This is now officially my lowest liked video ever lol and I'll I did was bring up the arguments from both sides. I'd also like to say that many of these comments are not grounded in fact below so do your own research. Many of the comments are thoughtfull and informative. For the Record I don't even know my own full opinion on this topic. Converstation is the only way to get there. I do want to point out a couple of things so I don't keep responsing in the comments. Canada post is indeed not a private entity. It is a government entity. Also anybody who thinks that the Federal government has not subsidized the USPS is misguided. They have to the tune of Billions and will continue to. The numbers are mounting each year. Those that want to blame it on a party or a President feel free but make no mistake that one person or one leader of the post office does not account for Hundreds of billions of losses. Those that want to bury their head in the sand feel free but the post office and this issue is one that will affect resellers for decades to come. It will either result in major reforms in service, major cost increases, privitazation, or increased subsidies by the tax payer to the federal governent. It likely will not ever result in privitization but things likely won't continue on the track we are on either. Sorry if bringing up a relevant topic is enough to make you unsubscribe from this channel. Apparently it is for many. Imagine if I actually would have taken a stand instead of just bring up the topic since it came up in the news of late. Thank you to the reasonable folks who make reasonable statements and contribute to the discussion.
Haters gonna hate and cranky folks gonna be cranky. Ain’t nobody forcing them to watch your channel. Nothing like an anon keyboard warrior🙄. Keep doing you. Shout out to the CWP fam, love seeing the kids & Mrs
Its of no surprise but I can say I appreciate you using your channel to bring issues to bare as few if any do. I've sold since pretty much 1995 with a sojourn between when I'd get paid by checks, money orders and having process credit cards by hand through my merchant account. Most sellers are pretty compartmentalized never factoring the world outside of it short of their personal lives of course and much of that outside world has direct and indirect impacts upon sellers. Appreciate what you do and thoughtful time you put into it.
Your Video was Awesome keep being Kevin and keep bringing up topics like these and your others! Much appreciated! Your so intelligent! Ignore the jelly’s they are just so jealous of you and your family that is so Sad! You think they would be happy for you as I am! Happy New Year🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤♥️🇺🇸🙏🐒Kel Lived seeing the entire family! “Your FAMILY ROCKS”!🎉❤💜🫶♥️🇺🇸🙏🐒
"anyone who thinks the federal government hasn't subsidized the post office is misguided." They're not misguided, they're clueless. The federal government literally gave USPS $107 billion dollars 2 years ago. They also get a generous line of credit every year courtesy of the taxpayers that they never have to pay back. Sure, they're supposed to pay it back, but they never do... Kind of like the rest of the federal government. "working hard for not a lot of money" Please. Postal employees get paid quite well.
The PO went to sh*t when DeJoy entered the picture trying to throw the 2020 election. Now, I think they're mucking it up so they can say, "See, the PO doesn't work, let's privatize."
Kevin, imagine the govt telling YOU that right now, today, you MUST PREFUND YOUR HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT FOR THE NEXT 75 YEARS! Not incrementally, not by seeing aside a reasonable percentage that would allow you to cover those costs, but doing it RIGHT NOW OR YOU GO OUT OF BUSINESS... Well, that's what the GOP did to the USPS in 2006... The GOP, I am certain based on find raising from corporate lobbyists pushed for the Pension and Healthcare Mandates: A 2006 law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which required the USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits for 75 years in advance. This obligation created a significant financial burden, amounting to billions of dollars annually.
In my opinion, a privatized post office will never give rural Americans equal service (especially for the same price) to what it gives urban and suburban Americans. I live in the suburbs, so it wouldn't affect me, but I do care about people other than myself.
Happy New Year!🎉 I usually align with your topics, but I must say that the post office should never, never, never be privatized. I've experienced many more issues with FedEx and other delivery companies than with the Post Office. We’re still chasing Fed Ex packages!!!! I have three local Post Offices within about eight miles of my house. They have good hours, convenient package drop-offs, and helpful staff. I've never encountered a rude person or someone who couldn't solve my problems or issues. Cheers to a great year ahead, Good $elling in 2025!
@@commonwealthflipper We know that Kevin you stated that clearly. Keep being you, unfortunately I guess it depends where one is whether we encounter rude ppl or not cuz I have and not just with the carrier (and not saying she doesn’t deserve it-Just do your job your getting paid to do-for I use to deliver and know what the job entails to be completed. Yet, we have had a few rude at our local one. I know the post master so I just give him a heads up-Kevin keep being you always. Loved seeing the family together and congrats on your amounts you raised for the different charities. I don’t see others saying how much they have donated! Thanks for the RMH for they helped me and my husband years ago when my daughter had to have an ER Umbilical Hernia SX as drs local were telling me oh don’t worry about it until it’s time for her to where a bikini. Thank the good lord I was in the field and knew what to look for Or we would had lost her♥️🫶🙏😇🌏🐒Kel
Have not watched the video yet, but I will later. I am someone who has been involved in the delivery world for over 20 years, including USPS, all the top delivery names, smaller names, and even in the ground, air, and trucking world. I can say this with 100% certainty. Privatizing the USPS is probably one of the dumbest things they can do. I have seen delivery companies come and go, been a part of mergers, and seen firsthand why they struggle and/or fail. This does not even count that if you allow the private sector to take over, your USPS shipments will look like grocery prices. I have commented on other videos about this and people try and debate me on this when it is very clear they have zero knowledge of how this industry works.
Privatizing the USPS is a complex issue. It could bring financial stability and innovation but risks losing affordable, universal service and harming smaller, less profitable communities. Most experts agree that reform, rather than full privatization, might be a better path forward to address USPS’s financial and operational challenges.
Agreed. USPS has the ability to offer services that otherwise would not exist if they were privatized. It's a case of "be careful what you wish for". USPS has its negatives, of course, but their main goal should not be to maximize profits, but to be efficient as possible. So yes, they could improve, but privatization seems like a bad idea.
@@thewayidoit8895Dejoy very well may be the reason the Postal Service went backwards. Bad service = complaints = private ownership for the incoming president that appointed him.
I started selling on Ebay in 2000, probably only had 2-3 sent to wrong location but not lost in all those years. Most of my problems started when that Dejoy guy took over a few yrs ago. We need to fix the problems not privatize, we have enough rich CEO's.
@@rebelcast4574 Don't forget what it was like before the USPS> In 1890, nearly 41 million people - 65 percent of the American population - lived in rural areas. Although many city dwellers had enjoyed free home delivery since 1863, rural citizens had to pick up their mail at the Post Office, leading one farmer to ask: “Why should the cities have fancy mail service and the old colonial system still prevail in the country districts?" No way a private company will think it is profitable to drive all over back roads of country dwellers homes to deliver or pick up letters.
The Postal Service not only delivers their packages, but also delivers about 70% of UPS packages, and Amazon Packages. Amazon are the biggest bastards, they give the Postal Service all the heavy, larger items. Their Amazon drivers deliver the smaller, easier packages.
This was a deal negotiated with the post office. Are you saying the post office negotiated a bad deal? I would say they did. Amazon uses the post office to have fewer employees and then we as taxpayer pay for post office employees health care and pensions. So is Amazon the bad guy or is the post office the problem?
@@commonwealthflipper My research leads me to believe that USPS benefits (health care and pensions) are funded by postal service revenue, not taxes. I can find no evidence that the USPS receives any American taxpayer support. My biggest issue with our local postal service is they can not find anyone who will take jobs when they become available, so our delivery is sporadic and not stellar.
@@commonwealthflipper The Post Office delivers the packages that are unprofitable for UPS and Fed Ex to deliver. This is a subsidy primarily to rural America. It is subsidized not by taxpayers but by USPS customers who live in urban areas.
I send out about 99% of my packages through USPS. The other 1% UPS. I do not use Fedex. I had absolutely no issues occur through USPS this quarter 4. Everything arrived safely within its approximate arrival date. It was wonderful! I guess I just got lucky that quarter.
@@willziefert The USPS is a self-funded entity. It operates as an independent establishment of the federal government and covers its operating costs through the sale of postage, products, and services-not through taxpayer funding. It has not received taxpayer subsidies for operational costs since 1982.
The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance. This accounts for the majority of USPS’s financial losses-not union labor costs. No other public or private entity in the U.S. faces this requirement. The USPS cannot set its own pricing, expand into new markets, or adjust its services as freely as private companies due to congressional restrictions.
Yes, the "Sweetheart Retirements" and "buyouts" are a BIG drag on the USPS but by no means the only area of public sector jobs. I worked in School District for a time with "Tier C" benefits and I can tell you they paled in comparison to both Tier B, and Tier A. Those Tier C benefits are far better than whats come after as well. The district I worked for is a pretty large suburban district and has no issues at all holding the public hostage to salaries and services. In fact, I worked at the Central Office for years and watched them turn over their entire Bus Fleet (BIG FLEET!) every single year in 3-4 year schedule of the busses. Why? Capital Asset that's why, maintaining value of the Bus Fleet asset for the district at the expense of the citizens. In some respects the same conversation in microcosm can be said of the USPS and many a school district, many a dept. of public works, many a state oriented public service target. But any which way one care cut it when it comes to the small business online "Thrifty" mass of online sellers we are being viewed more and more by the mass of governmental and big business entities as literal parasites unfortunately.
@@commonwealthflipper Not from me. To me one the big problems America has with no apparent solution is exercising they're active stake in the nation. This is what the forefathers intended yet not knowing the direction it might take the nation and citizens. This is large factor has been lost and replaced by being entertained, the internet allowing voices that seldom coalesce actionably for the better and a considerable sheepification as result. I dont if I ever told you Kevin but my ladies Great Great Great Great Grandfather was Major General Sullivan. Need I say more? People here do not realize the GIFT we have and the RESPONSIBILITY to each other and those before us to both cherish and protect that GIFT and pass it on. Ever so many have taken eyes off the ball in favor of self play whilst the real ball and game runs over them. Fingers are pointed, words are spoken but action is too much the effort.
USPS should not be privatized under any circumstances! Corporate bloat and greed will cause shipping costs to skyrocket. USPS is only “losing” money because they were forced to fund retirement plans in full YEARS before the employees actually retire. This hasn’t been required for any other government (or private) company. Taxpayers do not subsidize USPS! Are not UPS, Fed Ex, etc to be considered as competitors?
UPS and FED EX are Contractors for the USPS. They are not only utilized for delivery services but for air transportation as well. This used to be done by DHL until they downsized.
@commonwealthflipper The Postsl Reform Act of 2022 had four major components: Ending the retiree health benefit pre-funding mandate (which had previously been passed by Congress and led to the financial issues in the first place), providing for Medicare integration, adding transparency to service issues, and guaranteeing 6 day delivery. In a way, it was like the government gave back what it originally took away.
@@ThePittsburghToddy interesting take. I understand it and hear the argument. But it stems from the reason it was done for to begin with. The post office projections were not and can not cover future benefits including health care and pentions. It still doesn’t change the fact that 57 billion was forgiven as they integrate into the federal worker’s retirement programs and they estimate another additional 160 billion. You can choose to believe that it isn’t bleeding money and the taxpayer isn’t picking up the tab if you like. Where do you think the 10 billion in losses is being picked up?
