Postnord's Unfair Shipping Agreements Threaten Small Businesses and Fair Competition

PostNord is not a private company – it is a postal and logistics corporation owned by the Swedish state (together with the Danish state). As such, it carries a public responsibility to treat all businesses equally, regardless of their size. Yet today we see a systematic distortion: large e-commerce platforms receive volume agreements with shipping costs that are only a fraction of what small businesses are forced to pay. This is not market-driven, and it constitutes state-level discrimination.

Sending many packages does not mean that each individual shipment becomes cheaper to handle. A single shipment cannot be considered less costly simply because someone ships a higher total volume. Nevertheless, small businesses’ ability to compete is negatively affected by these terms.

A clear example is Tradera (the Swedish equivalent of eBay): the very same shipping service via PostNord can be purchased at up to one-third of the price if sold through Tradera, while the cost is significantly higher if purchased through a company’s own agreement for its webshop. The logic becomes paradoxical: the business can offer customers low shipping prices through a certain platform, but not through its own store – even though the service itself is identical. This directly affects which sales channels are economically viable and distorts competition.

Moreover, the requirement of high volumes in order to access the same shipping prices as other companies creates a classic catch-22. Low shipping costs are often a prerequisite for even being able to achieve high volumes. In practice, PostNord demands that “the cart be placed in front of the horse” – small businesses must first reach volumes that they cannot achieve precisely because of high shipping costs.

This practice undermines competition. Large players can offer customers almost free deliveries, while small businesses are forced to charge higher prices – or risk losing customers and their livelihoods. When the state, through its own company, effectively decides which businesses are allowed to survive and which are not, this becomes not only an economic issue but also an ethical and legal one.

The fact that the power to decide which companies receive favorable shipping agreements is concentrated in the hands of individual decision-makers also creates fertile ground for corruption. The best agreements should serve as precedent-setting standards – they should establish fair conditions across the market and, at the same time, benefit consumers through better shipping prices.

The consequences for small businesses are both economic and psychological. When the market conditions are so unfair, the road ahead can appear blocked. In the worst cases, this leads to tragedies – and for those tragedies, decision-makers must be held accountable.

A state-owned company should not favor the strongest players while simultaneously undermining the smallest. PostNord must ensure that all entrepreneurs, both large and small, have equal terms. This is not only a matter of fairness – it is a matter of legality, transparency, and how the state shapes a sustainable and healthy market.

👉 This must change. If you agree, please share this message to raise awareness. Together we can demand fair rules, equal opportunities, and a healthier market for everyone.