4 ms·

Non-American here. Why at the start of the article does it say "...with an unlikely partner"? (to be honest I immediately though of Owls! http://www.youtube.co

Non-American here. Why at the start of the article does it say "...with an unlikely partner"? (to be honest I immediately though of Owls! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfxOatX0tU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfxOatX0tU) So any idea why Amazon-Post partnership was considered as "unlikely"?

sliverstorm 13y ago
Perhaps because USPS is a pseudo-goverment organization, and the US government (and its many appendages) usually doesn't strike this sort of cooperative deal with private companies.
- adestefan 13y ago
  Except the USPS does. Just look at what they do for Netflix.
sneak 13y ago
Few people see the USPS as a serious shipping competitor to FedEx and UPS and others. They're for letter mail.
- hayksaakian 13y ago
  ... Except for anyone doing business involved in shipping. When I was reselling used books, USPS was the best ROI for shipping (packages and media).
  - icelancer 13y ago
    With Priority Mail now offering $50 in free insurance to the flat rate packages, it's now the obvious choice for my online retail business. Even before then it was the clear winner. Flat rate standardized (free) packaging is such an awesome perk. USPS loses way too many of my parcels, but it's just not worth going to UPS/FedEx and paying 2x the rate plus way more hassle for a slightly reduced lost package rate.
    - jonknee 13y ago
      You should at least make UPS/FedEx available--I won't buy from you if you ship USPS only. Not worth my time for the potential hassle.
      - adestefan 13y ago
        And I'm the opposite. I'll pick USPS over UPS/FedEx every time. In over 20 years of shipping I've never had a package show up at my doorstep damaged by the Postal Service. UPS can't even ship me their own envelope without ripping it. Don't even get me started on when amazon uses Lazership... Of course you know what they say about the plural of anecdotes.
        jonknee 13y ago
        I've never had a USPS package show up damaged either, they just don't show up at all :). Shipping is highly localized so options are always appreciated, a bad USPS delivery person or a bad UPS person can be all the difference.
      - tanzam75 13y ago
        It is good practice to offer multiple shipping options. Package delivery differs greatly by location. In some areas, the postal service is the best. In some areas, UPS. In some areas, Fedex. That having been said -- because of the discounts offered to large shippers, the non-preferred carrier may cost 2x or 3x as much. For example, when Newegg switched from Fedex to UPS, they continued to offer Fedex. But they passed along the difference in price.
      - icelancer 13y ago
        The number of customers I would gain by making that available doesn't outweigh the hassle of requiring another shipping provider. It's not even close (I've tested it).
    - chockablock 13y ago
      I'm curious--what is your lost package rate with USPS?

sliverstorm 13y ago

Perhaps because USPS is a pseudo-goverment organization, and the US government (and its many appendages) usually doesn't strike this sort of cooperative deal with private companies.

adestefan 13y ago
Except the USPS does. Just look at what they do for Netflix.

sneak 13y ago

Few people see the USPS as a serious shipping competitor to FedEx and UPS and others. They're for letter mail.

hayksaakian 13y ago
... Except for anyone doing business involved in shipping. When I was reselling used books, USPS was the best ROI for shipping (packages and media).
- icelancer 13y ago
  With Priority Mail now offering $50 in free insurance to the flat rate packages, it's now the obvious choice for my online retail business. Even before then it was the clear winner. Flat rate standardized (free) packaging is such an awesome perk. USPS loses way too many of my parcels, but it's just not worth going to UPS/FedEx and paying 2x the rate plus way more hassle for a slightly reduced lost package rate.
  - jonknee 13y ago
    You should at least make UPS/FedEx available--I won't buy from you if you ship USPS only. Not worth my time for the potential hassle.
    - adestefan 13y ago
      And I'm the opposite. I'll pick USPS over UPS/FedEx every time. In over 20 years of shipping I've never had a package show up at my doorstep damaged by the Postal Service. UPS can't even ship me their own envelope without ripping it. Don't even get me started on when amazon uses Lazership... Of course you know what they say about the plural of anecdotes.
      - jonknee 13y ago
        I've never had a USPS package show up damaged either, they just don't show up at all :). Shipping is highly localized so options are always appreciated, a bad USPS delivery person or a bad UPS person can be all the difference.
    - tanzam75 13y ago
      It is good practice to offer multiple shipping options. Package delivery differs greatly by location. In some areas, the postal service is the best. In some areas, UPS. In some areas, Fedex. That having been said -- because of the discounts offered to large shippers, the non-preferred carrier may cost 2x or 3x as much. For example, when Newegg switched from Fedex to UPS, they continued to offer Fedex. But they passed along the difference in price.
    - icelancer 13y ago
      The number of customers I would gain by making that available doesn't outweigh the hassle of requiring another shipping provider. It's not even close (I've tested it).
  - chockablock 13y ago
    I'm curious--what is your lost package rate with USPS?