@@ThePittsburghToddy Nonsense. The money collected under the pre-funding mandate is not sitting in a bank account earning USPS interest. USPS was given a IOU by the government for the money, which the government has already spent multiple time over. The mandate was nothing more than the politicians to cover a tiny fraction of their own spending. Transparency? USPS doe snot even follow general accepted accounting principles. The only reason you are buying online labels for your online sales with USPS shipping services is because you have access a local post office. Yet the revenue is not credited to your local post office, it goes into USPS's general fund. That means revenue for your local post office is understated versus expenses. Anyone doing this in the corporate world would be fired and face criminal. Can you imagine a corporate manager doing this to all the corporate owned franchises? Congress sat by during Obama's 8 years in office and did nothing as eBay abused a 1969 UPU program designed to help poor countries. eBay instead used it to line their own pockets and their Chinese vendors. This cost USPS billions in loses, which they made up for by raising domestic rates, which in turn earned eBay more FVF on shipping. Only Trump put a end to it.
Brilliant, what it needs is to pay million dollar CEO salaries and board of directors to take their cut. Oh and then they will need tons of commmercials and pay to put their name on sports stadiums! NOT!!! My post office has never lost a shipment in 5 years of reselling. Have you ever worked in Corporate America? Theres plenty of slackers and bad employees there too that never get fired.
I’m from small town America and my post office is very small . They are amazing workers, friendly, and always helpful . With that said things do need change
Knock on wood, I had only one slight issue this Q4 with the USPS delivery. I only got a neutral feedback which I chose to just reply. But I do not do near the volume you do. I agree that Ground Advantage was a game changer. Unfortunately, I now have tons of Priority boxes just hogging up space. 😢
The point of having a national postal system is so that everyone in USA can receive mail. If it's privatized, then the less profitable areas will begin to lose service. Right?
@@dustinfreeman9882 If it *is* happening, it's not to the degree that it would happen if it were privatized. It also would almost certainly have different prices for different environments. (Rural, suburban, or urban)
@@smlorrin Sure. The point is that it's already happening. What difference would it make if living in the middle of nowhere cost you more for shipments? What's the alternative? Raise prices across the board every quarter indefinitely? ...oh, wait...That's already happening, as well. Also, before "you don't know the rural struggle," I live in a rural area. It won't make a difference to me one way or the other. I'd just pay for a PO Box if it came down to it.
@@dustinfreeman9882 You don't pay more for a letter than anyone else does. In reference to packages, are you saying that if I lived in a rural area in my community, it would cost more for someone to send me a package than it would if I lived in a suburban area of my community? Do you seriously think that prices wouldn't be raised every quarter indefinitely if the post office were privatized?? 😂 All of this being said, I live in the suburbs, so any rural issues won't affect me. 🤷 If you rural people don't care, then who am I to complain?
My Go 2 Tape - What government agencies make money? Post Office shouldn't be expected to make a profit either. Just treat as a service to the people. I wouldn't change it.
@@silverman5707 You have to consider why the post office is losing money. I consider the changes in efficiency plus the fact that they have to fund pensions 75 years in advance. That means that they are funding pensions for future employees that have never been born yet. No other company anywhere has to do that. Efficiency......it used to be that when a local person or business owner mailed out letters or bills or even packages that were addressed to people in the same towns, that the post office would just register the postage and throw them in the proper post office box. Now they have to box them up and send them to the nearest large postal center to be processed and then they come back. In my case, what should take just a few seconds has changed to days taken to deliver a simple Christmas Card. From Augusta, Wisconsin, the first-class mail goes to the post office center in Minneapolis, a 2 hour drive, and then it gets delivered back the next day or so. To me, that is just a stupid process, although I guess that they USPS trucks would still be taking the same routes because of the packages and mail going to other towns.
As a retired postal worker, I always use the USPS. I almost used UPS for a large package a week before Christmas, but the person backed out of the sale. I had zero issues with things I sent out, but know people who had packages not arrive. I've heard too many horror stories about uncharged on Fed Ex to even consider them. All that said, I think privatization is not a good thing. I'm not sure if other services could serve almost every household, every day without raising prices through the roof. Are there some things that need to change, yes, but I'm sticking with the USPS.
I shipped 98% of my items USPS Ground Advantage. The rest (bulky/heavy) items went FedEx Home Delivery. Shipped about 325 items this Q4 without any delivery issues. I count myself blessed in that regard.
In my opinion, Louis DeJoy was appointed to make the post office perform worse so that that bad performance could be used to argue for privatization. This was intentional. I received 2 Christmas cards after Christmas that had early December postmarks. (One was 12/4.)
Nope. I’m reading Bezos would love nothing more to own the post office and bust any union to put more money in his pocket. We need to support federal workers and unions otherwise corporations and the ceos just get it all. Dejoy needs to go
Why didn't the current administration get rid of him? Also corportations need employees as well. The run far more efficiently. UPS is a corporation as Is Amazon and Fedex. They have massive amounts of emplyees and UPS is a massive unionized work force and provides better pay and benefits than USPS.
ALL of our Q4 packages were shipped via the USPS (we don't ship UPS or FedEx because we had issues with them in the past). We mostly sell books, so most of our items ship via Media Mail. Throughout the year, most of our Media Mail packages take 3 to 6 days to get to our buyers, even those on the US west coast (we are in Florida). We don't want to see the USPS privatized!! LeJoy needs to go! BTW, USPS workers get paid very well, with good benefits.
Post office doesn't lose money that's a corporate talking point. The reason the postal service appears to be losing money is because of a congressionally mandated retirement healthcare funding program that no other government agency is required to observe. Any company or agency who prefunded retirement in this manner would be losing money, its all a calculated longtail plan to privatize the post-office and remove postal service from most rural areas and jack prices up unbelievably high, hence your dislikes.
USPS is the largest union in the country, privatizing will never happen, they have been talking about this since 1980 when I was working there. Remember the Postal Service is not a for-profit agency that loses money every year, a private industry would want to make a profit, meaning prices will go through the roof!
I agree with you however we are paying the price on the back end now. We just don’t realize it. The ten billion in losses has to come from somewhere. Right now it has come from the taxpayer and increasing federal deficits. Which is fine but most of us resellers because the burden falls on a larger crowd while we benefit more from it.
@@commonwealthflipper No matter what, USPS is never going to go away simply because they deliver to every address across the USA, no company will be able to replicate that. This has been an ongoing discussion for over 40 years.
NO. Overhaul, restructure or fire DeJoy, yes they should do that. Privatization is not the answer. US Postal Service is a public service designed and created to serve all, it's never meant to turn in profit. If you want to complain about losses of taxpayer money to waste, start with the military. USPS losses don't even come close. The problem is Americans are afraid to touch that wasteful golden cow military machine. As a part time seller for 15 years, I can honestly say EBay sellers and E-commerce merchants should be the last ones to even entertain or worse, support the idea of USPS privatization. We penny-pinch and complain about every little fees incurred in our business operations, a privatized USPS would be the biggest FAFO moment for resellers, a dagger not just for us but to buyers as well. Be careful what you wish for. If you want private service, go FedEx and UPS and DHL, use them and charge your buyers accordingly. I've used them on occasions, they're not perfect either and even more expensive. No one's stopping you from using them.
Do you think the Government should take over Grocery Stores? Some people have to travel 100 miles to get to a grocery store after all. 98 percent of the homes in this country have access to delievery outside of the USPS. Some things are better left to non government agencies don't you think? Also I am sure we can find a million wasteful things are government does including massive ammounts in the military. Not saying we should get rid of the post office. Never did. I just bring it up because it is increasingly become not only not profitable anymore but it is losing massive amounts of money at a rate that is WAY higher than in the past. It will be an issue in the coming years.
110 percent agree with you. It’s laughable resalers are calling for the privatization of USPS. It’s scary how people are brainwashed by the “efficiency” of private companies. LOL Those at the top extract profits to the detriment of everyone else.
@@commonwealthflipper "Some things are better left to non government agencies don't you think?" Some... but judging by corporate track records, nothing as big as the US Postal or VA Veterans Health Services should be left at the mercy of private entities to run. I'm aware you never said anything about getting rid of USPS, but the way it's structured now privatizing it ain't a practical idea either. You really think a privatized US Postal will not ask and expect government funding to subsidize their operations? Of course they will, like they've always done when they needed government bail out for their own corporate screw ups. Taxpayers will still shoulder the cost, but this time the cost of mail services will be doubled, even higher and they're no longer obligated to serve all corners of the country. "I just bring it up because it is increasingly become not only not profitable anymore..." Again, USPS is a public service designed and created to serve all, turning a profit is not their main mission. We can blame Republicans for US Postal's decade-long financial woes. In 2006 through the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, they forced USPS to pre-fund pensions and health benefits 75 years ahead. That's a billion dollar annual burden that nobody wants to talk about. As far us E-Bay resellers are concerned, a privatized US Postal Service will increase our operational costs and likely hasten the slow demise of many stores.
I hate fed ex because they constantly deliver it where I don't want it so if I see a seller only delivers that way I pass. Most times I have no idea what the seller is going to use unfortunately. I have chased them down and explained because i live on a corner my driveway is not on my mailing address street. I have nice front porch on my mailing address street they need to leave. As for privatization, currently they have to pay for pensions up front before the person retires upon hire and major reason why there are losses. It makes a great sound byte. No other department have this law. Also rural customers would be so harmed. Even ups uses the postal service for the final mile. Even Amazon is using the postal service for rural customers. Rural customers are already seeing reduction in services such as Sat hours. Something to remeber.
SAME! If the price is competitive at all, I have switched to FedExbfor everything I can. I currently have 9 pkgs drom Dec. 6th that show no movement since their first scan. I shipped nearly 200 packages in 3 weeks in December, and have had ZERO issue with FedEx losing pigs, and not showing tracking.
Our post office is the best!!!!! They bend over backwards to help. Huge shout out to Velma & Angel; they make what we do as resellers so much easier. Love me my PO peeps ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🐐
I am rural and last year 2023 things slowed from 2-3 day del to 4-6. 2024 every single package was 5-7 days + and Nov on up to 14 days. I had important 1st class mail taking 10-15 days to arrive, this affected my insurances, it also caused problems with gifts. this is not my local office this is the offices between point a-b. it needs reform and stop hurting the rural offices. including closing to "streamline". current p m general definitely needs to go. After listening to him in Congressional hearings he is in over his head and has no clue.
Part of the reason people go into public service jobs is because of the stable pensions and benefits that so many jobs no longer offer. I see the post office as more of a service to the community. There's no way that we would be able to send a card/letter all the way across the country or to HI or AK for 73 cents through UPS or FedEx. Those companies would have MAJOR price hikes if the USPS was no longer a source of stable price competition. Yes, USPS prices go up, but they only do it periodically and those have to be approved. Without that, we would be paying much more for all of the services.
I agree with much of what you have said. I would say that we will also be paying more in taxes on the back end for the continued bailouts as well if we continue down this road. As a reseller it benefits us. If I wasn’t a reseller I might not agree. Also happy new year. I hope you are doing well Jody.
Privatize ? Cool, so the post office will have a CEO and a Corporate board making millions a day to sit in their asses . Hmmm how does that make the post office more efficient ?
