Unlike last year, holiday shipping's running pretty smoothly — at least, so far

Dec 13, 2021
Gift-givers seem to be paying attention to messages urging them to ship early.
USPS and private shipping companies appear to be handling holiday shipping better than last year. Above, a FedEx worker makes deliveries in New York City.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Along the border with Canada, U.S. businesses hope northern customers will return

Nov 29, 2021
The open border hasn’t yet brought back the crowds many have been hoping for.
Betsy Smith is the owner of NAC Logistics in Ogdensburg, New York. Her father started the business in 1957.
Lily Jamali

Cord-cutting options are getting closer to cable TV prices

Jul 3, 2020
YouTube TV now costs $65 a month, almost double its launch price just a few years ago.
The key feature for services like YouTube TV and FuboTV is live sports.
Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images

Customs officials struggle with the uptick in volume of goods shipped into the U.S.

Dec 28, 2018
A 2016 law that allows goods from abroad to enter the U.S. duty free as long as they are valued at $800 or less has opened up the door to more counterfeiters.
Customs officers in the DHL warehouse at JFK Airport.
Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace

Can the U.S. Postal Service afford a one-day delay in deliveries this holiday season?

Dec 5, 2018
In honor of former President George H.W. Bush, the U.S. Postal Service is suspending deliveries Wednesday.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The post office may be losing money, but Amazon is not to blame

Apr 2, 2018
Packages from the e-commerce world have helped USPS see double-digit increases in revenue.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

When it comes to public transportation, that last mile to get home can be an issue

Jan 30, 2018
Getting people to their front door can sometimes make for a tricky problem for public transit. It turns out that’s a big challenge for package delivery too.
Atlanta’s Relay Bike Share lets people rent bikes by the hour or by the day. Drop off points near transit hubs and popular destinations give MARTA riders a last mile option.
Photo courtesy of MARTA

For public good, not for profit.

The pathways of holiday packages

Dec 23, 2015
This holiday season, UPS is delivering an estimated 630 million packages globally.

On mailing champagne flutes

Nov 29, 2010
This final note today: A helpful tip as you get those holiday packages ready to ship off to relatives. Whatever you do, don't mark it "fragile."...