Free shipping is the No. 1 draw for people who shop online. This holiday season, online sales are up by about 30 percent compared to previous years. You probably saw lots of signs for free shipping at sites this year. But it’s important to read the fine print. With sites like Amazon.com, shipping is free after a certain amount. But it has to be a product sold by Amazon, not an outside vendor. Also, there are cutoff dates you must observe to get the free shipping and to deliver in time. Many stores also allow you to return items to the actual stores, even if you buy them online. So, what about shipping gifts yourself? Both FedEx and UPS make it very affordable to send items by ground. UPS bought Mailboxes Etc. and prices there are a bit higher than at a traditional UPS store. And FedEx bought Kinko’s. So, if you go to a Kinko’s to mail, you’ll pay FedEx ground rates. Sending by air is quite pricey and ground usually gets there in the same time. Sometimes, ground deliveries get there in a day. Just be sure that you package the items yourself. Having one of these companies package it for you costs a ton.