@@commonwealthflipper, cost trumps efficiency at every stage. What do you think will happen to rural delivery that is quite costly and unefficient? DeJoy has cut efficiency for cost savings. How has that worked? Remember 2020 mail deliveries?
@@JK-bf9qgyou make my point. The only other solution is keep the post office and raise prices exponentially or pass on the losses to the tax payer. 57 billion in 2022 and 160 billion more to come. Pick your poison.
@commonwealthflipper And also I'd rather pay taxes for services that actually benefit working people. Like USPS. Like Social Security and Medicaid and Welfare and other safety nets. Not tax cuts for the Uber Rich, billion dollar govt contracts for the world's richest man.
@commonwealthflipper Has private health insurance done anything to drive down costs? Or make care better or more available? Or has it just made health care more profitable for those that control it?
I've sent out packages on Mercari thru Fed Ex (it was a lot cheaper than USPS for items over a pound) and never had a problem and everything thru USPS ground advantage was fine, but priority mail was late. Humm good figure.
I will never use FedEx regardless how cheap it gets... They may not lose the package but its going to arrive 3 inches smaller when its delivered vs when they picked up. They are very rough on packages.
The USPS is a government service and will always be subsidized. They also must pre-pay the pensions. That being said, they can surely look for ways to streamline services and find other avenues for pensions . Are passport and money order services necessary now? Will priority mail services/products continue as is? Ground advantage shipping was a major benefit in my opinion. As we move forward, we are facing unprecedented numbers of online retail sales and shipments. The USPS must continue to evolve to handle this change. We’ve come a long way from postal service on horseback but new and more streamlined processes must be put in place to handle the sheer volume of packages.
My New Year’s resolution is to get My Go 2 tape! 😂 I have excellent success with USPS. On the flip side, I have quit using FedEx. They were so much cheaper for large packages but after 2 ridiculous up charges I won’t use them again. I know how to weigh and measure packages and and never have a USPS up charge. I still don’t understand why FedEx did it but when they charged me $33 extra dollars to ship a pair of boots that I paid $19 to ship in the first place, I said never again. I’ll happily pay more with UPS or USPS before I ever ship FedEx again. Happy New Year! 🥳
Filed a claim with FedEx on Monday for a damaged shipment. Claim settled and check mailed in full on Tuesday. USPS would've taken months to do their "investigation" and finally settle the claim. Much impressed with FedEx right now!
@@commonwealthflipper Yes, the USPS delivered 127.3 billion packages in 2023. If we shipped those out and paid even just $1 more for each package to a private company, think of the difference in price versus the $9.5 billion that had to be subsidized.
@@commonwealthflipper A drop in the bucket, we bailed out china and a ton of other countries in 2008 trillions and trillions of dollars worth, bet you missed that. Why should we literally bailout entire nations, the entire banking sector, but not spend 0.001% of that on our own economy and public services that helps common folk get a package to their family for a decent price or help them run a small business on ebay? Man at what point do people realize your getting slammed in the dirt with a boot and stop enjoying it and rooting for it?
My Go To Tape. I am a new reseller. I have been lucky and had no issues with USPS this year. I had a few items that were delayed but did finally arrived. I am undecided as to whether privatization of the postal service would be beneficial.
The post office has gotten terrible! They open mail and stuffs always late and certain areas are worse than others. No! Not all post offices are the same and not all are bad! Just my experiences!!!!
Experienced the highest volume during 4th quarter since I began selling online and had ZERO delivery issues from USPS. I am located just south of Memphis and it is one of the largest/highest volume mail distribution centers in at least this part of the country, if not the US. Two or three years ago? NIGHTMARE.
USPS was never created to make a profit. It was designed as a public service funded by the taxpayers. USPS is now self funded by sales. I would rather pay taxes to USPS to keep it running rather than be forced to pay taxes for things that don’t apply to me.
But you are paying taxes to keep it going. How do they make up these 10 billion dollar losses? In 2022 57 billion was forgiven. ie… the taxpayers took on the liability of the benefits and retirement of postal workers. Postal service reform act of 2022. They estimate another 160 will be needed if nothing changes.
We don’t pay taxes to the USPS any longer hence why the post office is being suffering for years. Like city and state parks taxpayers help keep them functioning the USPS should get the same consideration.
BINGO! THIS is the #1 issue that needs to be tackled in regards to the USPS. Trump was going to withdraw from the UPU during his first term (just like he withdrew from the WHO), but the UPU coughed up a lousy few million "to help with the cost" and Trump folded like a piece of paper. The money from the UPU was pennies compared to what the USPS continued to lose just that year.
I'm FunkyFeederFinds in Canada and I was losing $40 - $80 per day during the over a month long strike to ensure that my buyers received their item. I find that it cost me more to ship within Canada then to ship to the USA. The lowest I can ever ship things for is $9.00 and that's a very small package. When I see what you guys pay, I shake my head. In saying that most of my sales are on Etsy and they usually are heading into the USA. When I started reselling it was you Kevin that helped me the most. Thanks.
FedEx has been the only delivery service to cause damage to my items. I’ll use them due to their competitive pricing on larger items…but I grit my teeth and send a prayer when using them.
No problems with ups this season. However I probably had about 25% problems with usps . Nothing lost by usps all the problems were delays 1 to 2 weeks past the original delivery estimate. Basically the tracking numbers would go dark for a week .
I had no problem with the postal system this year. I am 26 miles from the nearest UPS drop off point so only use them for huge packages if the shipping cost is $8 or more less that the USPS as I have to figure in the cost of gas, etc plus the time it takes to take it up there. I usually combine it with a trip to Sam's where I pick up my bubble wrap, the office store for ink, etc., and one of the bigger grocery stores in the "big city". It is actually cost effective for me then. I have never checked out FEDEX but maybe I ought to.
MyGo2Tape I can honestly say I didn’t have any problem with USPS during Q4. I was very fortunate. Of course I have no where near the volume of sales that you have. Keep up these videos. I learn a lot. Happy New Year to you and your family
I'll be honest-the USPS has problems but where we live so does the USP and Fed ex is always 3 days late here and they always postpone shipments, so I don't know what the solution is at this point. I'm all ears.
I have approximately 450 listings. Sold an average of 3 to 6 items daily in December. The PO was VERY slow on delivering this year. Had around 5 items that took almost 2 weeks to get there. Only had one lost. Was a big headache dealing with it. Worst holiday year ever dealing with the PO. I also use to have a lot of charge backs from Fed Ex in the past. Here lately, none. So next Q4 I’m gonna try shipping mostly Fed Ex instead of PO.
I sent out about 95% USPS. I had one get lost where the tracking went dark... Post office couldn't find it lost $200. I had another go up and down the East Coast. It made it finally. It annoys me that USPS raises prices over holidays
Post office employees by us in IL seem so put out having to do their job. Like it’s an inconvenience and like they are doing us customers a favor. Often ignored while at the counter waiting for help. Customers are not a priority at all! Always complaining about some aspect of their job right out in the open.
Q4 has been a mess. One interesting tidbit we experienced this year is shipping poster tubes through USPS. Since Thanksgiving we've shipped out 8-10 items in 3" poster tubes and every one of those been delayed and most by several weeks. They all eventually got there, but had to file missing package requests on all of them to get them moving again. Anyone else had a similar issue?
I am blessed to say I only had 1 missing shipping from eBay. It was the week of Thanksgiving and the customer open a not delivered the week of Chrismas. I do not use FedEx or UPS unless I have to. I always made changes to what is best for my business, I love my post office where if they have a small line I get to meet others who are resellers in my area,
No, if they privatize, the elderly, rural people and the poor are going to suffer. You know they will get pushed aside and be forgotten, because what they can spend isn’t going to be a profit for anyone. And the Us Mail is the only way some people get their meds and pay their bills.
I am not opposed to LOOKING INTO the USPS. We should never sit on our laurels. There is always the potential of improvement. Not to re-invent the wheel, but to take a deep look into what works and what does not. As an independent consultant for the past 24 years with Mary Kay, currently it is FedEx that is our delivery service. It was USPS. Then UPS - but the end delivery was with USPS and that was NOT successful. Now, the past couple years has been FedEX and it has been wonderful!
My go 2 tape! 🤞🏽 I’ve had a LOT of problems with USPS and Fed Ex this season. Items not even being scanned at all, with no tracking, then suddenly showing up delivered, items being in limbo for two weeks, items arriving damaged, and items being bounced around from place to place. Thankfully most of my customers have been absolute Saints about it.
All of my shipments went out on time for the USPS, many ended up being delivered late and it tanked by on time delivery metrics risking my top seller status unless I can compensate in January.
That’s not how it works. If you provided tracking, you’re good & wouldn’t affect your seller status. Use another carrier if you’re unsatisfied but as long as you provide tracking for what you’ve chosen as your shipping time, you’re good. I also had some late deliveries but my tracking number was on time and no issues.
I have gotten quite a few credits from USPS. Also, I've only had one package that wasn't delivered for 9 days which was great. Seems that happens when I send to NY.
I took 25 packages to the post office on December 16th. They were all scanned in. On Friday the 27th a buyer alerted me they hadn''t received their item. When I checked 20 of the packages had not moved at all. I put in alerts and package searches for all of them. As of the 31st 18 started tracking. As of January 1st NONE have been delivered, 8 are still at the same post office, and two are lost. They were all from the same date and all polymailers. Only the boxes were delivered on time. My biggest sales weekend ever- I hope it doesn't end badly because of USPS.
Thanks for the mug, #3 and the ornament! I know have all 3 enama men! They are all lined up on my desk. I paid half asleep and forgot to leave a thank you message in the order. :) I got up charged about $15 once with Fed Ex and that was it. I haven't used them since. As always thanks for all your videos!!
In our town of 90,000 people, we use to have 1 main USPS center and 4 branches and a huge sorting center. Yrs ago they closed everything but 1 main center. All our mail is driven about 120 miles to a sorting center in another State and then brought back. The line is always 8 to 15 people long. The place is unkempt, dirty and alert signs taped everywhere. I package everything as if it is going to be dropped, driven over or thrown from a moving vehicle. Lol. 25 yrs this yr on Ebay. It doesn't matter what we have to say about the Post office as the new administration will do whatever they choose. We will either cope or quit. Love the videos Kevin. Your kids are growing like crazy.
My father was a rural mail carrier for 20 years and I believe, having watched what is going on with the post office for the past 50 years or so, that privatizing the post office is dumb. Unfortunately, I believe the present postmaster general is trying to create chaos in the postal delivery system in order to allow for the call to privatize to escalate. The 1% has been working to weaken the system for decades and now, with 45 as the puppet of one of them, they will have the power to do so. I have sold on eBay for 28 years now and am not affiliated with either party although I have never voted for 45.
Are you serious? It only takes a few minutes of research to look this question up yourself and learn who actually has the power to hire and fire a postmaster general. Hint: It’s not the president
@@commonwealthflipper "President Joe Biden does not have the power to fire DeJoy, even if he's unhappy with his performance. The reasons lie in the governance structure set up for the U.S. Postal Service. Unlike most executive branch agencies which have a single leader appointed and removable by the President, the Postal Service is overseen by a Board of Governors. Under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (39 U.S.C. §202) there are nine governors appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for staggered 7-year terms." Guess you really did A LITTLE BIT of research.
