6 ms·

USPS gets into the SPAM business

32 points by chrsstrm 15y ago

btown 15y ago
If we didn't want them to do the most obvious thing they could to monetize their business, then we shouldn't have practically cut them off from public funding. Frankly, I'm on the USPS's side on this one.
- javert 15y ago
  I think we should just privatize it.
  - techsupporter 15y ago
    We did. USPS doesn't receive any public funds, but it's still technically owned by the United States government. It also has near-crushing prepaid pension debt.
    - benawabe896 15y ago
      ~100 million is not a lot compared to other government program, but it is still public funds. (Postal Service Fund)
    - anamax 15y ago
      > It also has near-crushing prepaid pension debt. Prepaid is the only way to do pensions. If you don't pay pension obligations as you incur them, you're going to run into trouble if there's any biz contraction. And, if it's a long-lived organization, you don't actually reduce your cash-outflow by not paying when you incur. Run a scenario where you under pay by X%. When folks start collecting, you have to come up with the difference out of then-current revenues. Steady-state with stable revenues, you end up paying exactly the same amount, but you've got debt. Now cut the revenue (and current expenses) by 25% because the world changed. Your revenue can't pay the debt.
      - rhino42 15y ago
        That's funny, sounds familiar. How do we finance social security again?
nullflux 15y ago
Is there such thing as a "do not mail" list? If it is possible to opt-out of private (tele)marketing and block spam, then logically it should be possible to opt out of this service too.
- gst 15y ago
  There is: https://www.dmachoice.org/ https://www.dmachoice.org/. It took quite a while (several months) until I noticed any changes, but my (very subjective) impression is that the (spam) mail volume decreased over time. Another thing I'd suggest is https://donotcall.gov/ https://donotcall.gov/. Registering there seems to have had a positive impact on the number of spam calls I receive.
gojomo 15y ago
USPS has been in the spam business for decades.
philwise 15y ago
In the UK the Royal Mail works similarly: http://www.royalmail.com/marketing-services http://www.royalmail.com/marketing-services
danielamitay 15y ago
If anything, this is healthier for people's personal information. Companies seeking such a service typically resort to purchasing homeowner information in bulk from other services. With such a USPS service, it decreases the demand for such databases, and with it the incentive to create such databases. It is unlikely that the USPS will overwhelm homeowners. Presumably the USPS will limit received promotions to one per day. That can potentially give the USPS an additional $60/year in revenue per household, at marginal cost.
staunch 15y ago
I already get tons of fliers from nearby restaurants stuck in my door every week. Might as well be in my mailbox. It should be a very effective marketing tool for local businesses and it helps the USPS stay in business. If they would just add opt-out there would be nothing to complain about IMHO.
Maxious 15y ago
Why not hire out us gov and DOD ip ranges to the highest bidder?
vishaldpatel 15y ago
This is just like receiving grocery store ads in the mail, is it?
robk 15y ago
This is a pretty good product actually for those that have small businesses. Wouldn't you rather receive a flyer in the mail than have a dodgy flyer guy putting it under your car windshield? Royal Mail (UK) has offered this for years and it's certainly less irritating than the flyering of takeaway menus and such I'd get all the time in SF.
- DanBC 15y ago
  The only problem with the UK system is that there are multiple routes for opt-out. Mail Preference Service deals with addressed mail. Royal Mail deals with "Door to Door" unaddressed mail delivered by Royal Mail. Nothing stops people just shoving junk mail through your door. (http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/) (http://www.royalmail.com/you-home/controlling-your-mail http://www.royalmail.com/you-home/controlling-your-mail)
34rt56yu78 15y ago
junk mail is what makes the post office financially viable. read the history of direct mail, going all the way back to the birth of air mail. given a choice between junk mail or not, the postal service chose junk mail. too many people profiting from "opt-in/opt-out" spam, including those selling access to networks (an electronic postal service in a sense) for it to be stopped by their choice. over 90% of e-mail. it is what makes email a business.
mailbait 15y ago
it's like mailbait round two.

