Shipping

Meijer is the latest retailer to offer free shipping for purchases made on its e-commerce site that are to be picked up at one of its 195 Midwest stores. “Order-to-Store” merges online and in-store shopping, the retailer said in a statement announcing the new program.

Commercial shippers seeking an economical solution for delivery of small packages now have a new service available from the U.S. Postal Service. Introduced April 17, Parcel Select Regional Ground offers competitive pricing for high-volume business-to-consumer shippers.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 9 percent in April over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued its Advisory Opinion on a Postal Service plan to end Saturday mail delivery, collection and outbound mail processing. The Postal Service is required to ask the Commission for an Advisory Opinion on any change in nationwide service it proposes. The Postal Service advised the Commission that due to falling mail volumes and revenues it is considering eliminating Saturday mail collection and delivery except for Express Mail and existing post office box service.

L.L.Bean will implement free standard shipping to all United States and Canadian addresses effective March 25. L.L.Bean introduced the concept of free shipping in 1912 by adding “post paid” in catalog copy. As L.L.Bean nears its 100th anniversary, the tradition of free shipping returns.

eBay's changes to its fee structure will have a big impact on auction sellers — and they only have one month from the time of the announcement to adjust their auction-selling strategies. eBay will begin including shipping and handling costs into its Final Value Fees.

E-commerce in Canada generally sucks. The selection is crappier on the Canadian equivalent of U.S.-based stores, shipping is more expensive and the overall experience is much worse than in the U.S. And now, Zappos is shutting down completely in Canada.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 11 percent in March over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

eBay is adding FedEx to the mail carriers it integrates with on its site. Sellers can now select FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services from the drop-down menu of shipping services when listing items on eBay.

A lot has certainly changed in a year. Following a dismal 2009, stock valuations at FedEx and UPS are approaching 2008 highs. Given the current environment, it's hard to remember that only a year ago FedEx froze bonuses and management salaries, rationalized networks, and suspended 401K contributions along with other measures to control costs.