Feasibility of private, non-profit NH post office?

[Porcupine_in_MA]

To start, I think starting as a private club would be great way to get off the ground (and keep the Feds away).  I also think it would be really neat to see a bunch of Freedom Mail Boxes on people's property.  I wonder what the USPS Couriers would think when they pulled up one day to see a Freedom Box next to the Post Master's General "Approved" box. 

The poor USPS workers would shit in their blue/grey pants... 

[David]

I doubt it would bother them much. 
when people have set up in the past anything that resembles competition, the post office sends i believe the secret service to shut it down.  Some of the examples I have heard of them doing this is amazing.  A boy on a bicycle was delivering large package letters, and they ordered him to stop.  Dennis identified this as civil d., because thats what it would be. 

[d_goddard]

There are lots of ways this idea can be played out:
Profit vs. non-profit
Civ Dis vs. (try to) stay legal
... and a zillion options for how to attract customers

At this point, I'm looking for someone to pick up the ball and run with it.
My time is already maxed out, but I could be a "premier customer", and/or an advertiser, and/or an investor, and/or an evangelist.
All depends on there being something for me to support, and how supportworthy it looks.

[J’raxis 270145]

To start, I think starting as a private club would be great way to get off the ground (and keep the Feds away).  I also think it would be really neat to see a bunch of Freedom Mail Boxes on people's property.  I wonder what the USPS Couriers would think when they pulled up one day to see a Freedom Box next to the Post Master's General "Approved" box. 

I'd recommend using boxes similar to what most newspapers use—perhaps the USPS will just mistake it for a new newspaper. Naturally, it should be bright yellow plastic and emblazoned with the same imagery on the Gadsden flag.

[Ogre]

Thinking out loud...

Okay, I like the idea of the bright yellow newspaper-style box.  Now privacy?  How does that work?  I mean, it's going to a house!  Or do you mean the idea that things might be shipped without fear of government intervention...

I know that there are billions of postal regulations about what can and cannot be shipped.  I wonder if FreedomMail would be able to ship anything?  Would there be potential insurance risks if accidents happened with items that were shipped.  What if something were shipped that damaged property after it arrived?  Would an insurance company provide coverage to a vehicle that was being used for these purposes?  If it's not crossing state borders, I'm not sure how the feds can get involved at all (technically).

Would FreedomMail service ship anything of any size?  Would they deliver anywhere in NH, or just to other FreedomMail subscribers?  If anyone, would they just drop stuff off at the doorstep, perhaps with an ad for FreedomMail services?  To get started, perhaps FreedomMail could agree to install the FreedomMail mailbox for free?  I wonder if the yellow mailbox should be a unique shape like triangular.  For startup, I can see the need for enough cash to pay for operations for at least 3 months as subscribers were added, including vehicle, gas, employees (?), and mailboxes.  Would subscribers pay a monthly fee and mail as much stuff as they wanted perhaps, instead of a per-item fee?  Maybe you get your first 25 items each month free, then you have to pay extra? 

[J’raxis 270145]

Thinking out loud...

Okay, I like the idea of the bright yellow newspaper-style box.  Now privacy?  How does that work?  I mean, it's going to a house!  Or do you mean the idea that things might be shipped without fear of government intervention...

I think the privacy aspects would be that the service wouldn't maintain transaction records of any sort. You give them a target address and pay for the postage, it gets sent, and then it gets forgotten about, period.

[David]

A niche market in mail, could be lockable mailboxes.  Each with individual keys.  The route carrier with one key, and the owner with the other.    It would help ease fear of Id theft. 

[Ogre]

Hmmm...lockable triangle boxes...

That would be like PO Boxes -- but then if someone wanted privacy, wouldn't they already have a PO Box?  Of course, yes, these would be more convenient because they'd be at your house... what about over sized packages that didn't fit in the lock box?

Any other people think the idea of a monthly fee for the service, use it as much as you want, would have a draw?

