Universal Postal Union Gives Chinese Importers Considerable Advantages
WASHINGTON, DC, October 22, 2018 – The American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) and the catalog marketers and other remote merchants it represents praise the White House’s intention to withdraw from a longstanding adjunct of the United Nations, called the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which governs global postal rates.
As currently structured, the UPU enables lightweight packages (4.4 lbs. or less) coming from foreign nations, notably China, to be shipped into and across the U.S. at rates cheaper ($1.50) than the USPS charges domestically. “For a long time, this has created unfair competition and nobody has done anything about it,” said ACMA President & Executive Director Hamilton Davison. “Finally, the Administration has taken bold leadership on this issue and we applaud their actions and hope this can get a reasonable transfer price between posts.”
“We support the Administration‘s actions to address a longstanding issue,” Davison said, “but remain cautious that this not ultimately undermine commerce or postal finances.”
Beyond its concerns over the UPU, the ACMA and its members continue to work with Congress on postal reform issues as well. “However the election shakes out,” Davison said, “we look forward to working with Congressional leadership on reforming our postal system to ensure our members can continue enjoying its fine services with affordable rates.”
About the ACMA
The American Catalog Mailers Association is the only industry association advocating specifically for catalog and e-commerce marketers and their suppliers. As the primary advocate and voice for the Catalog Industry, we represent our members on issues that directly concern their immediate and long-term commercial interests. The catalog industry represents some $300 billion in annual commerce and is part of the larger mailing industry that represents $1.4 trillion of GDP that employs 7.5 million Americans.