On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 04:44:59 GMT, (Ben Jackson) wrote:

When I returned to the US from Canada on Sunday the inspector told me
he could no longer accept a form 339 and the $25 fee in person. He
said I should just buy one online. That probably explains why I had so
much trouble finding the PDF form before I left.

He was just being lazy. You do not have to get the sticker in advance.