Shipping

A report released by the National Retail Federation said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to remain at about the same levels as last year through July before starting to resume increases later this summer.

Williams-Sonoma, a specialty retailer of high-quality products for the home, announced today that Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma will offer international shipping, joining PBteen in its partnership with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, a provider of international e-commerce services and infrastructure to U.S. retailers. Customers in more than 75 countries will now be able to shop online for Williams-Sonoma products.

Consumers and carriers are squeezing e-tailers: customers expect free shipping and carriers keep raising prices. Residential shipping costs are skyrocketing out of control. What’s a shipper to do?

Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, announced today that its e-commerce website, Barneys.com, has introduced international shipping to 90 countries including Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia and China.

Newegg Inc., the largest tech-focused pure-play online retailer, announced the official opening of its first-ever "Will-Call" pickup location. Customers of Newegg.com and NeweggBusiness in the Los Angeles area now have the opportunity to save time and money by ordering online and then picking up their orders directly from the Newegg warehouse.

Good news for Gilt shoppers — effective immediately, shipping will be reduced to a flat fee of $5.95 for UPS ground shipping no matter the size of the purchase. Returns can also now be made via a USPS mailbox or a UPS drop-off location.

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.