Hi Kevin, been watching the channels since 2019. As a Canadian reseller it is certainly a challenge to compete with our friends in the US. I've been finding myself using UPS more and more since they've become an affordable option early in 2024. Getting items to major centres is by far cheaper than Canada Post. Through CP I can ship items to the US cheaper via tracked packet than I can across the country from Newfoundland. This is an option for items that weigh less than 2kg and most items I sell cost less than $15 cdn. For items less than 200g we have Expediated Lite which costs about $10 cdn which is great for national shipping for loose action figures and dolls. The CP strike certainly hurt my business in Q4. I had to jack up my shipping across the board and ship solely through UPS. It killed my $10-20 sales such as action figures and video games which makes up a considerable amount of my business. Since the end of the strike my sales have jumped significantly.
For USPS first thing I would do is to end all of the free shipping supplies. Most things I buy on eBay arrive using them but are not being shipped priority mail.
Ugh 😑 I have the flu 🤧 and none of this has been comprehensive to my foggy brain. So I will be watching again later. Wanted to say I hope you and the family have a magical New Years. Thanks for all you share with us Kevin. I have learned a lot from you & I appreciate it so much. My Go2Tape. I do like this newer version of the tape. I don’t have the issues I had with the first type of tape. This one sticks better in these high humidity environments 🧡
I’m in the middle of a 2 month dispute with USPS. A package arrived to a buyer damaged so when it was sent back to me I started the damaged package claim. I’ve been denied twice now for not enough proof sent in even though I actually took package into my local post office to be inspected. It’s been a total runaround. Pretty crappy since I’ve sent 4,000 packages out through this office alone.
Unfortunately ground advantage is getting more and more expensive with the frequent price increases. USPS is pricing themselves too high and more people will be using UPS and Fed Ex for packages like I am.
I have actually noticed that UPS & FedEx are cheaper than even ground advantage on some packages. Especially larger ones. I just was listing an item that defaulted to UPS because that was the last option I used and I would normally use ground advantage but it was about $3 cheaper for UPS. and it wasn't a big it heavy item... I am very close to the post office so if I switch to UPS & FedEx it will be a drive and actually cost me more in gas... tough call. As for the past office they actually just need to run it better... it seems there is a lot of waste.
I have conflicting thoughts about privatization. It would cost us less long-term in taxes and national debt but I think buying postage or just mailing a letter would cost more..?
The post office has lost 4 of my packages in 2024 alone. 3 were deemed mis-delivered (their words). 2 were found over a week later with items missing. 2 have never been found. The most recent was a package with Christmas gifts sent from Indiana to my son in Virginia. The investigations (they did 2) were only done in VA. I kept asking for them to look in the post office where I sent from. Was never scanned after my local post office. Their own employees were telling me to never send through USPS, send UPS! My son still hasn't gotten his Christmas package and I doubt he will. Very disgusted with their service
I have been lucky this year. I had one issue with USPS and one issue with UPS. Unfortunately both issues happened the same day on the same and both items were over $100. The USPS issue took care of itself. The item wasn’t scanned initially and it just showed up which was great. The UPS issue is still going on. They never made the initial scan, but I know it was dropped off. I had to put in an investigation to find the package. I am hopeful that it was just a glitch and it will show up. I generally use USPS for most of my stuff, but in some instances UPS Surepost is cheaper. I haven’t used FedEx and likely won’t unless it’s absolutely a necessity. Happy New Years to you to your family!
Shipping in Canada for that item is min $7 thru eBay and up to $9.50 to the other end of the country. My one store sells almost exclusive into the US and I eat a lot of shipping every year. We are getting a 20 to 40 cent increase on letter mail within Canada and the US, our last increase was just 6 months ago.
Ugh 😑 I have the flu 🤧 and none of this has been comprehensive to my foggy brain. So I will be watching again later. Wanted to say I hope you and the family have a magical New Years. Thanks for all you share with us Kevin. I have learned a lot from you & I appreciate it so much.
Ive had a few packages out of thousands go bad but Im a champion of the USPS. The problem is: The governments budget priorities favor spending money on wars- blowing up places so the crafty and corrupt lawmakers can skim off the contracts to rebuild everything they voted to destroy and handouts to other countries while neglecting our own infrastructure. USPS should NOT be privatized. Its not about ‘competition’. Citizens deserve a well funded and superbly functioning postal system and if private companies want to compete with that then good luck. Every-time things get privatized theres usually a gang of thugs otherwise known as corrupt politicians getting financially compensated.
@@commonwealthflipper Shouldnt the actual postage foot the bill just as it does in a private business tho? We just need someone in charge that knows how to run a business without the corruption. I nominate you Kevin! 🫵🏼🤠👍🏼
@@sammonicuslux It is long, long past time to privatize Social Security. Good luck to you under 50, you will probably never see a dime of what you were forced to pay in.
My Go 2 Tape! I worked for Uncle Sam for 20+ years. The issue is there are 2 kinds of federal employees: those that give 110% and those that give 10% with almost nothing in between. But that isn’t a government thing. It’s everywhere. When we would contract things out, we usually ended up with the same level of service but at a much higher cost to the taxpayer. The real issue is institutional lowering of standards and a failure to hold employees accountable.
I started selling on ebay 2024 q4 I sold and shipped 6 things successfully one was a couple days late, but nothing major. I am shipping my 7th sale tomorrow!
That was the consideration when the USPS was created, regardless of profit- it’s a service to the American people, for now one of the very few left and most take for granted.
Absolutely not. Privatization in general ruins almost everything it touches. If someone isn’t profitable to serve then they get cut out. A lot of rural America would not get their mail and anything privatized will cost significantly higher and then people will have to pay an arm and a leg just to mail or ship anything. Any service that becomes for profit turns corrupt and it’s always worse for the consumers. People who rely on meds to be delivered by USPS because it’s the only service that will operate in their area will either not get them or have to find a very expensive way to receive them. There’s so many more problems I could list. Nothing good would come of privatizing USPS, just like nothing good would come from completely privatizing Healthcare, education, etc. It is never a good thing. Never. Privatization is a plague. We don’t need another greedy CEO leech in the world. Maybe people should stop voting people into our government who are puppets of these private corporations being paid to sabotage our government in order to make people think it’s not working for them and trick them into thinking privatization would somehow be better and then the CEO leeches will make more money while bleeding a service dry and destroying it completely in the process for the sake of money. They don’t care who they hurt by destroying the service as long as they get their money. Corporations will never have anyone’s best interests in mind other than their CEO’s and shareholders and that will be made very clear if the USPS were to ever become privatized.
I use USPS 100% of the time. Only had one issue when a delivery was late, buyer disregarded note from USPS carrier to leave gate unlocked so package could eventually delivered. In this case it was buyer issue, not USPS.
I appreciate so much the topics and info that you give us! I also teared up a bit when your sweet wife talked about the veteran who passed away and the great work being done in that community. Just keep being the good human that you are. The rest will work itself out. ❤
Happy New Year, everyone. Many blessings. As far as the USPS, the way they operate now. There would not be near as many issues if they would hold their employees accountable for their jobs. If they did, there would not be near the issues that they have now. The services would be so much better. It's not political anything. Fix the accountability & you'll see a huge difference.
I had 3 packages that were not delivered and were mailed a month ago, 2 of them finally arrived once I filled a loss package claim, the 3rd on has yet to show up. I don’t understand this, everything has tracking, how can they lose it?
My current biggest issue with shipping is that I live rural. I do not even know where a UPS drop is less than 45 min. drive from me, and I only discovered a Fed Ex one about 20 min. away last week. USPS is the only company that I can put things on my porch and they will pick up. Now, if I don't request a drop, they might not show up at all, but that service alone saves me so much time and effort. I would assume if USPS was privatized, my rural route would end. I am normally for privatization of businesses, but the door to door aspect is a pretty amazing service.
The only package I've ever had lost was a priority package that was dropped off at the UPS store because it was too late to drop at PO. There was a problem with the QR code at the PO just before closing so i had to go home and email the label to Staples to get printed (didn't have a printer) then dropped at UPS store BECAUSE the lady at the post office said i could do that. Turned out something happened between UPS and USPS. Never started tracking. UPS said they handed off to USPS. Post office said they never got it from UPS. Lost one of my first sales, $60 new climbing shoes.
I stopped shipping 2 week before Christmas and pushed Whatnot shows to 2025, because the issues this year with USPS. I understand they are very busy during time of year. I only do this reselling part time and I was spending more time chasing items than I was listing or running shows. So it was easier for me to shut it down. I still have packages from November trying to move through the system. I will probably switch to UPS or FedEx during the holiday season this year.
My Go 2 Tape! Great thought provoking video. Going to the post office is a social event in smaller towns! Our post office is amazing. I had a misfire yesterday (NYE). Our PO lobby closed at noon and I along with many others showed up at 1 lol! I had an ebay pkg that had to go out, i have 1 day handling. Luckily it was a 4"x4" package that was allowed to go in the letter slot. I always get a receipt so i froze for a couple heartbeats. It started tracking in about 30 minutes. Yay!
This is now officially my lowest liked video ever lol and I'll I did was bring up the arguments from both sides. I'd also like to say that many of these comments are not grounded in fact below so do your own research. Many of the comments are thoughtfull and informative. For the Record I don't even know my own full opinion on this topic. Converstation is the only way to get there. I do want to point out a couple of things so I don't keep responsing in the comments. Canada post is indeed not a private entity. It is a government entity. Also anybody who thinks that the Federal government has not subsidized the USPS is misguided. They have to the tune of Billions and will continue to. The numbers are mounting each year. Those that want to blame it on a party or a President feel free but make no mistake that one person or one leader of the post office does not account for Hundreds of billions of losses. Those that want to bury their head in the sand feel free but the post office and this issue is one that will affect resellers for decades to come. It will either result in major reforms in service, major cost increases, privitazation, or increased subsidies by the tax payer to the federal governent. It likely will not ever result in privitization but things likely won't continue on the track we are on either. Sorry if bringing up a relevant topic is enough to make you unsubscribe from this channel. Apparently it is for many. Imagine if I actually would have taken a stand instead of just bring up the topic since it came up in the news of late. Thank you to the reasonable folks who make reasonable statements and contribute to the discussion.
Haters gonna hate and cranky folks gonna be cranky. Ain’t nobody forcing them to watch your channel. Nothing like an anon keyboard warrior🙄. Keep doing you. Shout out to the CWP fam, love seeing the kids & Mrs
Its of no surprise but I can say I appreciate you using your channel to bring issues to bare as few if any do. I've sold since pretty much 1995 with a sojourn between when I'd get paid by checks, money orders and having process credit cards by hand through my merchant account. Most sellers are pretty compartmentalized never factoring the world outside of it short of their personal lives of course and much of that outside world has direct and indirect impacts upon sellers.
Appreciate what you do and thoughtful time you put into it.
@@commonwealthflipper ill go hit like for you
Your Video was Awesome keep being Kevin and keep bringing up topics like these and your others! Much appreciated! Your so intelligent!
