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A comment on No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers. Parent comment

Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by tasty_freeze on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @11:56AM (#20811047)
The USPS does have a special relationship, but it isn't a one way street. First, it isn't a monopoly -- there are many other shippers competing in the profitable segments of the market. Second, USPS is obligated to service every location in the US, and at government-controlled prices.

USPS will deliver, door to door, a letter from Nowhere, MT to Remote, GA for $0.55, even though they take a loss on it. Try to get Fedex to match that.

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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by amluto on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @12:05PM (#20811139)
> Second, USPS is obligated to service every location in the US

I’ve heard this many times. I also know quite a few places that USPS does not service.

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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by morpheuskafka on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @12:15PM (#20811272)
Perhaps you should look at USPS Publication 542, https://about.usps.com/publications/pub542/welcome.htm, which describes how they have a monopoly and the power to levy what amounts to a tax on anyone that competes in a prohibited way.
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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by burnte on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @12:41PM (#20811645)
the commenter acknowledged that, and pointed out that there are responsibilities that come with their privileges.
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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by BurningFrog on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @12:07PM (#20811169)
> First, it isn't a monopoly

But it is. A simple googling gives many hits confirming this simple fact. This one seemed most informative:

> The USPS actually has two legally enforced monopolies, as per Title 39 of the US Code. One is over the delivery of anything defined as a “letter,” which is within certain size and weight limits. The second is over the use of your mailbox.

From https://www.econlib.org/rick-geddes-explains-the-postal-mono...

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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by tasty_freeze on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @05:29PM (#20814558)
That is defining monopoly in a very constrained way. You might as well be complaining that USPS having a monopoly over delivering watch fobs. FedEx isn't trying to capture the $0.55 letter delivery market.
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Re:No More Cheap Shipping for Chinese Sellers by BurningFrog on Tuesday August 27, 2019 @10:29PM (#20816357)
It's the textbook definition of a government instituted monopoly. Monopolies don't get more monopol...ied than that!

> FedEx isn't trying to capture the $0.55 letter delivery market.

Because that would be illegal. Otherwise they would.

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