cite web| url=https://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=STMP| title=Stamps.com Inc| publisher=CNN| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} It acquired Auctane ShipStation, a web-based multi-carrier shipping vendor based in Austin, Texas, in June 2014 for $50 million and up to 768,900 shares of stock. Auctane LLC, which used the trade name ShipStation, was founded in 2011 and creates tools to import orders from shopping cart platforms for order fulfillment.{{cite web |title=Audited Financial Statements of Auctane LLC at December 31, 2013 and for the year ended December 31, 2013. |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1082923/000114036114034175/ex99_1.htm |website=www.sec.gov |access-date=24 June 2023 |date=31 December 2013}} The acquisition made Auctane an independent subsidiary of Stamps.com operated by its existing management team.{{cite web| url=https://www.internetretailer.com/2014/06/17/stampscom-buys-shipping-software-vendor-shipstation| title=Stamps.com buys shipping software vendor ShipStation| author=ABBY CALLARD| date=June 17, 2014| publisher=Internet Retailer| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} In October that same year, Stamps.com acquired ShipWorks, a multi-carrier shipping software company that integrates with shopping cart platforms, for $22 million. ShipWorks continued to operate as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Auctane.{{cite web| url=http://labusinessjournal.com/news/2014/oct/20/stampscom-acquires-shipworks/| title=Stamps.com Acquires ShipWorks| author=Melissah Yang| date=October 20, 2014| publisher=Los Angeles Business Journal| accessdate=May 12, 2015}}

In March 2015, Stamps.com entered into an agreement to acquire Endicia, another internet postage company, from Newell Rubbermaid for approximately $215 million.{{cite web| url=http://www.nasdaq.com/article/stampscom-to-buy-online-shipping-firm-endicia-for-215-mln-20150324-00899| title=Stamps.com To Buy Online Shipping Firm Endicia For $215 Mln.| date=March 24, 2015| publisher=Nasdaq| accessdate=May 12, 2015}}{{cite web| url=https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/03/25/stampscom-acquires-endicia-215-million-cash| title=Stamps.com acquires Endicia for $215 million in cash| date=March 25, 2015| author=Matt Lindner| publisher=Internet Retailer| accessdate=May 12, 2015}} Endicia's products include the DYMO Stamps and PictureItPostage brands.

On June 20, 2016, Stamps.com announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to purchase ShippingEasy, Inc., an Austin, Texas-based company which offers web-based multi-carrier shipping software that allows online retailers and e-commerce merchants to organize, process, fulfill and ship their orders. Stamps.com agreed to acquire ShippingEasy for $55 million in cash, as well as performance-linked equity awards of 87,000 shares of Stamps.com's common stock.{{cite web| url=http://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Stamps.com+(STMP)+to+Acquire+ShippingEasy/11754634.html| title= Stamps.com to Acquire ShippingEasy| date=June 20, 2016| publisher=StreetInsider.com| accessdate=July 11, 2016}}

On July 25, 2018, Stamps.com announced another agreement to purchase [https://www.metapack.com/ Metapack Ltd]., a London-based company providing delivery management technology to e-commerce retailers and brands. The agreement was made on the price of approx. £175 million in cash. MetaPack will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary led by its current management team with further details of the acquisition to be discussed on August 1, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180725005144/en/Stamps.com-Announces-Definitive-Agreement-Acquire-Leading-UK-Based|title=Stamps.com Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Leading UK-Based E-Commerce Shipping Software Company MetaPack Ltd.|access-date=July 25, 2018|language=en}}

On July 9, 2021, Thoma Bravo announced a pending acquisition of Stamps.com at a $330/share price, and a 40-day "go-shop" period for alternative proposals.{{Cite web|last=Bravo|first=Thoma|title=Stamps.com Enters Definitive Agreement to be Acquired by Thoma Bravo in $6.6 Billion Transaction|url=https://www.thomabravo.com/press-releases/stamps.com-enters-definitive-agreement-to-be-acquired-by-thoma-bravo-in-6.6-billion-transaction|access-date=2021-07-09|website=www.thomabravo.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=GmbH|first=finanzen net|title=Stamps.com soars 65% after Thoma Bravo announces it will buy the online postage company for $6.6 billion in cash|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stampscom-stock-price-thoma-bravo-acquisition-6-billion-cash-stmp-2021-7|access-date=2021-07-09|website=markets.businessinsider.com|language=en}} The acquisition was completed in October of that year, and in December the company changed its corporate name to Auctane,{{cite press release |title=Global SaaS Logistics Leader "Stamps.com" Becomes "Auctane" |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/global-saas-logistics-leader-stamps-com-becomes-auctane--849425097.html |work=PRWeb |date=17 December 2021}} previously the name of its subsidiary that owned ShipStation, ShippingEasy, ShipEngine, and ShipWorks.{{cite news |last1=Ames |first1=Ben |title=Stamps.com rebrands as Auctane to meet broader e-commerce needs {{!}} DC Velocity |url=https://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/53302-stampscom-rebrands-as-auctane-to-meet-broader-e-commerce-needs |access-date=24 June 2023 |work=DC Velocity |language=en}}