Ignore the jelly’s they are just so jealous of you and your family that is so Sad! You think they would be happy for you as I am! Happy New Year🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤♥️🇺🇸🙏🐒Kel
Lived seeing the entire family! “Your FAMILY ROCKS”!🎉❤💜🫶♥️🇺🇸🙏🐒
"anyone who thinks the federal government hasn't subsidized the post office is misguided."
They're not misguided, they're clueless. The federal government literally gave USPS $107 billion dollars 2 years ago. They also get a generous line of credit every year courtesy of the taxpayers that they never have to pay back. Sure, they're supposed to pay it back, but they never do... Kind of like the rest of the federal government.
"working hard for not a lot of money"
Please. Postal employees get paid quite well.
no,just get rid if Dejoy
THIS x1000.
The PO went to sh*t when DeJoy entered the picture trying to throw the 2020 election. Now, I think they're mucking it up so they can say, "See, the PO doesn't work, let's privatize."
Kevin, imagine the govt telling YOU that right now, today, you MUST PREFUND YOUR HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT FOR THE NEXT 75 YEARS! Not incrementally, not by seeing aside a reasonable percentage that would allow you to cover those costs, but doing it RIGHT NOW OR YOU GO OUT OF BUSINESS... Well, that's what the GOP did to the USPS in 2006...
The GOP, I am certain based on find raising from corporate lobbyists pushed for the
Pension and Healthcare Mandates: A 2006 law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which required the USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits for 75 years in advance. This obligation created a significant financial burden, amounting to billions of dollars annually.
FACTS!!
In my opinion, a privatized post office will never give rural Americans equal service (especially for the same price) to what it gives urban and suburban Americans. I live in the suburbs, so it wouldn't affect me, but I do care about people other than myself.
Happy New Year!🎉
I usually align with your topics, but I must say that the post office should never, never, never be privatized. I've experienced many more issues with FedEx and other delivery companies than with the Post Office. We’re still chasing Fed Ex packages!!!!
I have three local Post Offices within about eight miles of my house. They have good hours, convenient package drop-offs, and helpful staff. I've never encountered a rude person or someone who couldn't solve my problems or issues.
Cheers to a great year ahead, Good $elling in 2025!
Thank you for the comment. Keep in mind this is not my proposal. Just reacting to comments in the news.
@@commonwealthflipper
We know that Kevin you stated that clearly. Keep being you, unfortunately I guess it depends where one is whether we encounter rude ppl or not cuz I have and not just with the carrier (and not saying she doesn’t deserve it-Just do your job your getting paid to do-for I use to deliver and know what the job entails to be completed. Yet, we have had a few rude at our local one. I know the post master so I just give him a heads up-Kevin keep being you always. Loved seeing the family together and congrats on your amounts you raised for the different charities. I don’t see others saying how much they have donated! Thanks for the RMH for they helped me and my husband years ago when my daughter had to have an ER Umbilical Hernia SX as drs local were telling me oh don’t worry about it until it’s time for her to where a bikini. Thank the good lord I was in the field and knew what to look for Or we would had lost her♥️🫶🙏😇🌏🐒Kel
Have not watched the video yet, but I will later. I am someone who has been involved in the delivery world for over 20 years, including USPS, all the top delivery names, smaller names, and even in the ground, air, and trucking world. I can say this with 100% certainty. Privatizing the USPS is probably one of the dumbest things they can do. I have seen delivery companies come and go, been a part of mergers, and seen firsthand why they struggle and/or fail. This does not even count that if you allow the private sector to take over, your USPS shipments will look like grocery prices. I have commented on other videos about this and people try and debate me on this when it is very clear they have zero knowledge of how this industry works.
Privatizing the USPS is a complex issue. It could bring financial stability and innovation but risks losing affordable, universal service and harming smaller, less profitable communities. Most experts agree that reform, rather than full privatization, might be a better path forward to address USPS’s financial and operational challenges.
Agreed. USPS has the ability to offer services that otherwise would not exist if they were privatized. It's a case of "be careful what you wish for". USPS has its negatives, of course, but their main goal should not be to maximize profits, but to be efficient as possible. So yes, they could improve, but privatization seems like a bad idea.
You sound like the expert to replace DeJoy. No, USPS, cannot be privatized as it currently exists.😊
You are exactly right , so many people comment that are clueless. Most just repeat what their favorite politician says
@@thewayidoit8895Dejoy very well may be the reason the Postal Service went backwards. Bad service = complaints = private ownership for the incoming president that appointed him.
You already have two private options, UPS and FedEx. Nobody is forcing you to use USPS. If you don’t like USPS services, don’t use them. Very simple!
I started selling on Ebay in 2000, probably only had 2-3 sent to wrong location but not lost in all those years. Most of my problems started when that Dejoy guy took over a few yrs ago.
We need to fix the problems not privatize, we have enough rich CEO's.
Free LUIGI
DeJoy Is a complete idiot and is actively trying to kill and privatize the USPS on behalf of his oligarch buddies.
Yeah, because the government is great at fixing things? should have been privatized decades ago!!
@@rebelcast4574 Don't forget what it was like before the USPS>
In 1890, nearly 41 million people - 65 percent of the American population - lived in rural areas. Although many city dwellers had enjoyed free home delivery since 1863, rural citizens had to pick up their mail at the Post Office, leading one farmer to ask: “Why should the cities have fancy mail service and the old colonial system still prevail in the country districts?"
No way a private company will think it is profitable to drive all over back roads of country dwellers homes to deliver or pick up letters.
@@linr7342 I got news for you, It ain't 1890 anymore!!
The Postal Service not only delivers their packages, but also delivers about 70% of UPS packages, and Amazon Packages. Amazon are the biggest bastards, they give the Postal Service all the heavy, larger items. Their Amazon drivers deliver the smaller, easier packages.
This was a deal negotiated with the post office. Are you saying the post office negotiated a bad deal? I would say they did. Amazon uses the post office to have fewer employees and then we as taxpayer pay for post office employees health care and pensions. So is Amazon the bad guy or is the post office the problem?
That's bs.
@@commonwealthflipper My research leads me to believe that USPS benefits (health care and pensions) are funded by postal service revenue, not taxes. I can find no evidence that the USPS receives any American taxpayer support. My biggest issue with our local postal service is they can not find anyone who will take jobs when they become available, so our delivery is sporadic and not stellar.
@@commonwealthflipper The Post Office delivers the packages that are unprofitable for UPS and Fed Ex to deliver. This is a subsidy primarily to rural America. It is subsidized not by taxpayers but by USPS customers who live in urban areas.
@@rgdodson Hello old friend. Google Does the federal government subsidize the post office. They do to the tune of Billions.
I send out about 99% of my packages through USPS. The other 1% UPS. I do not use Fedex. I had absolutely no issues occur through USPS this quarter 4. Everything arrived safely within its approximate arrival date. It was wonderful! I guess I just got lucky that quarter.
we have privitized services ithey are called ups fed ex etc if you think they are cheaper or better use them
why do our tax dollar need to go to supporting unprofitable and inefficient businesses?
@@willziefert The USPS is a self-funded entity. It operates as an independent establishment of the federal government and covers its operating costs through the sale of postage, products, and services-not through taxpayer funding. It has not received taxpayer subsidies for operational costs since 1982.
@@BroCo87 I stand corrected. Thank you for the information.
@@willziefert that doesn’t mean it isn’t unprofitable or inefficient though.
@@willziefert there are actually a lot of reasons why we cant and shouldnt privatize the post office. the current system can however be improved.
The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance. This accounts for the majority of USPS’s financial losses-not union labor costs. No other public or private entity in the U.S. faces this requirement. The USPS cannot set its own pricing, expand into new markets, or adjust its services as freely as private companies due to congressional restrictions.
Yes, the "Sweetheart Retirements" and "buyouts" are a BIG drag on the USPS but by no means the only area of public sector jobs. I worked in School District for a time with "Tier C" benefits and I can tell you they paled in comparison to both Tier B, and Tier A. Those Tier C benefits are far better than whats come after as well. The district I worked for is a pretty large suburban district and has no issues at all holding the public hostage to salaries and services. In fact, I worked at the Central Office for years and watched them turn over their entire Bus Fleet (BIG FLEET!) every single year in 3-4 year schedule of the busses. Why? Capital Asset that's why, maintaining value of the Bus Fleet asset for the district at the expense of the citizens.
In some respects the same conversation in microcosm can be said of the USPS and many a school district, many a dept. of public works, many a state oriented public service target. But any which way one care cut it when it comes to the small business online "Thrifty" mass of online sellers we are being viewed more and more by the mass of governmental and big business entities as literal parasites unfortunately.
This sounds like an argument for privatization.
@@commonwealthflipper indeed it is.
@ but in 2022 they changed the rule so they don’t have to do this anymore. That was the 50 billion they were saved from spending by congress.
@@commonwealthflipper Not from me. To me one the big problems America has with no apparent solution is exercising they're active stake in the nation. This is what the forefathers intended yet not knowing the direction it might take the nation and citizens. This is large factor has been lost and replaced by being entertained, the internet allowing voices that seldom coalesce actionably for the better and a considerable sheepification as result.
I dont if I ever told you Kevin but my ladies Great Great Great Great Grandfather was Major General Sullivan. Need I say more?
People here do not realize the GIFT we have and the RESPONSIBILITY to each other and those before us to both cherish and protect that GIFT and pass it on. Ever so many have taken eyes off the ball in favor of self play whilst the real ball and game runs over them. Fingers are pointed, words are spoken but action is too much the effort.
USPS should not be privatized under any circumstances! Corporate bloat and greed will cause shipping costs to skyrocket. USPS is only “losing” money because they were forced to fund retirement plans in full YEARS before the employees actually retire. This hasn’t been required for any other government (or private) company. Taxpayers do not subsidize USPS! Are not UPS, Fed Ex, etc to be considered as competitors?
UPS and FED EX are Contractors for the USPS. They are not only utilized for delivery services but for air transportation as well. This used to be done by DHL until they downsized.
So the 50 billion relief bill in. 2022 did not come from taxpayers?
@commonwealthflipper The Postsl Reform Act of 2022 had four major components: Ending the retiree health benefit pre-funding mandate (which had previously been passed by Congress and led to the financial issues in the first place), providing for Medicare integration, adding transparency to service issues, and guaranteeing 6 day delivery. In a way, it was like the government gave back what it originally took away.
@@ThePittsburghToddy interesting take. I understand it and hear the argument. But it stems from the reason it was done for to begin with. The post office projections were not and can not cover future benefits including health care and pentions. It still doesn’t change the fact that 57 billion was forgiven as they integrate into the federal worker’s retirement programs and they estimate another additional 160 billion. You can choose to believe that it isn’t bleeding money and the taxpayer isn’t picking up the tab if you like. Where do you think the 10 billion in losses is being picked up?
@@ThePittsburghToddy Nonsense. The money collected under the pre-funding mandate is not sitting in a bank account earning USPS interest. USPS was given a IOU by the government for the money, which the government has already spent multiple time over. The mandate was nothing more than the politicians to cover a tiny fraction of their own spending.
Transparency? USPS doe snot even follow general accepted accounting principles. The only reason you are buying online labels for your online sales with USPS shipping services is because you have access a local post office. Yet the revenue is not credited to your local post office, it goes into USPS's general fund. That means revenue for your local post office is understated versus expenses. Anyone doing this in the corporate world would be fired and face criminal. Can you imagine a corporate manager doing this to all the corporate owned franchises?
