USPS Approval of Stamps.com’s NetStamps(TM) Ushers in New Era of PC Postage

Print Now, Use Later Convenience Broadens Appeal and Delivers Cost Efficiencies for the Postal Service

Santa Monica, Calif. – July 17, 2002 – Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP) announced today that it has received commercial approval from the U.S. Postal Service for NetStampsTM, a new form of PC Postage® that can be used just like regular stamps. Stamps.com is the first and only PC Postage vendor to receive approval by the Postal Service to offer this new form of postage. Approval for NetStamps follows years of development effort, including a six-month beta field test.

Available immediately as a feature of the Stamps.com service, NetStamps gives customers the flexibility to print sheets of postage in any denomination and for any mail class. In addition, NetStamps postage is not tied to either a destination address or a mail date, allowing the postage to be printed now and saved for later use.

“Stamps.com continues to lead innovation in the PC Postage category with the approval of NetStamps,” said Ken McBride, chief executive officer of Stamps.com. “This feature promises to dramatically increase the convenience and hence the value proposition of the Stamps.com service. The approval of NetStamps represents the first milestone in our 2002 focus on making our product simpler and more compelling for our customers.”

NetStamps’ flexibility lends itself to broad postage applications and is an ideal solution for both low-volume and high-volume postage users. The advantages offered include the following:

  • NetStamps provides more convenience when using windowed, pre-printed or handwritten envelopes for invoices, bills or personal letters since the feature eliminates the need to type the address into the software;
  • NetStamps eliminates the need to connect to the Internet every time a need for postage arises since the user can print sheets of NetStamps and store them for future use;
  • NetStamps can be printed in any amount and can be used for an expanded range of mail classes, including international mail.

”NetStamps provides cost-effective postage distribution and increased access and value for our customers which are key strategies of the recent U.S. Postal Service Transformation Plan’s goal to streamline our operations while maintaining universal service,” said Wayne Wilkerson, manager of Postage Technology Management for the U.S. Postal Service. “In addition, NetStamps retains the key security elements of Stamps.com’s original Internet Postage solution which allows us to offer this form of postage.”

The new Stamps.com Version 2.5 software, which enables users to print both NetStamps and Internet Postage interchangeably, is available now for immediate download at sdcmainprod.wpengine.com. Current customers will obtain a free upgrade upon software login. Users can print one or as many as 25 NetStamps at a time on 8 &frac12-by-11 inch NetStamps label sheets, available for purchase directly from Stamps.com at a cost of $3.99 for a pack of 125 labels. In addition, all customers will receive a free sheet of NetStamps labels upon sign-up or software upgrade. For more information on the service and pricing plans, please visit http://sdcmainprod.wpengine.com/netstamps.

The approval of the NetStamps feature is a critical step in Stamps.com’s plans to transform its product offering to include a completely Web-based version of its service, expected later this year. The new Web-based service promises to dramatically reduce the time and effort required to become a Stamps.com customer and also promises to simplify and enhance the customer experience.

About Stamps.com

Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP) is a leading provider of Internet-based postage services. Stamps.com enables customers to print U.S. Postal Service-approved postage with just a PC, printer and Internet connection. The company targets its services to small businesses, home offices, and individuals, and currently has partnerships with companies including Microsoft, Office Depot, NCR, Comp USA, Earthlink, HP, Auctionwatch and the U.S. Postal Service.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors, including the company’s ability to complete its products and obtain regulatory approval, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, are detailed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by Stamps.com, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. Stamps.com undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Stamps.com, the Stamps.com logo and NetStamps are trademarks of Stamps.com Inc. All other brands and names are property of their respective owners.