[PattyLee loves dogs]

You can pay me .25 to take a letter from your house to a friend's house.  I doubt the feds are going to raise a stink over this.

The earlier poster was correct... the Feds once shut down CUB SCOUTS for competing with the Post Office.

Not saying the idea is bad... just be clear that you're going to prison about four hours after you start the operation (unless they mail the summons, then you have a few days  ). But there's certainly lots of people who would like to send a letter for less than 41 cents.

[elf]

I love this idea.  Pull the rug out from under the sneaky peekers hiding behind the Patriot Act!  I am willing to do some research on the matter.  I'll talk to some co-ops and  legal eagles.   
 
Liberty Courier Club for members only.  Start off as a co-op.   This will be a closed system.  We'll be sending/receiving amongst ourselves. 
Each person pays a nominal fee to join.  A per use fee is realistic.  Autonomy, freedom from outside control, and privacy have a price.  Each transfer point will be using up precious space for the holding area.  It's unavoidable.  Member pitch in time to run it.  We all learn as we go.   We gain skills in entrepreneurship, time management, customer service.  Maybe a lesson in how-to-beat-a-monopoly.  We maintain our privacy.  We do things our way.  A Utopian system would be nice, but we live in a litigious society.  Each of us would like to send and receive stuff for next to nothing. The reality is that storage space, vehicles, fuel, phones, maps, and office supplies cost money.

Legal concerns:
  A written business proposal or charter.
  Who does what, and when.
  Licensing issues, if any are required. Whether or not working out of homes is "legal".
   - if a separate business location is mandatory in state law, we could avoid those problems by organizing as a private social club [no address required]
  Insurance issues - for vehicles and cargo, and for house and cargo holding areas.
  Money issues.  Who holds the money.  How much to charge?
  How to handle disagreements.
  What to do when members resign.     
  Operations procedures.  Put it in writing so everyone understands.  Tasks get done, customers are happy, membership grows.
 
A member's home in each town is the dropoff/transfer point.   Each dropoff has a map and schedule of all other transfer points, routes, and contact info.
At first, no home delivery.  Members pick up and drop off at their local Courier Club.  Outgoing items go to adjacent counties.   Members will decide on the frequency of transfers, depending on volume.  A package or letter from Coos County might take a week to get to Rockingham Co.  It has to make several stops along the way.  The transfer point in Merrimack makes a run to Sullivan, for example.  Drop off everything for Sullivan, pick up everything for Merrimack.  Next time, Sullivan runs to Merrimack. 

When we get to the point of home delivery:  Logistics grow complex, but I do love a challenge!
Parcels and letters go to the recipient's door, just like a FedEx or DHL or UPS package.  No USPS mailbox look-alikes.  Let's avoid the appearance of direct competition to the federal monopoly.  When I was a kid, the townies had milk boxes on their porches.  We put the glass bottles inside, took back the empties.  Our club's boxes could easily be the same idea - with locks - and firmly anchored to the building.  Again, no mailbox look-alikes out at the street or on a house.  Lockboxes with a logo perhaps? 

[Lloyd Danforth]

To start, I think starting as a private club would be great way to get off the ground (and keep the Feds away).  I also think it would be really neat to see a bunch of Freedom Mail Boxes on people's property.  I wonder what the USPS Couriers would think when they pulled up one day to see a Freedom Box next to the Post Master's General "Approved" box. 

The poor USPS workers would shit in their blue/grey pants... 

I doubt delivery of first class mail to houses could ever be profitable, but, If we ever have private first class mail service, companies like UPS and Fedex will be running them as they already have most of the infrastructure.
I've been hearing about private mail companies for more than 30 years.

[J’raxis 270145]

Operating out of people's homes is dangerous if when the government finally decides to try and put you out of business. When they arrive with a search warrant to seize "all materials" at the business address of the Liberty Courier Club, do you want that address to be your home address?

(This isn't theoretical: I know of this happening to someone who ran an online business out of their home.)