Bye bye discounted postal rates from China to USA

[bicycletricycle]

One of USPS's biggest problems is their requirement to prefund their retirement liabilities instead of a pay as you go scheme like almost every other organization on the planet. This prevented them from reinvesting profits into the business for 11+ years (2006-2017)

https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/fi...2010_4_002.htm

Originally Posted by MattTuck

+1.

However, USPS has a lot of problems, and I suspect this is a pretty small one. I'd love to see the USPS allowed to sell non-mail products at their offices. Sort of like a convenient store, that also does mail. Their problems are big, need to be addressed on the revenue side as well as the cost side.

But on this topic, there's a big difference between, a policy meant to facilitate individuals sending parcels to each other (which I can see the argument for reciprocal subsidies), and a policy that subsidizes profit making businesses to send parcels. The latter, in my opinion can pay their fair share if they are making a business out of sending products to customers.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

One of USPS's biggest problems is their requirement to prefund their retirement liabilities instead of a pay as you go scheme like almost every other organization on the planet. This prevented them from reinvesting profits into the business for 11+ years (2006-2017)

https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/fi...2010_4_002.htm

I'm confused by some of the arguments here. Do we not agree that the USPS is a governmental agency and not an independent for-profit entity? I'm not saying that it shouldn't be able to act in the interest of the organization, but I am saying that if it had done so throughout its history then there would have been serious detrimental costs to American society writ large over the last 150 years. Are you essentially saying "yes, but that was then and this is now and they should more or less be privatized or otherwise behave as a purely for-profit entity"?

[lemondvictoire]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I bought a set of fake Bose QC50 headphones. Seller was from Malaysia and product shipped from China.

Maybe this Loctite is legit, maybe it isn't. I believe I'm rightfully suspicious and you have no definitive proof either way.

Seller feedbacks help...99.9% from that seller of loctite

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

I'm confused by some of the arguments here. Do we not agree that the USPS is a governmental agency and not an independent for-profit entity? I'm not saying that it shouldn't be able to act in the interest of the organization, but I am saying that if it had done so throughout its history then there would have been serious detrimental costs to American society writ large over the last 150 years. Are you essentially saying "yes, but that was then and this is now and they should more or less be privatized or otherwise behave as a purely for-profit entity"?

USPS gets no money from the federal government, it does benefit from a legal monopoly on first class mail and some tax policies. It has to pay for itself and unless we are prepared to compensate it as taxpayers through subsidies for cheaper mail from China it should be allowed to try and establish prices that allow it to stay in business.

I am actually curious and not being a smart ass, what "serious detrimental costs to American society" do you speak of?

[MattTuck]

We may have been spared this whole Armstrong saga if the USPS wasn't looking out for itself by marketing its name in Europe. I assume that was the serious detrimental costs to society he was talking about.

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

We may have been spared this whole Armstrong saga if the USPS wasn't looking out for itself by marketing its name in Europe. I assume that was the serious detrimental costs to society he was talking about.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

It's Friday. A little humor never hurt anyone.


For real though, junk mail strikes me as the kind of weird social cost that the USPS ignited. Virtually no one wanted unsolicited mail, yet the postal service gave these mailers steep discounts on rates, and expanded their physical and human infrastructure to cope with the increased volume of junk mail.

Much like the debate about parcels from China, had the USPS priced junk mail to reflect a natural market rate, it would have kept volumes lower.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by lemondvictoire

Seller feedbacks help...99.9% from that seller of loctite

Another example, I bought some KMC quicklinks from this Amazon seller rated 4.3 out of 5 https://www.amazon.com/KMC-Missing-1...r&pageNumber=2

I had several of them break and, if you read some of the reviews, there is some evidence that they are knockoffs from China.

It's debatable as to whether they are counterfeit or not, but I'm just saying that a good seller rating does not necessarily mean that a product they are selling is authentic.

[bicycletricycle]

I don't know much about the junk mail. I don't think anybody forced the post office to do it so I would imagine they made money off of the whole thing. I hate junk mail.

Originally Posted by MattTuck

It's Friday. A little humor never hurt anyone.


For real though, junk mail strikes me as the kind of weird social cost that the USPS ignited. Virtually no one wanted unsolicited mail, yet the postal service gave these mailers steep discounts on rates, and expanded their physical and human infrastructure to cope with the increased volume of junk mail.

Much like the debate about parcels from China, had the USPS priced junk mail to reflect a natural market rate, it would have kept volumes lower.

[Big Dan]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

USPS gets no money from the federal government, it does benefit from a legal monopoly on first class mail and some tax policies. It has to pay for itself and unless we are prepared to compensate it as taxpayers through subsidies for cheaper mail from China it should be allowed to try and establish prices that allow it to stay in business.

I am actually curious and not being a smart ass, what "serious detrimental costs to American society" do you speak of?

Tell me what private company is going to do your first class mail for 45 cents?
Have you ever worked for the Post Office?
Btw the junk mail helps the post office, it's what we used to do on Saturdays.

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by Big Dan

Tell me what private company is going to do your first class mail for 45 cents?
Have you ever worked for the Post Office?
Btw the junk mail helps the post office, it's what we used to do on Saturdays.

1. Well, right now, it is illegal for other companies to deliver 1st class mail. So I have no choice. I have no idea if the cost of sending an envelope would go up or down if their was competition. As a rule, competition drives costs down. On the other hand, the Postal Regulatory Commission does seem to suppress the price of stamps for the "good of the people". I think it is amazing that you can send a letter for the price of a stamp and I greatly appreciate it.

2. I have not worked for the post office.

3. I would assume junk mail would have been a net gain for the post office, or else they wouldn't have done it.

I love the post office and I want it to stick around. To do so I think they need the ability to adjust their prices to reflect their operating costs.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

I love the post office and I want it to stick around. To do so I think they need the ability to adjust their prices to reflect their operating costs.

That's the crux of it. Be that increased prices, a change in its expenses (funding of retirement benefits) or subsidies is the debate, I suppose. Perhaps a mix of all three is best.

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

I am actually curious and not being a smart ass, what "serious detrimental costs to American society" do you speak of?

Absence of a means of communication and commerce accessible to the entire population. I thought the historical significance of the US postal service was pretty universally agreed upon.

I gotta say, though, I'm bored with this topic and I'm gonna sit the rest out.

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Absence of a means of communication and commerce accessible to the entire population. I thought the historical significance of the US postal service was pretty universally agreed upon.

I gotta say, though, I'm bored with this topic and I'm gonna sit the rest out.

Oh, I agree. I just think they should be able to set a rate that keeps them in business.

[Big Dan]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

1. Well, right now, it is illegal for other companies to deliver 1st class mail. So I have no choice. I have no idea if the cost of sending an envelope would go up or down if their was competition. As a rule, competition drives costs down. On the other hand, the Postal Regulatory Commission does seem to suppress the price of stamps for the "good of the people". I think it is amazing that you can send a letter for the price of a stamp and I greatly appreciate it.

2. I have not worked for the post office.

3. I would assume junk mail would have been a net gain for the post office, or else they wouldn't have done it.

I love the post office and I want it to stick around. To do so I think they need the ability to adjust their prices to reflect their operating costs.

I'm just amazed that you survive in this world.
Do you post stuff straight from a text book?
Almost peed in my pants.

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by Big Dan

I'm just amazed that you survive in this world.
Do you post stuff straight from a text book?
Almost peed in my pants.

May I ask what is so humorous?