skydiverek 63 #1 April 6, 2005 Hey, how does it work? Let's say you send the letter from the USA to China. Airmail or surface, doesn't matter. You pay a a $1 or so at your local US post office. The letter gets send, lands let's say in Amsterdam, is sorted again, gets on a plane, lands let's say in Russia, get's sorted again, gets on a plane and finally lands in China. Then the Chineses post ofice sorts it and Chinese mailperson deiveres it to someone... ...So, most of the work is done by foreign post offices, yet it is only the US post office that gets paid (postage charges). How does it work - are there some kind of agreements between countries saying "OK, we will work for free on mail coming from your country, and you will work for free on mail from our country?" What about the airline fuel cost for hauling tons of mail??? It made me thinking after I got a 16lbs package here in Poland today, that was sent from the US. The postage was $50, airmail. It probably stopped at several countries on the way. Polish post office courier (not mailperson) delivered it to my door in a special car, not used everyday. All that for free? Similar case with phone calls - you make the call from US to China, pay AT&T, but the calls goes through so many countries, wires, switchboards, etc, at someones cost (whom you did not pay), right?. How does it work? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #2 April 6, 2005 QuoteHow does it work easy.. it's magic!!!!! actually i don't know but i likethe question... will be waiting to see f there is a real answer!!! ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelel01 1 #3 April 6, 2005 That is SO FUNNY. I was JUST thinking about that the other day. And I don't know either. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumper03 0 #4 April 6, 2005 QuoteThat is SO FUNNY. I was JUST thinking about that the other day. And I don't know either. weird, I've often thougth the same thing too... I always thought it was in some treaty somewhere... Scars remind us that the past is real Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #5 April 6, 2005 I've never understood that either. We could ask the Postmaster General. It's my understanding, the post office is a 'private company' controlled by the govt.??? The phone companies are a whole 'nuther story! Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 63 #6 April 7, 2005 Maybe it is assumed that 99% of letters are answered, so same "work load" will go both ways, balancing the work and cost of invilved countries. But what about airline fuel cost??? Who pays them??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #7 April 7, 2005 I would imagine the various postal services as well as passengers. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
