Tempus Fugit, I'd hazard a guess that they are using different shipping methods depending upon where one is located. I doubt if the UPS or courier companies deliver to the bottom of the Grand Canyon or tip of the Aleutians. PO boxes and military addresses are treated differently from regular residential addrresses which are treated diffrently from business addresses. When I lived in Coarsegold, there was no house delivery... if I wanted something I drove to where I could pick it up, usually in the next town over. As to how they are shipping? They could be dividing by zipcode and sending each shipment to a local distribution center by truck or plane. In this case, I'd expect them to just do it by number so folks in NY would get it days before those of us in California or Hawaii. If they are handling each item individually, they could be doing it by date and time of sale no matter where on the planet it is going. Priority is relative. If normal mail takes 4-7 business days, then priority could be 2-3 business days. If normal mail is 3-4 weeks, then priority might take a full week and still be accurately named. I suspect that there are other items which are given "priority", too. Tax documents and voter ballots are perhaps scooted through the system ahead of time-sensitive greeting cards which would beat out regular business mail. Carolly