Amazon/USPS shipping deal hurts local businesses

I have been in the manufacturing industry for decades, both in Florida and as a national voice for manufacturers here in the United States. I wanted to reach out to encourage you to take action on the unjust United States Postal Service agreements that benefit Amazon at the expense of hundreds of thousands of businesses like mine.

As the founder of Metal Essence, a manufacturing company I have led for more than 35 years, I know how important competitive shipping costs are to our bottom line. We regularly use USPS as well as FedEx, UPS and global trucking companies for our shipping needs. The fact that Amazon enjoys artificially low shipping rates from the USPS when we pay full price puts us at a disadvantage.

It makes no sense that USPS enters into preferential agreements with companies like Amazon that put small businesses at a disadvantage. We are the core of the Postal Service’s consumer base, so they should be giving us the same advantages to help us succeed.

I ask our policymakers to support small businesses by ensuring there is transparency in USPS shipping costs to make sure giants like Amazon are paying their fair share.

Al Stimac