Posted By:
Tom BoblittI work at UPS and have spent quite a bit of time at our sites on the Northern border dealing with volume TO and FROM Canada and less than 1% of UPS's volume actually gets inspected by U.S. or Canadian Customs. Physically opened and looked at type of inspected.
I can pretty much guarantee you the post offices are less than that. UPS and the other private carriers are also subjected to having to pay duties and taxes on ALL shipments, not just a few high value ones that people send through the postal services. Hence the unlevel, monopolized playing field.
UPS and FedEx charge around 40-50 cents per hundred dollars insurance with the first $100 being free. Free tracking too. Neither of those at the post office. As far as delivery confirmation that just a sham basically although it is 'proof' it was delivered. At least at UPS and FedEx you get intermediate point scanning so you know where your package was last when they lost it (that's for Tbob.....).