Shipping

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports should be up 0.3 percent in December compared with the same month last year as retailers head to the finish line of the holiday shopping season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Thanks to a calendar shift, procrastinators this holiday season will have a few more days to think about the perfect gift. According to Shop.org, 87 percent of retailers’ standard shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery will expire before or on Dec. 20.

The U.S. Postal Service will delay the closing or consolidation of additional post office or mail processing facilities until May 15, 2012. The USPS said that it made the decision in response to a request made by multiple U.S. Senators.

eBay has launched a new feature called Guaranteed Arrival to highlight items that are available and guaranteed to be delivered in time for the holidays. At this time, it's only available to a small number of eBay sellers, including ShoeMall and Black and Decker.

Google is working on a delivery service to allow consumers to order items from local stores on the web and receive them at their homes or offices within a day. The service is in an early testing phase, according to the NY Times.

The U.S. Postal Service announced it will move forward with its proposal to change service standards. This action is being taken in response to ongoing financial challenges caused by the dramatic and continual decline in First Class mail volume and the resulting revenue loss.

Considering the United States Postal Service's well-documented financial struggles, it's no surprise that it's looking to follow in the footsteps of some public transportation fleets by selling ads on some of its vehicles.

In exchange for agreeing to a slower shipping method, Amazon will give Prime members a $1 credit to spend on music at its MP3 Store. Amazon's Prime membership program costs $79 for a year of unlimited fast shipping that includes free 2-day shipping, or 1-day shipping for $3.99 per item.

In Stamps.com’s second annual e-commerce shipping survey, free shipping shows a surge with 68 percent of sellers planning to offer the promotion on more products during the 2011 holiday season.

Overstock.com announced that it will offer sitewide free shipping through Dec. 25. "Our mission is to save people money," said Overstock.com President Jonathan Johnson. "Offering free shipping during the holiday season is another way we help our customers save money on our already low priced products."