While overall holiday shopping sales gains are expected to be modest – a little over 2% (according to NRF), online shopping is expected to do a bit better weathering a weak economy. Internet sales are projected to rise 12% over a year ago.

The ease of comparison shopping online on sites like shopping.aol.com & PriceGrabber.com means you can make sure you're getting the very best price on a specific item. Part of getting the best total price, is saving on shipping. Right now, one of the single biggest motivators for online shoppers are offers for "free shipping." Nearly 80% of consumers said they were more likely to shop online with a retailer offering free shipping, compared with 60% who claimed this last year.

With that in mind, we've done a little legwork for you in scouting out a handful of current free shipping offers at some of the web's most popular e-tailers. Not all the deals are advertised on the front page of the site ... sometimes you have to search for special codes (i.e., JCPenney + free shipping) or have a special promotional link from the stores e-mail newsletter (yes, those are worth signing up for). Most sites do require a minimum purchase, usually around $50, before free shipping will kick in.

www.footlocker.com - Free shipping on orders of $50 or more.


www.toysrus.com - Free shipping on orders of $49.00 or more.


www.sears.com - Free shipping on orders of $99.00 or more.


www.llbean.com - Free shipping on all orders with coupon code supplied by FreeShipping.org, a great one stop shop for scouting out dozens of free shipping offers.


Related: Holiday Shopping Smarts - Dig Up Unused Gift Cards - Regina Lewis