The Postal Service is losing millions a year to help you buy cheap stuff from China

Washington Post ^ | September 12, 2014 | Jeff Guo

[Paul R.]

...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.”

[Paul R.]

I actually have been partially refunded a couple times, by Chinese sellers, when an item was not really as described... A key is to be polite.

(I’m not helping with the OT, am I?) :-)

[Paul R.]

One trillion $$ ..in cross border e-commerce by 2020. Holey G’Moley!

That non-level playing field is really going to start hurting... almost every average US citizen...

[Paul R.]

BTW, when buying on eBay or Amazon from China, you very likely ARE buying from a middleman. Just a Chinese middleman with a big advantage on shipping cost, funded by other USPS customers.

[Jack Hammer]

It’s written somewhere in the Post Office Charter: “Our purpose is to provide third-rate service and lose money doing it.”

[Paul R.]

I guess we can add “Our purpose is to harm US small businesses.”

[Bringbackthedraft]

I don’t get it. All I know is every time the rates go up, they tell you its because the gas costs rise. Well the gas costs have gone down, what no decrease? The USPS is always whining and still losing packages.

[upchuck]

AFAIK, the only way to bring up something on the forum that is not being addressed by the press is to use a vanity post. Be sure the vanity is posted under Chat.

Thanks for the kind words.

[Admin Moderator]

What was the question you posed as a “title?”

(Only the mod that restored the original title knows)

You should post it as a reply so readers can know.

[FreedomNotSafety]

Read my post. I only addressed the guy’s statement that people where cutting out the middleman and eliminating jobs. Nothing else.

[Thibodeaux]

i buy stuff on ebay that is shipped from china.

I buy two 150 ml wash bottles for $1.53 delivered. On one of the packages the chinese postage was yuan 0.00. the vendor apparently paid no postage locally and it was turned over to the USPS for delivery.

As best I can tell, the product is not available in the USA in less than 4 dozen quantity