Ebay wants to keep the Universal Postal Union. DO NOT BE FOOLED! This is BAD for US sellers!

[pangalactictrading]

USPS - High domestic postage rates are stifling American Businesses, particularly Small Businesses, and need to be dramatically lowered! Because of the current agreement, it is cheaper to ship from the other side of the world than from Elkhart to Goshen! Seriously: an item that costs me $3.86 to ship domestically I can ship from Taiwan for $1 and someone in China can ship it for 60 cents! US sellers are subsidizing e-packet mailings from Asia. I used to have a thriving e-commerce site--it was put out-of-business by a combination of cheaper manufacturing costs and much cheaper shipping from China! I know Ebay and Amazon oppose this, because Chinese vendors support their bottom line--but it is bad for us sellers and USPS loses BILLIONS of dollars per year having to deliver millions of cheap, e-packet mailings from Asia! This needs to stop! Go ahead and write to your representatives in DC, but SUPPORT President Trump's attempts to level the playing field and allow US sellers to be more competitive!

[anthology-of-treasures]

eBay was the driving force behind a 2010 trilateral agreement between eBay, the Chinese postal system (China Post), and the U.S. postal system (USPS). eBay officials attended the ceremony that celebrated the signing of the agreement, including Jeff Liao, CEO for eBay's Greater China and head of eBay's Asia-pacific cross-border trade. Liao is quoted as saying "The collaboration will make the most of the advantages of the three while helping expand eBay's profits".

eBay's lawyers found a clever way to exploit the language of the 1969 admendment to the UPU. eBay decided to exploit a program to help poor people in order to line their own pockets. This 2010 program is what allowed Chinese products to be sold on eBay using ultra cheap shipping labels. eBay could end this right now by ending their 2010 agreement to create co-branded shipping labels.

They are still flooding the U.S. and causing USPS to loose $300 a million a year according ot this article. That will be at least $3 billion in loses over the 10 years the program will run.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-made-the-right-call-to-withdraw-from-the-universal-pos...

China Post is the Chinese government, which regularly give subsidies to private companies. Many Chinese firms are in fact owned by the government itself. Many others are not real companies as they are run by former communist military and political leaders for their benefit. One branch of the Chinese government raising rates on another branch of the same government which then receives subsides from another branch.  All arms of the same octopus.

[anthology-of-treasures]

Worked quite well for eBay's managers to generate short term profits so those in charge can get their bonuses and stock options. Once they get their money they could care less.

These Chinese packages cause USPS to loose money. USPS raises rates and eBay makes more money.

eBay also makes comissions on the Chinese vendors on its site.

[dinosaur1957]

1.2 billion sellers on ebay- how many of these are selling from China at low prices we small businesses can't compete with? I wish ebay would cut all sales through these huge overseas companies but that would put them out of business-yay

[robhi23]

This treaty was done back in the 1800s when postage cost started at 1/2 cent.  The US is supposed to leave this treaty in September.  The cost of a 1 pound package sent from the West Coast to Florida is about 5 dollars.  Cost for China to ship 1 pound to Florida is about a $1.50 and for the person in the US to ship a 1lbs package to China cost almost $30 to ship.  Tariffs don't mean a thing unless these shipping imbalances are fixed.  

[warbuyer99]

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@pangalactictrading wrote:

USPS - High domestic postage rates are stifling American Businesses, particularly Small Businesses, and need to be dramatically lowered!

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How about FedEx and UPS rates? What are they doing to americans?