Holiday shopping tip #9: Ship gifts early

When it comes to shipping gifts, there is no shortage of options. The U.S. Postal Service, FedEx Corp., and pack-and-ship companies, such as The UPS Store, all have various services available to get your gifts to their destinations on time.

But the faster you need your items to get there, the more you're going to pay. Ground service could take as much as five to eight days, and the package goes from truck to truck to truck, while flight delivery services can get your goods to their destination overnight.

"The earlier you ship, the more options you have," says Megan Belt, a spokeswoman for The UPS Store.

This Bankrate.com article includes a schedule of shipping deadlines to ensure cards and packages reach their destinations by Christmas.

Source: Bankrate.com

Comments

[Nick]

Always. Unless you don't care if it's going to arrive after Christmas.

Of course, sometimes later on, the closer you get, the more deals you see on sites like Harry and David. They're banking on a last minute rush, but they also want to get rid of their stock, so it's a win win.