Delivery Services

FedEx Corp. said it would raise rates for its ground and home delivery services by an average of 5.9% beginning Jan. 5. The package delivery company said it would also increase surcharges for some ground, home delivery and express shipments, effective on varying dates in January. This includes increases to fees for handling, address corrections, delivery area surcharges and delivery reattempt fees on some packages. Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx earlier announced an average 6.9% hike in its express shipping rates for U.S. and U.S. export services effective Jan. 5. The company said the rate hike would be partially offset by a fuel surcharge reduction.

Sometimes it doesn't absolutely, positively have to be there overnight. Budget-conscious shippers are deciding their packages and envelopes can take a slower path to their destinations, going by second-day air or, even slower, by truck. Some businesses are just plain sending less. The shift, propelled by the declining economy and record fuel prices, was reflected in FedEx Corp.'s dismal earnings report Wednesday.

'Twas the day before the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature is stirring except the hyper-procrastinators who are hyperventilating because they forgot to get something for a faraway dear one. Don't give up. There are options, even at this late date. * The post office and some shipping companies deliver on the big day, for a premium. * Store delivery is sometimes available, but you have to hunt it down.

Package delivery company FedEx Corp. said Friday that net average rates at its express delivery unit would rise 4.9% in 2008, which analysts said was the biggest hike since 2001. The company raised rates by a net 3.5% for 2007 and 2006. Rates at FedEx Express will rise by 6.9% in 2008, but will be partially offset by a 2-percentage-point reduction in the fuel surcharge FedEx charges customers. "FedEx's 4.

When was the last time you watched a DVD that didn't arrive in the mail? Deliveries mean never having to get in the car. Below are a select few. Gofer Girls They'll wrap your gifts, take your pet to the groomer and sell your old clothes. They're the minions you always wanted but thought you couldn't afford. Price: $30 an hour. (877) 804-6337; www. gofergirls.com Cookie Casa How about a moist buttermilk cake with chocolate frosting?

Last Christmas, residents of the Yupik Eskimo village of Savoonga added a special dish to their everyday fare of whale, walrus, reindeer and berries -- fresh pizza flown in from Nome, 170 miles away. A tiny delivery joint, Airport Pizza, had opened several months earlier just steps from Nome's busy runways, and many of Savoonga's 700 residents were eager to try more than conventional pepperoni.

U.S. and European regulators said Tuesday that they had launched a probe of transatlantic cargo carriers, examining possible price fixing in the air cargo industry. The European Commission carried out surprise inspections Tuesday of several major European airlines, and the U.S. Justice Department issued subpoenas. The probe also widened to Asian carriers as Japan Airlines Corp. and two South Korean airlines, Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc.

California is stepping up its campaign against delivery companies that avoid an array of payroll taxes by classifying their drivers as independent contractors. Since early 2003, state regulators have assessed more than $37 million in back taxes and penalties against 153 courier services and delivery companies, ranging in size from a subsidiary of United Parcel Service Inc. to companies with only a few dozen drivers.

FedEx Corp. said Wednesday that it would raise rates for many of its services as it laid out a long-term growth strategy focused on overseas markets, new technology and expanding its FedEx/Kinko's retail chain. FedEx said it would increase rates on its FedEx Express service by an average of 3.5%, effective Jan. 2. Standard list rates will go up 5.5%, offset by a decrease in an overall fuel surcharge of 2 percentage points.