Congress sat by during Obama's 8 years in office and did nothing as eBay abused a 1969 UPU program designed to help poor countries. eBay instead used it to line their own pockets and their Chinese vendors. This cost USPS billions in loses, which they made up for by raising domestic rates, which in turn earned eBay more FVF on shipping. Only Trump put a end to it.
Brilliant, what it needs is to pay million dollar CEO salaries and board of directors to take their cut. Oh and then they will need tons of commmercials and pay to put their name on sports stadiums! NOT!!! My post office has never lost a shipment in 5 years of reselling. Have you ever worked in Corporate America? Theres plenty of slackers and bad employees there too that never get fired.
They alread pay a director and a board and spend money on adds.
I’m from small town America and my post office is very small . They are amazing workers, friendly, and always helpful .
With that said things do need change
How do things need to change? You seem happy … but not? I’m confused.
Knock on wood, I had only one slight issue this Q4 with the USPS delivery. I only got a neutral feedback which I chose to just reply. But I do not do near the volume you do. I agree that Ground Advantage was a game changer. Unfortunately, I now have tons of Priority boxes just hogging up space. 😢
The point of having a national postal system is so that everyone in USA can receive mail. If it's privatized, then the less profitable areas will begin to lose service. Right?
That already happens, just so you're aware.
@@dustinfreeman9882 If it *is* happening, it's not to the degree that it would happen if it were privatized. It also would almost certainly have different prices for different environments. (Rural, suburban, or urban)
@@smlorrin Sure. The point is that it's already happening. What difference would it make if living in the middle of nowhere cost you more for shipments? What's the alternative? Raise prices across the board every quarter indefinitely? ...oh, wait...That's already happening, as well. Also, before "you don't know the rural struggle," I live in a rural area. It won't make a difference to me one way or the other. I'd just pay for a PO Box if it came down to it.
@@dustinfreeman9882 You don't pay more for a letter than anyone else does. In reference to packages, are you saying that if I lived in a rural area in my community, it would cost more for someone to send me a package than it would if I lived in a suburban area of my community?
Do you seriously think that prices wouldn't be raised every quarter indefinitely if the post office were privatized?? 😂
All of this being said, I live in the suburbs, so any rural issues won't affect me. 🤷 If you rural people don't care, then who am I to complain?
I'm so thankful for my wonderful local USPS.
My Go 2 Tape - What government agencies make money? Post Office shouldn't be expected to make a profit either. Just treat as a service to the people. I wouldn't change it.
Not make a profit and consistently losing money are two different things.
@@silverman5707 You have to consider why the post office is losing money. I consider the changes in efficiency plus the fact that they have to fund pensions 75 years in advance. That means that they are funding pensions for future employees that have never been born yet. No other company anywhere has to do that. Efficiency......it used to be that when a local person or business owner mailed out letters or bills or even packages that were addressed to people in the same towns, that the post office would just register the postage and throw them in the proper post office box. Now they have to box them up and send them to the nearest large postal center to be processed and then they come back. In my case, what should take just a few seconds has changed to days taken to deliver a simple Christmas Card. From Augusta, Wisconsin, the first-class mail goes to the post office center in Minneapolis, a 2 hour drive, and then it gets delivered back the next day or so. To me, that is just a stupid process, although I guess that they USPS trucks would still be taking the same routes because of the packages and mail going to other towns.
So why not make delievery free?
@@commonwealthflipper OK.
As a retired postal worker, I always use the USPS. I almost used UPS for a large package a week before Christmas, but the person backed out of the sale. I had zero issues with things I sent out, but know people who had packages not arrive. I've heard too many horror stories about uncharged on Fed Ex to even consider them. All that said, I think privatization is not a good thing. I'm not sure if other services could serve almost every household, every day without raising prices through the roof. Are there some things that need to change, yes, but I'm sticking with the USPS.
Fed-ex nailed me the other day. Completely frosted my pumpkin.
I shipped 98% of my items USPS Ground Advantage. The rest (bulky/heavy) items went FedEx Home Delivery. Shipped about 325 items this Q4 without any delivery issues. I count myself blessed in that regard.
In my opinion, Louis DeJoy was appointed to make the post office perform worse so that that bad performance could be used to argue for privatization. This was intentional.
I received 2 Christmas cards after Christmas that had early December postmarks. (One was 12/4.)
It’s not an opinion- it’s a fact!
Nope. I’m reading Bezos would love nothing more to own the post office and bust any union to put more money in his pocket. We need to support federal workers and unions otherwise corporations and the ceos just get it all. Dejoy needs to go
Why didn't the current administration get rid of him? Also corportations need employees as well. The run far more efficiently. UPS is a corporation as Is Amazon and Fedex. They have massive amounts of emplyees and UPS is a massive unionized work force and provides better pay and benefits than USPS.
ALL of our Q4 packages were shipped via the USPS (we don't ship UPS or FedEx because we had issues with them in the past). We mostly sell books, so most of our items ship via Media Mail. Throughout the year, most of our Media Mail packages take 3 to 6 days to get to our buyers, even those on the US west coast (we are in Florida). We don't want to see the USPS privatized!! LeJoy needs to go! BTW, USPS workers get paid very well, with good benefits.
Post office doesn't lose money that's a corporate talking point. The reason the postal service appears to be losing money is because of a congressionally mandated retirement healthcare funding program that no other government agency is required to observe. Any company or agency who prefunded retirement in this manner would be losing money, its all a calculated longtail plan to privatize the post-office and remove postal service from most rural areas and jack prices up unbelievably high, hence your dislikes.
USPS is the largest union in the country, privatizing will never happen, they have been talking about this since 1980 when I was working there. Remember the Postal Service is not a for-profit agency that loses money every year, a private industry would want to make a profit, meaning prices will go through the roof!
I agree with you however we are paying the price on the back end now. We just don’t realize it. The ten billion in losses has to come from somewhere. Right now it has come from the taxpayer and increasing federal deficits. Which is fine but most of us resellers because the burden falls on a larger crowd while we benefit more from it.
@@commonwealthflipper No matter what, USPS is never going to go away simply because they deliver to every address across the USA, no company will be able to replicate that. This has been an ongoing discussion for over 40 years.
NO.
Overhaul, restructure or fire DeJoy, yes they should do that. Privatization is not the answer.
US Postal Service is a public service designed and created to serve all, it's never meant to turn in profit.
If you want to complain about losses of taxpayer money to waste, start with the military. USPS losses don't even come close. The problem is Americans are afraid to touch that wasteful golden cow military machine.
As a part time seller for 15 years, I can honestly say EBay sellers and E-commerce merchants should be the last ones to even entertain or worse, support the idea of USPS privatization.
We penny-pinch and complain about every little fees incurred in our business operations, a privatized USPS would be the biggest FAFO moment for resellers, a dagger not just for us but to buyers as well. Be careful what you wish for.
If you want private service, go FedEx and UPS and DHL, use them and charge your buyers accordingly. I've used them on occasions, they're not perfect either and even more expensive. No one's stopping you from using them.
Do you think the Government should take over Grocery Stores? Some people have to travel 100 miles to get to a grocery store after all. 98 percent of the homes in this country have access to delievery outside of the USPS. Some things are better left to non government agencies don't you think? Also I am sure we can find a million wasteful things are government does including massive ammounts in the military. Not saying we should get rid of the post office. Never did. I just bring it up because it is increasingly become not only not profitable anymore but it is losing massive amounts of money at a rate that is WAY higher than in the past. It will be an issue in the coming years.
110 percent agree with you. It’s laughable resalers are calling for the privatization of USPS. It’s scary how people are brainwashed by the “efficiency” of private companies. LOL Those at the top extract profits to the detriment of everyone else.
@@commonwealthflipper "Some things are better left to non government agencies don't you think?"
Some... but judging by corporate track records, nothing as big as the US Postal or VA Veterans Health Services should be left at the mercy of private entities to run.
I'm aware you never said anything about getting rid of USPS, but the way it's structured now privatizing it ain't a practical idea either.
You really think a privatized US Postal will not ask and expect government funding to subsidize their operations? Of course they will, like they've always done when they needed government bail out for their own corporate screw ups.
Taxpayers will still shoulder the cost, but this time the cost of mail services will be doubled, even higher and they're no longer obligated to serve all corners of the country.
"I just bring it up because it is increasingly become not only not profitable anymore..."
Again, USPS is a public service designed and created to serve all, turning a profit is not their main mission.
We can blame Republicans for US Postal's decade-long financial woes. In 2006 through the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, they forced USPS to pre-fund pensions and health benefits 75 years ahead. That's a billion dollar annual burden that nobody wants to talk about.
As far us E-Bay resellers are concerned, a privatized US Postal Service will increase our operational costs and likely hasten the slow demise of many stores.
My USPS service is Awesome
The folks that are currently working at mine have been awesome as well.
I hate fed ex because they constantly deliver it where I don't want it so if I see a seller only delivers that way I pass. Most times I have no idea what the seller is going to use unfortunately. I have chased them down and explained because i live on a corner my driveway is not on my mailing address street. I have nice front porch on my mailing address street they need to leave. As for privatization, currently they have to pay for pensions up front before the person retires upon hire and major reason why there are losses. It makes a great sound byte. No other department have this law. Also rural customers would be so harmed. Even ups uses the postal service for the final mile. Even Amazon is using the postal service for rural customers. Rural customers are already seeing reduction in services such as Sat hours. Something to remeber.
SAME! If the price is competitive at all, I have switched to FedExbfor everything I can.
I currently have 9 pkgs drom Dec. 6th that show no movement since their first scan.
I shipped nearly 200 packages in 3 weeks in December, and have had ZERO issue with FedEx losing pigs, and not showing tracking.
Our post office is the best!!!!! They bend over backwards to help. Huge shout out to Velma & Angel; they make what we do as resellers so much easier. Love me my PO peeps ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🐐
Excellent
USPS did fantastic - FedEx had one breakage. All arrived timely. I'm not a big seller - 102 sales in December.
Bottom line is that without a subsidy to the USPS, rural people will suffer. Costs will go up and frequency of deliveries may be reduced.
I am rural and last year 2023 things slowed from 2-3 day del to 4-6. 2024 every single package was 5-7 days + and Nov on up to 14 days. I had important 1st class mail taking 10-15 days to arrive, this affected my insurances, it also caused problems with gifts. this is not my local office this is the offices between point a-b. it needs reform and stop hurting the rural offices. including closing to "streamline". current p m general definitely needs to go. After listening to him in Congressional hearings he is in over his head and has no clue.
@@jansnape3392 I think that DeJoy knows exactly what he is doing. He wants the post office to be privatized.
@@smlorrin you may be right.I trust no one in government to say what they really believe. smoking mirrors.
Part of the reason people go into public service jobs is because of the stable pensions and benefits that so many jobs no longer offer. I see the post office as more of a service to the community. There's no way that we would be able to send a card/letter all the way across the country or to HI or AK for 73 cents through UPS or FedEx. Those companies would have MAJOR price hikes if the USPS was no longer a source of stable price competition. Yes, USPS prices go up, but they only do it periodically and those have to be approved. Without that, we would be paying much more for all of the services.
