13 April 2024

Before you complain about the postal service...


... study this table.  Details from NPR:
The office compared the U.S. to 30 other nations that were selected by country size and postal service revenue, as well as the ability to source reliable data. The list includes much of the European Union, along with countries such as Canada, Japan, Brazil and Russia.

In raw numbers, only four countries had cheaper stamps than the U.S. And while many postal services have raised prices in recent years, the U.S. increases were moderate compared to most nations in the sample.

"The price of a [USPS] stamp increased by 26 percent from June 2018 to June 2023 ($0.50 to $0.63)," the inspector general report states, "which is less than half of the average increase for our sample size (55 percent) during that period."

When the OIG adjusted its analysis for purchasing power parity — a currency conversion rate used to compare the relative affordability of goods in different countries — the U.S. had the lowest stamp price of the 31 postal services.

14 comments:

  1. As much as I believe the fair intent of the USPS's OIG, this result seems EXTREMELY favorable to their employer. I can't help but notice that it doesn't include China, India, or any of the other top 6 population nations besides the US (Brazil is largest at about 63% our population).

    It seems like analyzing the prices for more nations and according to exchange rates would be pretty straightforward to perform, preferably by a more independent group to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. I don't know that exchange rates is any more valid than PPP, but it's a worthwhile counterpoint.

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    1. Most of the countries on the list are roughly the size of a single state in the US. If people there want to send a letter further than those nearby borders, they pay an international rate, which is much higher. Which makes the comparison MORE unfair.

      Comparing to the developing countries that you mention is not a bad idea, but more complicated because life standards and wages are much lower than in the US.

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  2. Kinda meaningless when almost nobody is using stamps, compared to other online delivery options. If a lot of people, say seniors, are buying stamps in the US to communicate, that doesn't see all that positive.

    Check metrics for family cohesion, happiness and health and see how that tracks with stamp prices.

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  3. I'm a big fan of the post office and think they do a hell of a good job.Sometimes by dogsled although I read recently they've retired the last dog team. Sometimes by helicopter. Many people have more to send than opinions and hot air.
    xoxoxoBruce

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  4. I wonder how the the bulk/marketing mail rates fair in comparison. My cursory glance seemed to show that junk mail can be be put in my box for as little as 22¢ I also wonder what the rate/piece are for the handling of the last mile deliveries for the other carriers is.

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    1. This old post may be somewhat relevant to your query:

      https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2023/11/mailmen-told-to-give-priority-to-amazon.html

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    2. I had missed that, thanks. Relative to where we're at Bemidji is a big town.

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  5. In Italy, stamps are used as a way of paying certain taxes. ("stamp duty" literally) So if you need to submit some document to some Government office, you sometimes need to buy a stamp and affix it to the document as a way of paying a processing fee.
    I wonder whether this affects the ranking in the image. The title says "stamp price" while the text below says "price of mailing", which is different.

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    1. The title says "stamp price" while the text below says "price of mailing", which is different.

      Love how (some) Americans twist themselves into pretzels when confronted by simple data showing that the US is not #1, because that is just unimaginable.

      People see a summary of some research, then start picking at the language of the summary, where as always, language has got a little less precise than in the full study.

      Whether it's anti-vaxxers, holocaust deniers, climate change deniers, racists, they keep "just asking questions" about things that have been answered ad nauseam, just not in the current blurb.

      Sadly, much of the media lets them get away with it.

      The problem with it this strategy is that it is really hard to counter. Because if you dive into the details of the study, you will lose most of the audience immediately because it generally can not appreciate the subtlety of the very precise language in the full study. This because they lack the knowledge of the specific jargon and standard techniques used in that field.

      The answer to most "I'm just asking questions" remark is, go google yourself, and when you find you're in over your head, go to college and become an expert in the field.

      Debate about all these subjects is not in podcasts, or columns, or tiktok videos. It is in scientific literature, and everyone is free to participate in the debate. But it's usually too much effort for the deniers to become an expert. They prefer googling around, cherry picking data, and then having linguistic debates instead of actually understanding the data and providing data that supports their denial. Not only because science is hard, but also because deep down, they know that such data can not be found.

      Playing oratory tricks is much easier than disproving settled science.

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  6. The USPS has always been the target of constant bashing and insulting criticism.
    I also find the term "snail mail" to be unjustified. In 60+ years of using the USPS I have never had a letter go astray or be unreasonably delayed. I think reports of letters' taking 20 years to be delivered are mostly urban legend. My evaluation of USPS would be prices fair, service good to very good.

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    1. Ha! I have had packages gone missing at the USPS, with USPS tracking showing that the package was at the post office. Also, bills delayed, or lost, mail damaged, etc.

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  7. Back in the good old USPS days, and I was trading music via cassettes, I recall four day delivery from south east coastal New England to the Bay area - mail a package of tapes (as Media Mail) on Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday to get across country, delivered Thursday at their mailbox.

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  8. My son has a rare genetic disorder and the community of families with it small. The internet has allowed us to connect with families around the world though, and we have card exchanges for major holidays (like Christmas)- partly to remind ourselves that we aren't alone on the journey and partly because it seems to be a fairly universal truth that getting a card addressed to you is an instant day- maker. This was the first year that many in the group limited how many cards they sent out (,only doing 50 of the 95 people in the exchange for example). The rationale was almost universally along the lines of "mail is getting bloody expensive - especially international mail!" Our friends in Sweden were paying well over $5 US to send a postcard to us, for example. And our friends in India said they spent more mailing out cards than they spent on their Christmas feast and decorations.
    Our postal system has always been fairly reliable and I'm a bit sad that my son's generation may not know the same joy of opening the mailbox to find glossy magazines full of fascinating pictures, cards and letters from family far away, and little packages full of possibilities. Opening an email just isn't the same.

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  9. This reminds me of an old comedy routine (that I couldn't find anymore) where the comic was talking about the post office and people's complaints. He said "For a quarter, the Post Office will come to your house, pick up a letter, take it across the country and give it to someone else. What more do you want? Change?"

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