Federal Express

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe, but 2012 is here and in full swing. Hopefully you had a busy and productive holiday season and are now ready to jump into 2012 no-holds-barred. Before you get started, however, make sure to check out this guide. We’ve assembled a top-notch group of cross-channel retail experts to offer you their best advice for the year ahead. W

UPS has announced 6.9 percent air increases, partially offset by a 2 percent fuel surcharge reduction. It's also announced a 5.9 percent average ground increase, offset somewhat by a 1 percent fuel surcharge reduction. Net increases for both UPS Air and UPS Ground are 4.9 percent effective Jan. 2, 2012.

There are many pitfalls to avoid when negotiating your carrier agreements. Take the time to develop a valuable relationship with your current carrier, but be sure to invite nonincumbent carriers to participate in annual bids — and give them a real shot! To maximize savings, do your homework, including meaningful benchmarking, and direct carrier negotiations through a formal bid. Take the time to understand and negotiate terms in addition to discounts.

A compilation of this year’s best and brightest ideas in our annual 50 Best Tips issue.

FedEx expects a 12 percent jump in holiday shipments this year and will add about 20,000 workers to handle the record volume driven by online shopping. The surge is driven by a combination of gradual economic improvement and ever-increasing internet sales, analysts said.

Parcel shippers be forewarned. Lately, I've seen several misleading, if not unethical business practices by United Parcel Service (UPS). If you're like most shippers, you’ve negotiated incentives off UPS’s prevailing “published” or “list” pricing. For years, UPS used a single list rate for volume shippers and all incentives applied to an established set of rates.

eBay has already begun implementing some of the changes announced in July as part of what it calls the Fall Seller Updates, and more of them go into effect this week. International sellers are now required to specify shipping information (carrier and cost) on items they make available to Australia, Canada and the UK, and eBay is implementing numerous category and item specifics changes. eBay Allows Sellers to Add Products to Catalog Electronics sellers are now required to list with the catalog in additional categories (Apple Laptops & Notebooks; iPads & Tablets and eBook Readers; Apple Desktops; Televisions; Routers;

When China's online luxury shoppers click to spend on fashion website thecorner.com.cn, they'll have an option the company doesn't make available to any other customers around the world. FedEx delivery men will wait on the doorsteps of Chinese consumers while they inspect their purchases, try them on for size and decide if the products are worthy of keeping or sending back.

AFMS, a parcel consulting firm, filed an amended complaint against defendants UPS and FedEx, stating violations of Sherman Acts 1 and 2. AFMS claims that UPS and FedEx have violated federal antitrust laws. Furthermore, it alleges the parcel carriers are engaged in monopolistic and collusive actions. The lawsuit is the result of UPS and FedEx’s 2010 policies to not participate in bids or rate negotiations that involve third-party negotiators (3PNs) like AFMS.

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?