Gift Giving Guy

While there are 10 days until Christmas, online retailers will start charging for expedited shipping soon. For example, Amazon will suspend its Free Super Saver Shipping on Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. After that, Amazon’s U.S. shipping rates will rise throughout next week.

Let’s say you wanted to buy Amazon’s bestselling (and most gifted) DVD, Planet Earth: The Complete Series. Since this DVD set costs more than $25 (current price is $55), free Super Saver Shipping applies right now (Dec. 15, 2007). But if you were to wait…

• Standard shipping rates (ends Dec. 18, 2007) will cost about $4 in shipping for this DVD.
• Two-day shipping (ends Dec. 20, 2007 at 5 p.m. Central time) will rise to about $7.
• One-day shipping (ends Dec. 22 at 3 p.m. Central time) will charge you the most: about $12.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, getting “all-you-can-eat” shipping, the deadlines are similar. But the shipping charges are waived up to Dec. 20, 2007 at 5 p.m. Central time. After then, Amazon Prime’s One-day shipping is $4 per item.

Other standard shipping cutoffs for popular e-tailers are as follows.

• Buy.com will allow standard shipping until 2 p.m. Central time on Dec. 17, 2007.
• Overstock.com ends its standard ground shipping at 1 a.m. Central time on Dec. 18, 2007.
• Target.com suspends standard shipping at 11:30 p.m. Central time on Dec. 18, 2007.
• Wal-Mart.com will provide standard shipping until 1:30 a.m. Central time on Dec. 19, 2007.
• Nordstrom will offer standard shipping until 2 p.m. Central time on Dec. 19, 2007.
• Best Buy will ship in-stock items at standard rates until 10 a.m. Central time on Dec. 20, 2007.