Sent Items #231: Amazon's USPS Deal, Unilever Buys Grüns & Jassy's $200B Bet

Welcome to the April 11th edition of Sent Items.

We hosted another incredible edition of Matt's Chats this past week, diving deep into the absolute chaos that is the current tariff landscape. A massive thank you to our panelists from MasonHub, Passport, and TomboyX for sharing their playbooks on how to navigate this new global supply chain. If you missed it, you can watch the replay here:

The industry continues to shake up. Amazon and the USPS just struck a massive delivery deal, Unilever dropped $1.2 billion on a less than 3-year-old DTC brand, and Andy Jassy is fiercely defending a $200 billion capex spending spree.

Let’s get into it.

- Matt

The Mega Deal: Amazon & USPS Reach Delivery Agreement Just weeks after the USPS sounded the alarm on its dwindling cash runway - and right after Amazon officially overtook them in total parcel volume - the two giants have reportedly struck a major delivery deal. The WSJ reports that the agreement will restructure how Amazon injects volume into the postal network. While the specifics are still emerging, this is a massive lifeline for the USPS and a strategic move by Amazon to maintain final-mile density where its own network isn't fully built out yet. Source: WSJ

Unilever Acquires Grüns for $1.2 Billion A massive win for the D2C ecosystem. Consumer goods giant Unilever has acquired the fast-growing wellness brand Grüns for an estimated $1.2 billion. Founded just three years ago in 2023, Grüns took the crowded greens supplement market by storm by pivoting from powders to a daily gummy, turning a daily chore into an enjoyable habit. Shipping over 10 million gummies a day, Grüns proves that hyper-focused, digitally native brands can still achieve billion-dollar exits in the current market. Source: Unilever

"Not on a Hunch": Andy Jassy's 2026 Shareholder Letter Amazon CEO Andy Jassy released his highly anticipated annual shareholder letter this week, and it served as a fierce defense of the company's aggressive spending. Jassy pushed back against fears of an AI bubble, justifying Amazon's staggering $200 billion in capital expenditures for 2026. "We're not investing approximately $200 billion in capex in 2026 on a hunch," he wrote, noting the massive demand for AWS and custom chips. The letter also highlighted Amazon's push into satellite internet (Project Kuiper/Amazon Leo) and its $4 billion investment in expanding rural delivery networks. Source: WSJ

The Tariff Refund Portal Opens April 20 The hangover from the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the IEEPA tariffs has been dominated by administrative confusion. In fact, bettors on Polymarket believe it’s a 50/50 chance that the government would even be forced to process refunds by June.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just announced that in 10 days - on April 20 - it will launch the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool. This will provide an electronic pathway in the ACE Secure Data Portal to finally submit those IEEPA duty refund claims. Phase 1 is limited to specific unliquidated entries, but the line to reclaim that $130 billion is officially forming. If you are an Importer of Record (IOR) or a Customs broker, ensure your ACE Portal account is active and your bank account information is updated immediately.

Here’s a helpful graphic explaining the timeline:

Data Check: Ocean Spot Rates Spike Again So much for the post-Lunar New Year cooldown. Average spot rates to ship a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles hit $2,910 for the week ending April 9, up 9% from the week before. The continued disruptions in the Middle East and tightening bunker fuel availability are forcing rates up during a period when they historically soften. Source: [Drewry]

Third Person Updates & Content

Applications Open: The September Retreat (Sept 28-30) We are already building our next Logistics & Leadership Retreat, and applications are officially open for our fall event (Sept 28-30) here in Nashville. If you are an operator looking to connect with the best in the business, apply now. We have begun accepting folks, and applications officially close in two weeks. (Note: We also have a few select sponsorship opportunities open for September - reply to this email if you are interested in more info).

RSVP: Home Delivery World VIP Dinner (Nashville) We are going big for Home Delivery World in May! Third Person will be set up on the floor with a booth in the Startup Zone, and we are hosting a private dinner and a happy hour. Our 2nd Annual HDW VIP Dinner hosted with Tusk Logistics and Two Boxes is now finalized - space is extremely limited, so request your spot at the link below. 👉 RSVP for the HDW Dinner Here

Applications Open: The September Retreat (Sept 28-30) Applications are officially open for our fall event (Sept 28-30) here in Nashville. We are almost sold out. (Note: We also have a few select sponsorship opportunities open for September - reply to this email if your brand wants to get involved).

The Last Mile Lens: UniUni Interview I recently sat down with the team at UniUni for Part 2 of their Last Mile Lens series. We discussed the last-mile metrics that are overhyped and the ones that more brands should pay attention to 👉 Read the Interview Here

Where I'll Be

🏙️ SubSummit (Kansas City | May 13-15) I’m heading to KC in May for SubSummit, the biggest and most valuable event for subscription brands. I have an exclusive promo code coming for brands who want to attend. Comped tickets for brands (incl travel stipend). Reach out for an intro.

🚚 Home Delivery World (Nashville | May 20-21) HDW is coming to our backyard! Third Person will once again have a booth in the Startup Zone on the floor. We are also hosting a dinner and happy hour throughout the week. If you are coming to Nashville for the show, let me know so we can get you on the list.

Have a great week!

- Matt

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