Nowadays, in the philatelic circle, colorful postage labels are popular and overwhelming.
Color postage label is the popular name of stamp collectors, in fact, there is a scientific name, called digital anti-counterfeiting postage machine publicity stamp (self-adhesive), which belongs to a kind of postage machine publicity stamp. Postage machine publicity stamps are based on traditional postage machine stamps to add patterns or words with a promotional nature.
According to China Post's documents, there are currently three kinds of postage machine publicity stamps, namely monochrome postage machine publicity stamps, color digital anti-counterfeiting postage machine publicity stamps (printing type) and color digital anti-counterfeiting postage machine publicity stamps (self-adhesive type). The printing type is that the machine prints directly to the seal, and the self-adhesive type is printed into a label and then pasted on the cover, so it is called a color postage label by the stamp collector.
Compared with the first two, the self-adhesive type can be printed centrally, so the picture is often very exquisite, which is deeply loved by a group of beginner philatelic enthusiasts. The self-adhesive type is divided into three categories: national version, provincial version and special customized version. From a nationwide perspective, the frequency of self-posting is getting higher and higher, and it is already a bit blinding. The post merchants saw the business opportunities and followed the hype, so that the self-posting type had the potential to play a leading role in the philatelic market.
Since it is called self-posting, as the name suggests, it is like a stamp, which is posted by the user himself on an envelope or postcard. But in fact, this kind of as the name suggests is difficult to establish. You've probably seen people put postage labels on various covers, or even multiple postage labels on a single cover like multiple stamps; but you've certainly never seen anyone buy a color postage label like a stamp. Why? Because it is not sold separately.
Why not sell separately? Because China Post has a policy, it is not allowed to sell separately. Where is the policy? See here - Article 32 of China Post's current "Measures for the Administration of Postage Machine Publicity Stamp Business (Provisional)" clearly stipulates: "The digital anti-counterfeiting postage machine publicity stamp (self-adhesive type) cannot be sold separately and cannot be reused except for special circumstances and major activities approved by the group." Standard envelopes and postcards produced by the State Post Bureau must be used as the carrier, and shall be used by China Post Group Corporation or its subordinate branches on the envelopes and postcards, and shall not be used on other carriers. ”
Now I understand that the main body of this self-posted actor is China Post. China Post is really modest, obviously you can call the official sticker, but you have to call it self-posting.
However, some people, who think they know a little about the market economy, actually came out and questioned: "Is this regulation of China Post suspected of bundling?" Is it illegal to buy postage together with an envelope or postcard, and to bundle up two products and two services for different purposes and sell them together? And what is even more remarkable is to write this policy into the public management regulations. ”
Some people have also come up with the Anti-Monopoly Law, saying that there is an article 17 in it: "It is forbidden for business operators with a dominant market position to engage in the following acts of abusing their dominant market position: (5) tying up goods without justifiable reasons, or attaching other unreasonable trading conditions to transactions;"
Is the monopoly related to China Post? You can choose other postage payment methods, such as buying stamps, over ordinary machine stamps, who let you buy this self-adhesive promotional stamp? You say you like this beautifully printed label, then there is no way, it is your voluntary choice.
But the postal service does have a bit of a handle on price issues. Taking a recent large-scale event as an example, the first day cover of the commemorative stamp is priced at 3 yuan for the cover of a stamp, and the cover of two stamps is priced at 4 yuan, and the price of the blank cover is equivalent to about 2 yuan. However, the price of the labeled seal is generally 10 yuan, and the less one is 8 yuan. That is, by bundling with labels (which collectors call signatures), the price of blank seals soared from $2 to $9.
Postal forces labels, postmen help to speculate, postage labels have become a hot commodity in the philatelic market. The envelope of 10 yuan from the post office can be sold for 20 or 30 yuan a piece through the postal agent's agency. Under the planning of the postman, there is also a phenomenon of "unveiling and moving the sign", that is, the postage label is removed from the seal sold by the postal service and pasted on the cover that he wants to paste, or several labels are attached to a cover, and then the actual mail is done. Although the cost of this kind of philatelic product is high, the price is also high, and the natural profit is also high. According to the provisions mentioned earlier that "other carriers shall not be used", "unveiling and moving" is obviously a violation of the regulations of the postal service, but why are the philatelic products after the "transfer" unimpeded in almost all post offices?
In my little heart, the "no use on other carriers" rule ensures that the postal service gets high added value from the label, and now that the money has been earned, what else does it do? If you don't let the "transfer" mail, how many labels do you have to sell less, and how much money do you make less? And the label as a kind of postage voucher, if the post office does not let people use it, how much tongue and how much quarrel do you have to spend? After all, your management regulations are for internal documents, and there is no wide public announcement.
Just when I thought my explanation was very deep, a postman sent an article, he believes that this self-adhesive postage machine propaganda stamp actually has the nature of an electronic stamp, but once it is counted as an electronic stamp, then it must be managed according to the stamp, and the postal service does not have so much autonomy. Pushing one today and pushing one tomorrow, pushing one in this province and pushing one in that city, pushing three fives and ten eights at a time may not be allowed. As a machine stamp management, the postal service can do as much as you want. This is the deep reason why the postal service stipulates that postage labels are not "sold". Once "sold", there must be a suspicion of electronic stamps. Not "sold", kill two birds with one stone.
It seems that I am shallow.
Source: Travel Notes from Laughing Creek