http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/ Engadget Comments for The US Postal Service wants your useless junk http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 2:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 5:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
Unfortunately it got outsourced. They opened every day. Then the guy running it started comparing everything to the Ebay price and it was all downhill from there. Still could find a good deal if they didn't know what they were looking at (got a video switcher for $20 once), but you had to go all the time, which got to be a big pain.

Some hamfests are still good places to find stuff, although ebay has really ruined a lot of them. The Northern VA/DC/Maryland area has a lot of good ones.

I know the government/Pentagon used to have pallet auctions, but that can be a pain too. I would imagine, like everything else, someone decided to make money on it, and drove up the costs for everyone.]]>Mar 19th 2008 6:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 12:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 6:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 3:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 4:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 5:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 5:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 3:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 3:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail111.html]]>Mar 19th 2008 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 3:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
Good initiative from USPS! Hope other countries follow.]]>Mar 19th 2008 3:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 3:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
I flush my waste papers.]]>Mar 19th 2008 4:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 4:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Recycling is a good thing, but repairs are even more 'green'.
Maybe a 'last chance' service; $5 donation and take something away from the pile, on the obligation if you can't fix it, bring it back for the final meltdown..]]>Mar 19th 2008 4:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 4:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 10:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/In some countries such as Eastern Europe, Africa, etc. people actually pay money for what electronics other people throw in their junk. Not that these people are too poor - I mean, even middle class professionals prefer to relieve their gizmo obession by ebay and second cand imports. Since I started paying for second hand, refurbished, etc. electronics I have everything I ever wanted. Getting cheap old tech as expendable gizmos such as memory, mp3s, etc... would be great. Bad, this won't happen. US wants landfills of tech...]]>Mar 19th 2008 6:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 10:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/---
Call me cynical, but why would the USPS do this unless they got something out of it?

Further down in the article it says they saved a shedload of money by reducing waste. I'm assuming this 'contract' will benefit their bottom line too? Not that it's bad news, but it would be interesting to know more about the finances of this deal and how it's really paying off for them. I highly doubt it's a charity thing.

Still, if it does what they say (reduce waste), it's a win-win.
]]>Mar 19th 2008 6:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 7:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/If you want to ensure you don't get any "junk mail" (Junk mail is just a great offer sent to the wrong person) be it standard rate or first-class, you have two options: 1) take out a restraining order on someone (this removes your name from the National Change of Address database, and deletes your record from any list compared to it), or 2) Become a mob informant and get into the witness protection program (this does the same thing, but is more fun)

Well, that's all for me you friendly interweb "USPS Certified Mail Quality Control Specialist" I hope you've enjoyed this learning experience as much as I have.
~G]]>Mar 19th 2008 8:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 8:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/And the price will go up $0.01/year for Single-piece 1st class postage for the forceable future.
Tell the government to pay the post office the $500,000,000.00ish they owe the PO for sending non-profit mail at below cost rates, offering free mail for the blind, and sending all election materials for free.
Also, stop sending those stupid square greeting cards.
Square= non-machinable i.e. sorted by hand. Do you really think the extra $0.20 covers sorting it?]]>Mar 19th 2008 9:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 8:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 9:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 10:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
Many companies sell this waste to developing countries where the items are taken apart by hand in deplorable conditions. The workers are filled with puncture wounds from the components and the components are then stripped for metals.

Beware where you dump your old electronics. Screwing over poor people in other countries who have not been educated on the dangers of that work is not the way I want to be "green".]]>Mar 19th 2008 10:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 19th 2008 11:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/
We've got to move these... refrigerators
We've got to move these color tee veeeees....]]>Mar 19th 2008 1:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 20th 2008 12:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/19/the-us-postal-service-wants-your-useless-junk/Mar 21st 2008 4:34AM