AMAZON PRIME IS on sale for Christmas, letting you get a year of free two-day shipping for $59. I’ve been an Amazon Prime user since it first started and I’ve loved it.

UPDATE: Reader Maggie Goff writes:

You’re the one who got me to try Prime. Amazon sent me a free trial notice on October 18, 2006. It was for 60 days. They’re smart, let me tell you! If it had been only a couple of weeks, or even a month, I wouldn’t have really seen the benefits of it. However, in that TWO month period, (I had always hesitated in ordering an inexpensive item because of shipping charges) I got to experience ordering a $5.99 paperbook for one of my sisters one day, and a $7.00 DVD for one of my brothers, and then a $24.99 heart pendant for my Mom,and a sale audio book for a nephew, etc etc. The really great part is that I could set it up so that the items would automatically go to THEIR addresses, and get there within TWO days, and all I had to do was CLICK ONCE. NO SHIPPING CHARGE. Of course it’s not FREE, but within a short time I’ll use up the $79 fee each year. I recommend it to everyone I know. I love Amazon. The few times I’ve had to deal with customer service, they’ve been terrific. And it’s totally wonderful that you can have them call you at YOUR convenience. You put your number, and the date, and the time you want them to call you on the online form, and by golly THEY DO! You can even put NOW, and within a few seconds the phone is ringing. I can’t say enough about them. Thank you.

I’ve been very happy myself. And reader Kenneth Miles writes: “Thanks for the heads-up about Amazon Prime. At $79 I thought it was a little steep and would just settle for the free 5-7 day shipping. At $20 off the regular price for a year I jumped right on it. Amazon is my favorite place to shop, all my needs are met. It has been fun to watch them grow from a book store to what they are now.”