32 points by chrsstrm 15y ago

btown 15y ago

If we didn't want them to do the most obvious thing they could to monetize their business, then we shouldn't have practically cut them off from public funding. Frankly, I'm on the USPS's side on this one.

javert 15y ago
I think we should just privatize it.
- techsupporter 15y ago
  We did. USPS doesn't receive any public funds, but it's still technically owned by the United States government. It also has near-crushing prepaid pension debt.
  - benawabe896 15y ago
    ~100 million is not a lot compared to other government program, but it is still public funds. (Postal Service Fund)
  - anamax 15y ago
    > It also has near-crushing prepaid pension debt. Prepaid is the only way to do pensions. If you don't pay pension obligations as you incur them, you're going to run into trouble if there's any biz contraction. And, if it's a long-lived organization, you don't actually reduce your cash-outflow by not paying when you incur. Run a scenario where you under pay by X%. When folks start collecting, you have to come up with the difference out of then-current revenues. Steady-state with stable revenues, you end up paying exactly the same amount, but you've got debt. Now cut the revenue (and current expenses) by 25% because the world changed. Your revenue can't pay the debt.
    - rhino42 15y ago
      That's funny, sounds familiar. How do we finance social security again?

nullflux 15y ago

Is there such thing as a "do not mail" list? If it is possible to opt-out of private (tele)marketing and block spam, then logically it should be possible to opt out of this service too.

gst 15y ago
There is: https://www.dmachoice.org/ https://www.dmachoice.org/. It took quite a while (several months) until I noticed any changes, but my (very subjective) impression is that the (spam) mail volume decreased over time. Another thing I'd suggest is https://donotcall.gov/ https://donotcall.gov/. Registering there seems to have had a positive impact on the number of spam calls I receive.

gojomo 15y ago

USPS has been in the spam business for decades.

philwise 15y ago

In the UK the Royal Mail works similarly: http://www.royalmail.com/marketing-services http://www.royalmail.com/marketing-services

danielamitay 15y ago

If anything, this is healthier for people's personal information. Companies seeking such a service typically resort to purchasing homeowner information in bulk from other services. With such a USPS service, it decreases the demand for such databases, and with it the incentive to create such databases. It is unlikely that the USPS will overwhelm homeowners. Presumably the USPS will limit received promotions to one per day. That can potentially give the USPS an additional $60/year in revenue per household, at marginal cost.

staunch 15y ago

I already get tons of fliers from nearby restaurants stuck in my door every week. Might as well be in my mailbox. It should be a very effective marketing tool for local businesses and it helps the USPS stay in business. If they would just add opt-out there would be nothing to complain about IMHO.

Maxious 15y ago

Why not hire out us gov and DOD ip ranges to the highest bidder?

vishaldpatel 15y ago

This is just like receiving grocery store ads in the mail, is it?

robk 15y ago

This is a pretty good product actually for those that have small businesses. Wouldn't you rather receive a flyer in the mail than have a dodgy flyer guy putting it under your car windshield? Royal Mail (UK) has offered this for years and it's certainly less irritating than the flyering of takeaway menus and such I'd get all the time in SF.

DanBC 15y ago
The only problem with the UK system is that there are multiple routes for opt-out. Mail Preference Service deals with addressed mail. Royal Mail deals with "Door to Door" unaddressed mail delivered by Royal Mail. Nothing stops people just shoving junk mail through your door. (http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/) (http://www.royalmail.com/you-home/controlling-your-mail http://www.royalmail.com/you-home/controlling-your-mail)

34rt56yu78 15y ago

junk mail is what makes the post office financially viable. read the history of direct mail, going all the way back to the birth of air mail. given a choice between junk mail or not, the postal service chose junk mail. too many people profiting from "opt-in/opt-out" spam, including those selling access to networks (an electronic postal service in a sense) for it to be stopped by their choice. over 90% of e-mail. it is what makes email a business.

mailbait 15y ago

it's like mailbait round two.