Shipping

The USPS filed for an inflation-based rate increase that, if approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, will take effect on April 17. The overall increase reflects the current 1.741 percent CPI cap. As they did in last year’s rejected exigency rate case filing, catalogs fared better than most.

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 8 percent in January over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

In a move that's expected to help businesses grow and garner millions of dollars in revenue for the U.S. Postal Service, the agency announced that it's easing the rules on simplified addressing to allow businesses to begin using the format on city delivery routes.

The shipping deadline for guaranteed Christmas delivery is fast approaching for most retailers. But what’s a retailer to do after the deadline passes?

United Parcel Service Inc. will require customers shipping packages to show government-issued photo identification in an effort to intensify security after explosives were found on October cargo flights.

In its latest survey on e-commerce shipping practices, Stamps.com found that 64 percent of respondents report that free shipping is the most effective promotion they can offer during the holiday season.

By offering totally free shipping for online purchases during the holidays, Walmart Stores Inc. has unveiled a strategy in the battle for e-commerce business that may become a standard for large retailers.

Starting today, Walmart plans to offer free shipping on its website, with no minimum purchase on almost 60,000 gift items, including many toys and electronics. The offer will run through Dec. 20, when Walmart said it might consider other free-shipping deals.

In early October, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) was applauded by the mailing industry when it denied the USPS its exigent price increase, which would have taken effect in January 2011 for an average increase of 5.6 percent, with specific products receiving higher or lower increases (catalogs were expected to see increases ranging from 4 percent to 10 percent).