I agree with much of what you have said. I would say that we will also be paying more in taxes on the back end for the continued bailouts as well if we continue down this road. As a reseller it benefits us. If I wasn’t a reseller I might not agree. Also happy new year. I hope you are doing well Jody.
Privatize ? Cool, so the post office will have a CEO and a Corporate board making millions a day to sit in their asses . Hmmm how does that make the post office more efficient ?
Is your argument the government entities are more efficient than private ones?
@@commonwealthflipper, cost trumps efficiency at every stage. What do you think will happen to rural delivery that is quite costly and unefficient? DeJoy has cut efficiency for cost savings. How has that worked? Remember 2020 mail deliveries?
@@JK-bf9qgyou make my point. The only other solution is keep the post office and raise prices exponentially or pass on the losses to the tax payer. 57 billion in 2022 and 160 billion more to come. Pick your poison.
@commonwealthflipper And also I'd rather pay taxes for services that actually benefit working people. Like USPS. Like Social Security and Medicaid and Welfare and other safety nets. Not tax cuts for the Uber Rich, billion dollar govt contracts for the world's richest man.
@commonwealthflipper Has private health insurance done anything to drive down costs? Or make care better or more available? Or has it just made health care more profitable for those that control it?
I've sent out packages on Mercari thru Fed Ex (it was a lot cheaper than USPS for items over a pound) and never had a problem and everything thru USPS ground advantage was fine, but priority mail was late. Humm good figure.
I will never use FedEx regardless how cheap it gets... They may not lose the package but its going to arrive 3 inches smaller when its delivered vs when they picked up. They are very rough on packages.
The USPS is a government service and will always be subsidized. They also must pre-pay the pensions. That being said, they can surely look for ways to streamline services and find other avenues for pensions . Are passport and money order services necessary now? Will priority mail services/products continue as is? Ground advantage shipping was a major benefit in my opinion. As we move forward, we are facing unprecedented numbers of online retail sales and shipments. The USPS must continue to evolve to handle this change. We’ve come a long way from postal service on horseback but new and more streamlined processes must be put in place to handle the sheer volume of packages.
My New Year’s resolution is to get My Go 2 tape! 😂 I have excellent success with USPS. On the flip side, I have quit using FedEx. They were so much cheaper for large packages but after 2 ridiculous up charges I won’t use them again. I know how to weigh and measure packages and and never have a USPS up charge. I still don’t understand why FedEx did it but when they charged me $33 extra dollars to ship a pair of boots that I paid $19 to ship in the first place, I said never again. I’ll happily pay more with UPS or USPS before I ever ship FedEx again. Happy New Year! 🥳
Filed a claim with FedEx on Monday for a damaged shipment. Claim settled and check mailed in full on Tuesday. USPS would've taken months to do their "investigation" and finally settle the claim. Much impressed with FedEx right now!
NO. Everyone will pay more. Guaranteed.
Pay more than the 50 billion bail out in 2022 and the 160 billion in projected bailouts. There is more cost than just the cost of delivering a package
We definitely don't want the prices going up... you know, like they already do three times a year now, lol.
@@commonwealthflipper Yes, the USPS delivered 127.3 billion packages in 2023. If we shipped those out and paid even just $1 more for each package to a private company, think of the difference in price versus the $9.5 billion that had to be subsidized.
@@commonwealthflipper A drop in the bucket, we bailed out china and a ton of other countries in 2008 trillions and trillions of dollars worth, bet you missed that. Why should we literally bailout entire nations, the entire banking sector, but not spend 0.001% of that on our own economy and public services that helps common folk get a package to their family for a decent price or help them run a small business on ebay? Man at what point do people realize your getting slammed in the dirt with a boot and stop enjoying it and rooting for it?
My Go To Tape.
I am a new reseller. I have been lucky and had no issues with USPS this year. I had a few items that were delayed but did finally arrived. I am undecided as to whether privatization of the postal service would be beneficial.
The post office has gotten terrible! They open mail and stuffs always late and certain areas are worse than others. No! Not all post offices are the same and not all are bad! Just my experiences!!!!
Experienced the highest volume during 4th quarter since I began selling online and had ZERO delivery issues from USPS. I am located just south of Memphis and it is one of the largest/highest volume mail distribution centers in at least this part of the country, if not the US. Two or three years ago? NIGHTMARE.
USPS was never created to make a profit. It was designed as a public service funded by the taxpayers. USPS is now self funded by sales. I would rather pay taxes to USPS to keep it running rather than be forced to pay taxes for things that don’t apply to me.
But you are paying taxes to keep it going. How do they make up these 10 billion dollar losses? In 2022 57 billion was forgiven. ie… the taxpayers took on the liability of the benefits and retirement of postal workers. Postal service reform act of 2022. They estimate another 160 will be needed if nothing changes.
We don’t pay taxes to the USPS any longer hence why the post office is being suffering for years.
Like city and state parks taxpayers help keep them functioning the USPS should get the same consideration.
Another problem i havent heatd addressed..China ships to US for pennies. I Cant ship to China for less than ,$30...Trump get on this please!!
BINGO! THIS is the #1 issue that needs to be tackled in regards to the USPS. Trump was going to withdraw from the UPU during his first term (just like he withdrew from the WHO), but the UPU coughed up a lousy few million "to help with the cost" and Trump folded like a piece of paper. The money from the UPU was pennies compared to what the USPS continued to lose just that year.
I'm FunkyFeederFinds in Canada and I was losing $40 - $80 per day during the over a month long strike to ensure that my buyers received their item. I find that it cost me more to ship within Canada then to ship to the USA. The lowest I can ever ship things for is $9.00 and that's a very small package. When I see what you guys pay, I shake my head. In saying that most of my sales are on Etsy and they usually are heading into the USA. When I started reselling it was you Kevin that helped me the most. Thanks.
FedEx has been the only delivery service to cause damage to my items. I’ll use them due to their competitive pricing on larger items…but I grit my teeth and send a prayer when using them.
No problems with ups this season. However I probably had about 25% problems with usps . Nothing lost by usps all the problems were delays 1 to 2 weeks past the original delivery estimate. Basically the tracking numbers would go dark for a week .
I had no problem with the postal system this year. I am 26 miles from the nearest UPS drop off point so only use them for huge packages if the shipping cost is $8 or more less that the USPS as I have to figure in the cost of gas, etc plus the time it takes to take it up there. I usually combine it with a trip to Sam's where I pick up my bubble wrap, the office store for ink, etc., and one of the bigger grocery stores in the "big city". It is actually cost effective for me then. I have never checked out FEDEX but maybe I ought to.
MyGo2Tape I can honestly say I didn’t have any problem with USPS during Q4. I was very fortunate. Of course I have no where near the volume of sales that you have. Keep up these videos. I learn a lot. Happy New Year to you and your family
I'll be honest-the USPS has problems but where we live so does the USP and Fed ex is always 3 days late here and they always postpone shipments, so I don't know what the solution is at this point. I'm all ears.
I have approximately 450 listings. Sold an average of 3 to 6 items daily in December. The PO was VERY slow on delivering this year. Had around 5 items that took almost 2 weeks to get there. Only had one lost. Was a big headache dealing with it. Worst holiday year ever dealing with the PO. I also use to have a lot of charge backs from Fed Ex in the past. Here lately, none. So next Q4 I’m gonna try shipping mostly Fed Ex instead of PO.
I sent out about 95% USPS. I had one get lost where the tracking went dark... Post office couldn't find it lost $200. I had another go up and down the East Coast. It made it finally. It annoys me that USPS raises prices over holidays
Post office employees by us in IL seem so put out having to do their job. Like it’s an inconvenience and like they are doing us customers a favor. Often ignored while at the counter waiting for help. Customers are not a priority at all! Always complaining about some aspect of their job right out in the open.
Q4 has been a mess. One interesting tidbit we experienced this year is shipping poster tubes through USPS. Since Thanksgiving we've shipped out 8-10 items in 3" poster tubes and every one of those been delayed and most by several weeks. They all eventually got there, but had to file missing package requests on all of them to get them moving again. Anyone else had a similar issue?
I am blessed to say I only had 1 missing shipping from eBay. It was the week of Thanksgiving and the customer open a not delivered the week of Chrismas. I do not use FedEx or UPS unless I have to. I always made changes to what is best for my business, I love my post office where if they have a small line I get to meet others who are resellers in my area,
No, if they privatize, the elderly, rural people and the poor are going to suffer. You know they will get pushed aside and be forgotten, because what they can spend isn’t going to be a profit for anyone. And the Us Mail is the only way some people get their meds and pay their bills.
I am not opposed to LOOKING INTO the USPS. We should never sit on our laurels. There is always the potential of improvement. Not to re-invent the wheel, but to take a deep look into what works and what does not. As an independent consultant for the past 24 years with Mary Kay, currently it is FedEx that is our delivery service. It was USPS. Then UPS - but the end delivery was with USPS and that was NOT successful. Now, the past couple years has been FedEX and it has been wonderful!
My go 2 tape! 🤞🏽 I’ve had a LOT of problems with USPS and Fed Ex this season. Items not even being scanned at all, with no tracking, then suddenly showing up delivered, items being in limbo for two weeks, items arriving damaged, and items being bounced around from place to place. Thankfully most of my customers have been absolute Saints about it.
All of my shipments went out on time for the USPS, many ended up being delivered late and it tanked by on time delivery metrics risking my top seller status unless I can compensate in January.
That’s not how it works. If you provided tracking, you’re good & wouldn’t affect your seller status. Use another carrier if you’re unsatisfied but as long as you provide tracking for what you’ve chosen as your shipping time, you’re good. I also had some late deliveries but my tracking number was on time and no issues.
I have gotten quite a few credits from USPS. Also, I've only had one package that wasn't delivered for 9 days which was great. Seems that happens when I send to NY.
I took 25 packages to the post office on December 16th. They were all scanned in. On Friday the 27th a buyer alerted me they hadn''t received their item. When I checked 20 of the packages had not moved at all. I put in alerts and package searches for all of them. As of the 31st 18 started tracking. As of January 1st NONE have been delivered, 8 are still at the same post office, and two are lost. They were all from the same date and all polymailers. Only the boxes were delivered on time. My biggest sales weekend ever- I hope it doesn't end badly because of USPS.
Thanks for the mug, #3 and the ornament! I know have all 3 enama men! They are all lined up on my desk. I paid half asleep and forgot to leave a thank you message in the order. :) I got up charged about $15 once with Fed Ex and that was it. I haven't used them since. As always thanks for all your videos!!
In our town of 90,000 people, we use to have 1 main USPS center and 4 branches and a huge sorting center. Yrs ago they closed everything but 1 main center. All our mail is driven about 120 miles to a sorting center in another State and then brought back. The line is always 8 to 15 people long. The place is unkempt, dirty and alert signs taped everywhere. I package everything as if it is going to be dropped, driven over or thrown from a moving vehicle. Lol. 25 yrs this yr on Ebay. It doesn't matter what we have to say about the Post office as the new administration will do whatever they choose. We will either cope or quit. Love the videos Kevin. Your kids are growing like crazy.
