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Thu July 21 2016 11:46:08

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

By: Reader

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Dear Ina,
Thank you for bringing this very important issue to our attention: that postal reform is being discussed and that we can submit comments to the PRC until 4:30 pm July 21st (tomorrow).

I am writing to beg you to update the instructions on your blog post or very few will figure out how to comment. I tried to comment today by reading your blog post and the instructions on the PRC website and could not. It is the most user-unfriendly website I have ever seen. I had to call Mary Hanks at PRC to be walked through the process.

I then compiled careful instructions on how to post and shared them on Amazon seller forums- Amazon promptly censored my posts by deleting them. They also threatened to revoke my "posting privileges".

I explained the only violation to their forum guidelines was posting outside links and asked if I could re-post the subject matter, which is highly relevant to selling on Amazon, without the links. Glenn from seller support responded no, I could not as I was soliciting people to take action outside of Amazon, and he restated the threat that my ability to use the forum would be revoked if I attempted to post anything they deem inappropriate.

Ina, most people will give up as commenting is so confusing on that site without proper instructions. Your blog post did not explain all the steps and the online website instructions you referred to also does not explain all the steps. Please share so people will comment in the few hours left!

Instructions:

1.) Once you have successfully created a temporary account using this link and by creating a username with all letters, this is how to proceed.

2.) Please understand there are two ways to weigh in. The less effective quick non-public way to leave a comment that will make it to Postal Regulatory Commission attorneys and analyst is to simply click the "contact us" white envelope in the upper right hand corner of the website.

A form comes up where you can fill out name, contact info etc and your comment. Fill all the fields out. Your comment is not posted on the website, it is simply forwarded to the attorneys and analyst working on this docket. They don't share your info, but see the comments. Be sure to include Docket IM2016-1 in that comment.

If you wish to leave a more powerful formal comment that carries much more legal weight and becomes a permanent part of the record of this docket, then you create a business letter with your comment in a word processing program such as microsoft word, and you upload that file after you have created it (which I will clarify the steps for in a minute).

See examples of the ONLY FIVE comments posted so far here:

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT ALL INFO IN YOUR COMMENT LETTER GETS POSTED PUBLICLY THIS WAY, SO YOU MAY OPT TO LEAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER OFF THE TEXT OF THE LETTER, ETC.

Your uploaded letter with your comment gets displayed publicly so choose your content there according to your privacy desires. But enough information must be included for it to stand as a legal document from a known citizen who can be verified.

3.) Once you have written and saved your comment in a word processing program such as microsoft word, you click the white "file online" cloud with an arrow inside it on the upper right hand corner of any page on this website.

You will see a screen that says "Welcome to filing online, so-and-so name here, temporary account holder". Underneath that are options; you click on "create filing record".

4.) Now you have a form to fill out. First field is the docket number, for which you must choose IM2016-1 from the drop down menu .

-authorized by: your name

-filing party: don't worry about this field

-document title: comments of first name last name, business name.

-Click "upload files from computer". It takes you to a screen where you click the choose file button (any file ending in .DOC, .WPD, .RTF, .XLS, .DOCX or .XLSX).

After you have chosen the file for upload, there is a button that says "upload file and return" that you must click. Then you are taken back to the original filing template screen with your document showing as attached.

There will be a button underneath the "upload file" section that says "convert to PDF". You have to click that button. Then the system automatically generates a PDF from the original file you uploaded and attaches that to the comment you are filing. The system requires PDF's, it requires this step.

-Comments for the docket staff: can leave blank

-Defer filing: check the box that says "no deferral"

-At the very bottom click the box "submit filing record"

Then a detail review page comes up where you must once again click "submit" or the comment does not go through. So you will have clicked a box that says "submit" twice or the system will not get your comment.

Please take time to upload a formal letter comment. If you do not want to take the time to do this (took me less than 5 min with instructions) then please at least click the "contact us" link and submit an informal comment for the attorneys and analysts to review.
Thank you!
Marjorie

Comments (6) | Permalink

Readers Comments

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: FeelingFroggy

Thu Jul 21 14:55:53 2016

To complicated for most people.

I have more important things in life to do that to try and fight useless politicians for their quest of grandular.

Life is to short to worry about how, who or why the chinese pay less than me.

Get a life or keep on whining and making yourself ill. Not worth it.

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: puppy

Thu Jul 21 17:30:52 2016

The only way we will ever improve the current disparity in ecommerce that grossly favors China is to take action and speak up en masse. I spoke to workers at the Postal Regulatory Commission who desperately want us all to speak out on this issue because IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Those who profit off of this unfair terminal dues discounts very much want people to respond as "feelingfroggy" has. Do not fall down the hole of discouragement and inaction. Speak Up! These proceedings will massively impact the state of ecommerce from 2018-2021. Those who take no action have themselves to blame later.

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: FeelingFroggy

Thu Jul 21 18:53:13 2016

@Puppy

The biggest action one can take without pandering to the politicians is DON'T BUY FOREIGN.

But the reason most people buy foreign is that it is so much cheaper and with 10.00 an hour jobs and families to support can you blame them. Sometimes its food on the table over the new shoes.

What these useless politicians need to do is job creation here in the United States.

I wonder just who thinks if it was cheap to sent to China do you really think those people are going to buy your stuff. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: puppy

Fri Jul 22 00:16:25 2016

I agree that how we shop and spend our money has big effects- that is one way to exert influence over time. But this docket and a call for comments on it is about postal reform of US terminal dues- changing policies that determine what China and other Asian countries pay for the "last mile" of delivery, meaning the fees they have to pay the country where the item goes through final delivery. There are very out of date systems that determine this now, I believe through the United Nations. These systems are archaic and resulting in a grossly unfair ecommerce advantage to Chinese/Asian merchants. Working to understand the policies that caused this problem and using our voices to demand they be changed to a fair and equal system will impact ecommerce and the American economy rapidly. With all due respect, please consider: it is a foolish man who says "they must fix it, they are lazy, politicians are not doing a good enough job" but fails to do any work himself to understand the problem and voice opinions to help fix it. We are all to blame if we do nothing except complain to one another and take no constructive action to fix this. And finally, to clarify: I do not believe there is any discussion right now on this docket about decreasing what the US pays to China as terminal dues. I believe right now what is being discussed is ending the unfair shipping discount China and Asian countries receive when shipping to USA.

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: puppy

Fri Jul 22 00:24:44 2016

TO ANYONE READING THIS AFTER DEADLINE: You can still try to comment. When I spoke with a PRC employee, they told me that the public's weigh in on this is so important, I should encourage people to comment even past the 4:30pm deadline on July 21st. Its not to late to still try!

How to Comment on PRC Website on UPU Terminal Dues

by: Tiffee Jasso

Fri Jul 22 16:21:47 2016

It would take a rocket scientist to get through most of the hurdles the PRC has put in place for one to make a comment. after some minutes, I gave up and emailed my Congressman complaining about the PRC, the difficulty in making a formal comment and what impact the lower shipping rates Asians get has made for me. I included the fact that I now pay three to four hundred percent more for shipping than I used to and part of that increase is to offset the losses the Post Office takes for delivering Asian packages. It was much faster to contact my Congressman, and maybe, more effective as he is one of the ones questioning the disparity of rates between US and foreign seller shipping rates.

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