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USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

washingtonpost.com

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Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#121

Post by ahakki »

Tepix wrote: post #93
distances wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got curious, and indeed looks like a package in Germany is domestically 4€ and within EU 8.89€. However, when sending a small package from Finland it's 22€ domestic and 40€ to Germany with DHL. So a disclaimer to my original claim: applies only to a subset of European countries.

Companies that ship a lot of stuff get much lower prices from DHL, UPS etc.

Yes, I habe worked at a company where we would ship a high amount of construction machine spare parts with FedEx, DHL et al. We had a ~90% discount on their regular prices.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#122

Post by tsomctl »

BearGoesChirp wrote: post #106
013a wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the core of the argument is that this isn't pure capitalist economics; the government is essentially subsidizing China's ability to compete in America. It'd be one thing if China could make it and ship it for legitimately cheaper, but abusing a treaty loophole in USPS regulations isn't the same. That's an unfair advantage. There's also a second argument at play: If China can make a product for $10 cheaper, legiti…

As to your second argument, I'm still not sure why it is legal to buy or own materials in the US created by human rights abuse. Let's take a case of a Chinese good produced by political slaves in prison. By buying or owning that good, a person is financially supporting the abuse that went into creating that good. Same applies for something that is produced for cheaper due to an ability to pollute in ways that aren't…

You might want to read one of the many pieces written about Henry Kissinger. The world is not a pleasant place.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#123

Post by snuxoll »

vacri wrote: post #3

> The USPS inspector general’s office estimated that the USPS lost $79 million in fiscal year 2013 delivering this foreign treaty mail. $79M is governmental chickenfeed, given how much this service improves the quality of life of its citizens. For perspective, it's moderately less than the cost of one (1) F35.

You're right that $79M is basically nothing when it comes to government spending as a whole, but the USPS doesn't get support from federal taxes - they have to generate enough revenue to pay their own expenses.

The government has already been trying to do everything they can to run the USPS into the ground, something needs to be done about these treaty deliveries or a continual increase in volume is going to harm the postal service (I don't know what that something looks like, maybe make the federal government pay the cost difference for these treaty deliveries since the postal service is required to deliver them).

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#124

Post by robert_foss »

013a wrote: post #102
csydas wrote: post #5

> All of this is little comfort to McGrath, who chafes at the thought of the Postal Service helping Chinese merchants poach his customers. “All of us sellers are selling a lot of Chinese goods in America but at least we’re creating jobs, making money, and adding to the economy,” he said. “But when people buy direct from China that’s adding nothing to the American economy.” I understand the seller's frustration - thei…

But the core of the argument is that this isn't pure capitalist economics; the government is essentially subsidizing China's ability to compete in America. It'd be one thing if China could make it and ship it for legitimately cheaper, but abusing a treaty loophole in USPS regulations isn't the same. That's an unfair advantage. There's also a second argument at play: If China can make a product for $10 cheaper, legiti…

As per your second argument, according to the same reasoning no products manufactured using forced prison labour like that of the US prison system should be legally sold.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#125

Post by jonknee »

hellbanner wrote: post #113

Wow, if they charged foregin deliveries as much as domestic deliveries, then maybe they could stop spam in mailboxes. Does anyone know how to stop junkmail? Postal workers have told me they can't not deliver it - even if you pay for a PO Box.

> Does anyone know how to stop junkmail?

It's the vast majority of mail and keeps the USPS in business. I guess we could ban it and jack the price of stamps way up, but I have a feeling that would be unpopular.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#126

Post by exelius »

BearGoesChirp wrote: post #106
013a wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the core of the argument is that this isn't pure capitalist economics; the government is essentially subsidizing China's ability to compete in America. It'd be one thing if China could make it and ship it for legitimately cheaper, but abusing a treaty loophole in USPS regulations isn't the same. That's an unfair advantage. There's also a second argument at play: If China can make a product for $10 cheaper, legiti…

As to your second argument, I'm still not sure why it is legal to buy or own materials in the US created by human rights abuse. Let's take a case of a Chinese good produced by political slaves in prison. By buying or owning that good, a person is financially supporting the abuse that went into creating that good. Same applies for something that is produced for cheaper due to an ability to pollute in ways that aren't…

The problem is that the US has no moral high ground here. We too have prisoners manufacturing goods below minimum wage, and while you won't be jailed in the US because of your political affiliation, you definitely can be jailed because of your religion, ethnicity, etc.

If we applied this to foreign transactions, foreign countries could easily use the same grounds to block goods and services coming from the US.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#127

Post by s73ver »

robert_foss wrote: post #124
013a wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the core of the argument is that this isn't pure capitalist economics; the government is essentially subsidizing China's ability to compete in America. It'd be one thing if China could make it and ship it for legitimately cheaper, but abusing a treaty loophole in USPS regulations isn't the same. That's an unfair advantage. There's also a second argument at play: If China can make a product for $10 cheaper, legiti…

As per your second argument, according to the same reasoning no products manufactured using forced prison labour like that of the US prison system should be legally sold.

That's not a great rebuttal, because most of us who would be opposed to the ownership of things created under Chinese prison labor would also be opposed to the ownership of things under American prison labor. (I'd be fine with the American prison labor if they were paid a fair, living wage).

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#128

Post by benchaney »

cujo wrote: post #66
scribu wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you figure? The surplus comes from the fact that US buyers don't have to pay a percentage to the intermediary, so they can spend it on other things, like going out to a local restaurant more often.

Forgive my ignorance, but can't it go the other way also? A contrived example... A person has $X that they spend every week at the local town restaurant. They see they can buy a cool new widget from a Chinese vendor (from the article) for $Y. Over the course of the next few weeks, said person spends a little less at the restaurant so as to save up $Y, ultimately purchasing the widget once enough money is saved. In th…

In that case the local economy would benefit from the decrease in $Y, which is an example of what GP described, not anything going the other way.

Re: USPS loses millions each year on local delivery of mail from abroad (2014)

#129

Post by benchaney »

cujo wrote: post #66
scribu wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you figure? The surplus comes from the fact that US buyers don't have to pay a percentage to the intermediary, so they can spend it on other things, like going out to a local restaurant more often.

Forgive my ignorance, but can't it go the other way also? A contrived example... A person has $X that they spend every week at the local town restaurant. They see they can buy a cool new widget from a Chinese vendor (from the article) for $Y. Over the course of the next few weeks, said person spends a little less at the restaurant so as to save up $Y, ultimately purchasing the widget once enough money is saved. In th…

In that case the local economy would benefit from the decrease in $Y, which is an example of what GP described, not anything going the other way.
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