My father was a rural mail carrier for 20 years and I believe, having watched what is going on with the post office for the past 50 years or so, that privatizing the post office is dumb. Unfortunately, I believe the present postmaster general is trying to create chaos in the postal delivery system in order to allow for the call to privatize to escalate. The 1% has been working to weaken the system for decades and now, with 45 as the puppet of one of them, they will have the power to do so. I have sold on eBay for 28 years now and am not affiliated with either party although I have never voted for 45.
Why did 46 leave the same guy in?
Are you serious? It only takes a few minutes of research to look this question up yourself and learn who actually has the power to hire and fire a postmaster general. Hint: It’s not the president
@@commonwealthflipper "President Joe Biden does not have the power to fire DeJoy, even if he's unhappy with his performance.
The reasons lie in the governance structure set up for the U.S. Postal Service. Unlike most executive branch agencies which have a single leader appointed and removable by the President, the Postal Service is overseen by a Board of Governors. Under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (39 U.S.C. §202) there are nine governors appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for staggered 7-year terms." Guess you really did A LITTLE BIT of research.
@@thepetitepicker Right!?!? One sentence and ENTER and I had the answer. Tired of his lectures and just gonna unsubscribe.
@@sammonicuslux TH-camrs are all-knowing bro calm down. ;D
Hi Kevin, been watching the channels since 2019. As a Canadian reseller it is certainly a challenge to compete with our friends in the US. I've been finding myself using UPS more and more since they've become an affordable option early in 2024. Getting items to major centres is by far cheaper than Canada Post. Through CP I can ship items to the US cheaper via tracked packet than I can across the country from Newfoundland. This is an option for items that weigh less than 2kg and most items I sell cost less than $15 cdn. For items less than 200g we have Expediated Lite which costs about $10 cdn which is great for national shipping for loose action figures and dolls. The CP strike certainly hurt my business in Q4. I had to jack up my shipping across the board and ship solely through UPS. It killed my $10-20 sales such as action figures and video games which makes up a considerable amount of my business. Since the end of the strike my sales have jumped significantly.
For USPS first thing I would do is to end all of the free shipping supplies. Most things I buy on eBay arrive using them but are not being shipped priority mail.
Ugh 😑 I have the flu 🤧 and none of this has been comprehensive to my foggy brain. So I will be watching again later. Wanted to say I hope you and the family have a magical New Years. Thanks for all you share with us Kevin. I have learned a lot from you & I appreciate it so much. My Go2Tape. I do like this newer version of the tape. I don’t have the issues I had with the first type of tape. This one sticks better in these high humidity environments 🧡
I’m in the middle of a 2 month dispute with USPS. A package arrived to a buyer damaged so when it was sent back to me I started the damaged package claim. I’ve been denied twice now for not enough proof sent in even though I actually took package into my local post office to be inspected. It’s been a total runaround. Pretty crappy since I’ve sent 4,000 packages out through this office alone.
Unfortunately ground advantage is getting more and more expensive with the frequent price increases. USPS is pricing themselves too high and more people will be using UPS and Fed Ex for packages like I am.
I have actually noticed that UPS & FedEx are cheaper than even ground advantage on some packages. Especially larger ones. I just was listing an item that defaulted to UPS because that was the last option I used and I would normally use ground advantage but it was about $3 cheaper for UPS. and it wasn't a big it heavy item... I am very close to the post office so if I switch to UPS & FedEx it will be a drive and actually cost me more in gas... tough call.
As for the past office they actually just need to run it better... it seems there is a lot of waste.
I have conflicting thoughts about privatization. It would cost us less long-term in taxes and national debt but I think buying postage or just mailing a letter would cost more..?
The post office has lost 4 of my packages in 2024 alone. 3 were deemed mis-delivered (their words). 2 were found over a week later with items missing. 2 have never been found. The most recent was a package with Christmas gifts sent from Indiana to my son in Virginia. The investigations (they did 2) were only done in VA. I kept asking for them to look in the post office where I sent from. Was never scanned after my local post office. Their own employees were telling me to never send through USPS, send UPS! My son still hasn't gotten his Christmas package and I doubt he will. Very disgusted with their service
My Go 2 Tape. Always great content!! The teacher in you keeps educating us! Thank you!! Happy 2025!!
I have been lucky this year. I had one issue with USPS and one issue with UPS. Unfortunately both issues happened the same day on the same and both items were over $100. The USPS issue took care of itself. The item wasn’t scanned initially and it just showed up which was great. The UPS issue is still going on. They never made the initial scan, but I know it was dropped off. I had to put in an investigation to find the package. I am hopeful that it was just a glitch and it will show up. I generally use USPS for most of my stuff, but in some instances UPS Surepost is cheaper. I haven’t used FedEx and likely won’t unless it’s absolutely a necessity. Happy New Years to you to your family!
You seem like a cool dude, I like your takes keep it up buddy
Shipping in Canada for that item is min $7 thru eBay and up to $9.50 to the other end of the country. My one store sells almost exclusive into the US and I eat a lot of shipping every year. We are getting a 20 to 40 cent increase on letter mail within Canada and the US, our last increase was just 6 months ago.
Ugh 😑 I have the flu 🤧 and none of this has been comprehensive to my foggy brain. So I will be watching again later. Wanted to say I hope you and the family have a magical New Years. Thanks for all you share with us Kevin. I have learned a lot from you & I appreciate it so much.
Ive had a few packages out of thousands go bad but Im a champion of the USPS.
The problem is:
The governments budget priorities favor spending money on wars- blowing up places so the crafty and corrupt lawmakers can skim off the contracts to rebuild everything they voted to destroy and handouts to other countries while neglecting our own infrastructure.
USPS should NOT be privatized. Its not about ‘competition’.
Citizens deserve a well funded and superbly functioning postal system and if private companies want to compete with that then good luck. Every-time things get privatized theres usually a gang of thugs otherwise known as corrupt politicians getting financially compensated.
Maybe but every time something is taken over by the government the tax payer foots the bill. PIck your poison.
Kevin will go after your Social Security next.
@@commonwealthflipper Shouldnt the actual postage foot the bill just as it does in a private business tho? We just need someone in charge that knows how to run a business without the corruption. I nominate you Kevin! 🫵🏼🤠👍🏼
@@sammonicuslux It is long, long past time to privatize Social Security. Good luck to you under 50, you will probably never see a dime of what you were forced to pay in.
My Go 2 Tape!
I worked for Uncle Sam for 20+ years. The issue is there are 2 kinds of federal employees: those that give 110% and those that give 10% with almost nothing in between. But that isn’t a government thing. It’s everywhere. When we would contract things out, we usually ended up with the same level of service but at a much higher cost to the taxpayer. The real issue is institutional lowering of standards and a failure to hold employees accountable.
I started selling on ebay 2024 q4 I sold and shipped 6 things successfully one was a couple days late, but nothing major. I am shipping my 7th sale tomorrow!
My only problem is if my post office went away I would have to travel 20 miles one way to mail packages right now I can walk to my post office
That was the consideration when the USPS was created, regardless of profit- it’s a service to the American people, for now one of the very few left and most take for granted.
My go 2 tape. I liked this one, gets me thinking going forward which ones to use
I would like to give you my opinion of whether the USPS should be privatized...but I do not have a crystal ball...
Absolutely not. Privatization in general ruins almost everything it touches. If someone isn’t profitable to serve then they get cut out. A lot of rural America would not get their mail and anything privatized will cost significantly higher and then people will have to pay an arm and a leg just to mail or ship anything. Any service that becomes for profit turns corrupt and it’s always worse for the consumers. People who rely on meds to be delivered by USPS because it’s the only service that will operate in their area will either not get them or have to find a very expensive way to receive them. There’s so many more problems I could list. Nothing good would come of privatizing USPS, just like nothing good would come from completely privatizing Healthcare, education, etc. It is never a good thing. Never. Privatization is a plague. We don’t need another greedy CEO leech in the world. Maybe people should stop voting people into our government who are puppets of these private corporations being paid to sabotage our government in order to make people think it’s not working for them and trick them into thinking privatization would somehow be better and then the CEO leeches will make more money while bleeding a service dry and destroying it completely in the process for the sake of money. They don’t care who they hurt by destroying the service as long as they get their money. Corporations will never have anyone’s best interests in mind other than their CEO’s and shareholders and that will be made very clear if the USPS were to ever become privatized.
I feel this ! Very well put!
Kevin LOVES privatization and deregulation.
I use USPS 100% of the time. Only had one issue when a delivery was late, buyer disregarded note from USPS carrier to leave gate unlocked so package could eventually delivered. In this case it was buyer issue, not USPS.
I appreciate so much the topics and info that you give us! I also teared up a bit when your sweet wife talked about the veteran who passed away and the great work being done in that community. Just keep being the good human that you are. The rest will work itself out. ❤
Happy New Year, everyone. Many blessings.
As far as the USPS, the way they operate now. There would not be near as many issues if they would hold their employees accountable for their jobs. If they did, there would not be near the issues that they have now. The services would be so much better. It's not political anything. Fix the accountability
& you'll see a huge difference.
I had 3 packages that were not delivered and were mailed a month ago, 2 of them finally arrived once I filled a loss package claim, the 3rd on has yet to show up. I don’t understand this, everything has tracking, how can they lose it?
My usps branch has issues but are awesome thankful for my post office branch in Nettleton MS 🎉
My current biggest issue with shipping is that I live rural. I do not even know where a UPS drop is less than 45 min. drive from me, and I only discovered a Fed Ex one about 20 min. away last week. USPS is the only company that I can put things on my porch and they will pick up. Now, if I don't request a drop, they might not show up at all, but that service alone saves me so much time and effort. I would assume if USPS was privatized, my rural route would end. I am normally for privatization of businesses, but the door to door aspect is a pretty amazing service.
The only package I've ever had lost was a priority package that was dropped off at the UPS store because it was too late to drop at PO. There was a problem with the QR code at the PO just before closing so i had to go home and email the label to Staples to get printed (didn't have a printer) then dropped at UPS store BECAUSE the lady at the post office said i could do that. Turned out something happened between UPS and USPS. Never started tracking. UPS said they handed off to USPS. Post office said they never got it from UPS. Lost one of my first sales, $60 new climbing shoes.
I stopped shipping 2 week before Christmas and pushed Whatnot shows to 2025, because the issues this year with USPS. I understand they are very busy during time of year. I only do this reselling part time and I was spending more time chasing items than I was listing or running shows. So it was easier for me to shut it down. I still have packages from November trying to move through the system. I will probably switch to UPS or FedEx during the holiday season this year.
My Go 2 Tape! Great thought provoking video. Going to the post office is a social event in smaller towns! Our post office is amazing. I had a misfire yesterday (NYE). Our PO lobby closed at noon and I along with many others showed up at 1 lol! I had an ebay pkg that had to go out, i have 1 day handling. Luckily it was a 4"x4" package that was allowed to go in the letter slot. I always get a receipt so i froze for a couple heartbeats. It started tracking in about 30 minutes. Yay!
Thanks for the great content always! Happy New Year to you and the family ❤️ God Bless❤️
FedEx was horrible for me this Christmas. I have two still lost. I dropped it off and they did not scan it in. They would not help me
My go 2 tape..... Keep up the content. Love listening while I post on ebay.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
My go 2 tape. Thanks, kevin, for the video.