Plenty of new vendors get halfway through DIBBS registration, hit a step that says a postcard is on the way, and wonder if they did something wrong. You didn't. In a world of instant sign-ups, a physical postcard feels strange — but it's a deliberate, one-time security step. Here's exactly how it works.
The short version: you start DIBBS registration with your CAGE code → the DLA mails a postcard with a PIN to the address on your SAM.gov record (about ten days) → you enter that PIN in DIBBS to activate your account and start quoting.
Step 1 — Start registration with your CAGE code
Before you begin, you need an active SAM.gov registration and a CAGE code (both come from the free SAM.gov process). On the DIBBS site, choose vendor registration and enter your CAGE code to start. DIBBS pulls your business details from your SAM record, which is why that record needs to be accurate.
Step 2 — Why the postcard exists
The postcard is an address-verification check. By mailing a PIN to the physical address in your SAM record — not to your email — the DLA confirms that whoever is registering actually controls that business address. It's a simple, low-tech guard against someone registering under a business that isn't theirs.
This is also why the address on your SAM.gov record matters: the postcard goes exactly there. If that address is wrong or you can't receive mail at it, fix it in SAM before you get to this step.
Step 3 — Wait for the mail (about 10 days)
Expect the postcard in roughly ten days from when you complete the initial registration. It travels by regular mail, so timing varies. Use the wait productively: identify your Federal Supply Classes and start studying the kinds of items you'll quote on.
Step 4 — Enter the PIN and activate
When the postcard arrives, it contains your PIN. Log back into DIBBS, return to your registration, enter the PIN, and submit. That completes activation — your vendor account is live and you can start submitting quotes.
What if the postcard never shows up?
- Check your SAM address first. Confirm it's current and deliverable — that's where it's mailed.
- Give it the full window. Regular mail can run slow; don't panic on day five.
- Contact DIBBS support if it's well overdue, and they can reissue the PIN.
This is one step in a bigger process. See the full DIBBS Tutorial for Beginners, or zoom out to How to Sell to the DLA.