Amazon.com quietly settles mysterious postal investigation |
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Amazon.com quietly settles mysterious postal investigation
Amazon.com disclosed in January 2009 that it was the subject of a mysterious investigation by the U.S. Postal Service. Neither Amazon nor the Postal Service said what the investigation was about, though some interesting theories popped up.
Now Amazon in its latest quarterly financial filing with the SEC says the investigation was closed last month and the company "settled for a nominal amount." The amount wasn't specified. I'm asking Amazon and the Postal Service for comment.
The U.S. Postal Service has reduced staff, sought higher stamp prices, and suggested cutting Saturday mail delivery as it grapples with a large budget deficit. (The Postal Service is part of the federal government but receives no tax dollars.) Amazon, the nation's biggest online retailer, is obviously a big customer for the Postal Service, so the stakes were high in this standoff.
The Postal Service investigation of Amazon involved the Postal Service Office of Inspector General. I'll update this post if I get more details.
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