Products

=Online postage=

File:USPS First Class Pkg Intl USA-D with Customs Declaration CN 22.jpg

Stamps.com allows users to print official United States Postal Service stamps and shipping labels for a monthly subscription fee of $19.99.{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.stamps.com/postage-online/faqs/#collapse-account-3 |website=stamps.com |accessdate=November 13, 2018 |ref=stamps.com cost}} Stamps.com sends customers a digital scale to weigh letters and packages to ensure the correct amount of postage is applied to the piece of mail. The amount of postage applied is then deducted from the customer's Stamps.com account. Customers can print postage on envelopes, regular paper or adhesive labels. The system integrates with external address books applications including Outlook and Act!, small business applications such as Microsoft Word and Intuit's QuickBooks, and e-commerce platforms such as eBay, Shopify, Magento, and Amazon.com.{{cite web| url=http://simson.net/clips/1999/1999.Globe.12-23.Stamp_out_the_postal_blues+.shtml| title=Stamp out the postal blues| author=Simson L. Garfinkel| date=December 23, 1999| publisher=The Boston Globe| accessdate=May 12, 2015}}

=PhotoStamps=

Stamps.com also offered a product called PhotoStamps that allows customers to upload personal photographs or logos to be printed on real U.S. postage stamps. PhotoStamps were sold as a sheet of 20 postage stamps.{{cite web| url=http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/02/18/02/15-year-old-takes-stage-nc-jazz-festival/2009/| title=15-year-old takes stage at NC Jazz Festival| date=February 17, 2011| author=Asha Dave| publisher=WWayTV| accessdate=May 12, 2015| archive-date=May 14, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514083053/http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/02/18/02/15-year-old-takes-stage-nc-jazz-festival/2009/| url-status=dead}} The service was discontinued on June 10, 2020 after the USPS discontinued its customized postage program.{{Cite web|url=https://lifehacker.com/buy-your-own-customized-stamps-before-june-10-1843950575|title = Order Customized Stamps with Your Own Photos Until June 10| date=June 8, 2020 }}{{Cite web|url=https://photostamps.com/pages/photostamps-program-ending|title = PhotoStamps Program Ending}}

File:Stamps.comCORPHQ.jpg

Controversies

In 2004, the website The Smoking Gun successfully ordered PhotoStamps with controversial images,{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/funny/stamps-approval

| publisher=TheSmokingGun.com| title=Stamps Of Approval: Rosenbergs, Milosevic, Lewinsky dress now on official U.S. postage |date=August 31, 2004 |accessdate=April 10, 2020}} but Stamps.com updated their policy to prohibit images of world leaders or "any material that is vintage in appearance or depicts images from an older era."{{cite web|url=http://photo.stamps.com/Store/conditions/crPopup.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823214859/http://photo.stamps.com/Store/conditions/crPopup.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 23, 2006 |title=Content Restrictions |publisher=PhotoStamps.com |date= |accessdate=November 27, 2017}} The PhotoStamps program was ended by the USPS in 2020.{{cite news |last1=McAllister |first1=Bill |title=Stamps.com challenges USPS decision to end customized postage |url=https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-postal-history/stamps-com-challenges-usps-decision-to-end-customized-postage |access-date=24 June 2023 |work=Linns Stamp News |date=20 May 2020 |language=en}}

Stamps.com settled a $2.5 million consumer protection lawsuit from the State of California in 2015 over free trials that eventually converted into monthly service fees.{{cite web | url=https://www.sccgov.org/sites/da/newsroom/newsreleases/Pages/NRA2015/Stamps-com.aspx | title=County of Santa Clara Office of the District Attorney | date=September 25, 2015 | accessdate = August 4, 2020}} The press release cited "false and misleading advertising", which was corroborated by independent tech publishers.{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/@azifali/i-got-scammed-by-stamps-com-3b2c0bff2e36 | date = November 16, 2014 | accessdate = August 4, 2020 | title = "I got scammed by Stamps.com."}} Stamps.com maintains that such charges are valid and well-explained.

In 2021, the company agreed to a $100 million settlement in a 2019 class-action lawsuit alleging that the company had misled investors about the strength of their relationship with the USPS.{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Jennifer |title=Stamps.com, Investors Win Final Nod for $100 Million Settlement |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/securities-law/stamps-com-investors-win-final-nod-for-100-million-settlement |access-date=24 June 2023 |work=news.bloomberglaw.com |language=en}}