Shipping Blog Archives

Walmart and Best Buy have begun the daunting task of trying to beat Amazon Prime at its own game. But what exactly do their new services offer, and can they stand up to Amazon's bevy of extras? Let's look at how they compare.

Amazon really wants small merchants and overseas sellers to use their shipping services, so it's slashing rates. That's good news for shoppers, who will get more Amazon items, faster and cheaper.

A lot of online stores will ship your orders for free, but those bargains often come with limitations. To help you navigate, we've put together a list of 48 retailers that offer free shipping, and some tips on how these deals work.

Amazon Prime members are guaranteed a free 1-month Prime extension if their 2-day shipments are late. But our readers tell us the mega retailer is sometimes denying those claims. We looked at Amazon's seemingly confused policy, and what you can do about it.

Most retailers require a minimum purchase before an order can bag free shipping. Staples was one of the holdouts, offering members of its rewards program unlimited free shipping on every order. Now, the policy has changed, and members are required to spend at least $14.99 before they qualify.

Amazon's minimum for free shipping for non-Prime members just increased to $49. We surveyed shoppers to see how the change would affect their shopping habits.

If your Prime delivery is late, Amazon's fine print grants you a free month of Prime, up to 12 times. DealNews tested out this guarantee, and we want your input!

Christmas is just around the corner, and as we approach Santa's big debut, retailers are spreading a little holiday cheer of their own by discounting speedier shipping options to ensure delivery by Christmas Eve.

The holidays are upon us, and if you want to avoid any last-minute, frenzied trips to the mall, the time to shop is now. To help you spend as little as possible on shipping fees, we've collected cut-off dates for Christmas delivery at some of today's most popular retailers.

The big holiday retailer players are fully in the game, announcing free shipping, rolling out the commercials, and even offering a new take on curbside pickup. But one key retailer is missing from the free shipping mix: Walmart.

The biggest retailer in the world today announced the launch of a new free shipping program that, for half the cost of Amazon Prime, promises online deliveries in just three days or less. But without the numerous Prime-like perks, can Walmart win over today's online shoppers?

Great news for Target fans: the retailer is offering free shipping on orders of $25 or more, half its previous $50 minimum.

This holiday season saw a record number of retailers offering free shipping, often with no minimums, and shoppers responded by placing orders with free shipping in equivalent record numbers. But as this service shifts from a perk to an expectation, will retailers be able to maintain it? Or will consumers end up paying another way?

It's a good day for e-commerce companies, as a recent change to the United States Postal Service's rates will slash prices by up to 58% for some business shipments. This is a huge threat to industry leaders FedEx and UPS, and could be a boon for consumers — but it could also backfire on the USPS, as increased volume going into the holidays could cause major delays.

Amazon announced that it will start charging $99 a year for Prime, but there's still time to lock in the lower rate. Today is your last opportunity to subscribe and pay just $79 for the shipping service.

Amazon announced that it will raise the minimum purchase requirement to qualify for Free Super Saver Shipping from $25 to $35. This comes just a week after Best Buy upped its minimum purchase too. So how will this affect customers this holiday season?

Living in the age of online shopping and m-commerce, it has become arguably harder for stores without an online presence to compete with the lower prices of many online merchants. But still, are there any items you'd never consider buying online? From clothing to groceries, we discuss how potentially problematic purchases are made easier through online shopping.

This is a busy week for UPS, but it appears as if the shipping giant isn't up to the task. When entering an order number on the UPS tracking page, a message is displayed that says UPS Ground delivery guarantees are suspended until December 26. Are any of your orders affected by this delay?

The pressure is on to get all of your online shopping done in time for Christmas, but what happens if you miss all the standard shipping deadlines? Our deal archives show that soon enough, many online retailers will begin to offer discounted expedited shipping. But when can you expect these promotions, and from what stores?

Savvy shoppers have come to expect free delivery from merchants, but both UPS and FedEx announced that they will increase their shipping rates for 2013. Will this make it more difficult for retailers to offer the free shipping that consumers now crave?

Shopping online can make buying gifts for the holidays much easier, but it also requires some advance planning to account for shipping times. As we near Christmas, you should start taking into consideration the potential risks that come along with online shopping for the holidays. Inside, we've got a list of stores to avoid if you're looking for a 100% risk-free Christmas purchase.

Amazon's bargain prices and its logotype A to Z arrow (or customer satisfaction "smile") have earned the company worldwide notoriety. But if you've been reading The Seattle Times' scathing series of reports, Amazon isn't as idyllic of a company as some may have thought. With purported grievances from sales tax evasion to a glaring lack of philanthropy, the Times suggests that Amazon's image has become a source of contention amongst the community, the company's peers, and even its employees.

When you shop online as much as we do at dealnews, you're going to experience the occasional snafu with delivery. In particular, we've encountered many complaints about the service provided by UPS. So we want to know: how often has your excitement over an arriving UPS delivery turned into anger resulting from a missing package or terrible customer service?

A lot of people thought that digital photography would make physical photographs obsolete. But it seems people still want photos to hold onto, to press into a scrapbook, or to stuff in a shoebox. In fact, the competition between photo printing services is so fierce that vendors, from pharmacy chain stores to exclusively online picture services, are vying for your business with enticing promotions. We look at six deal-friendly photo printing services to see what they have to offer for the money.

Christmas! Hanukkah! Festivus! Kwanzaa! These words all signify a great season to be a child, so we've rounded up five more of the best toy deals out there for tots and toddlers. We've got five Editors' Choice bargains from a Dora the Explorer ball pit to a Star Wars light saber night light. (You could always just say you're buying that light saber for a kid...)

With the right TV, Blu-ray player, and speakers, your living room can rival any movie theater. And contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to cost you a small fortune. Below we've put together a quick and dirty primer to help you pick the right components for your in-home cineplex.

Worried that holiday shipping deadlines are coming soon? Don't panic! Expect a long list of stores to offer free or discounted last-minute shipping — as late as December 23 — with guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery. To ease your fears, we compiled a list of stores that had such offers last year. We expect an even bigger list this year, and we'll post last-minute shipping deals as soon as we find them. So sit back and relax. Your holiday shopping is under control.