I'm in Utah, and I'm really enjoying my sycamore tree. It's a fast grower, which I know you don't especially need, but I think I would get impatient waiting for oaks to grow over my lane. It could be 15 years before you get the look you want, while the sycamores could do it in 5-8 years. Once concern about maples is chlorosis -- the leaves turn pale yellow and start to burn because they can't take up the iron in our alkaline soils. I have three 'Autumn Blaze' maples on my property, and they're supposed to be resistant to chlorosis. Two are fine, and one is somewhat chlorotic. I believe the 'green' maples (those that don't get red leaves in the fall) are better in resisting chlorosis (someone correct me if I'm wrong). As far as I've seen, sycamores don't get chlorosis here. They're really a great tree. Another tree that I really like and is doing well here is the lacebark elm (ulmus parvifolia). This is also called a Chinese elm, but I find that people around here confuse Chinese elm with Siberian elm, which is an enormous weed tree in this area. So, if you mention Chinese elm to Utahns, you'll find some who think it's the weed tree, but it's not. It's also a fast grower, has a graceful shape, and has cool-looking bark. If you want it on a lane, though, you would want to prune off low-hanging branches, because it can take on a semi-weeping shape, and those dangling branches could get in the way. By the way, crabapples do wonderfully here and have a wonderful spring bloom. Mine are growing fairly fast, but I know they won't get really big. I also like golden rain trees (kolreutiera), which have a great yellow blossom in June. There is an old part of Salt Lake City that has streets lined with these trees, and they look great.

I didn't realize the freight was based on cost of the item--that doesn't seem logical It's probably because it's much easier than having to weigh and measure every item to figure out the true shipping cost. I've been involved in selling stuff that gets shipped, and when you're operating at a large scale, it's actually a major pain to charge people shipping based on what the item actually costs to ship. You have to show them the shipping cost up front, which means you need to have already weighed every item, know how you're going to pack it (packing adds weight, and the dimensions can also affect the cost), and then do a real time query to the carrier (or have some table you have to keep updated every time rates change, which can be very often) for the cost from your warehouse to the recipient's location. And multiply that by however many carriers and shipping speeds you want to offer. Maybe not a huge deal if you're an eBay seller with 10 items for sale, but when you have thousands it's a problem. That's not to excuse foisting the problem on your customers by charging based on price. But a lot of merchants do something along those lines anyway (e.g. by adding a flat percentage to each item's base price to cover some or all of the shipping cost) but don't make it as obvious. And yes, it can be a way to get extra profit. But don't fool yourself into thinking there's not profit built in to shipping and handling charges that aren't obviously based on the cost of the product.

I've purchased items from a number of the flash sales sites and here are a few comments to add to those already posted. Shipping costs vary wildly with the best being RueLaLa at $9.95 for your first purchase in a 30-day period and free thereafter during that 30 days. OKL is the worst with shipping charges that rival standard catalog sites like Pottery Barn. Customer service has been great at all of the sites. While items are generally final sale, a damaged or incorrect item is usually refunded or replaced quickly. Shipping does take a long time, though. Figure on at least 10 business days and probably longer. I've had terrible luck with breakable items from OKL. Fragile glass items will be thrown in a box with a few air pillows. You couldn't hand carry those boxes without breakage much less ship them cross-country. OKL has premium members that have access to the site before the general members. I have no idea how one becomes a premium member; maybe you have to be an associate of the owners or buy a certain amount. On all the sites, you must do your research. If an item is new, check Amazon or a Google search before you buy. The item may be available at a cheaper price or with free shipping elsewhere. If an item is vintage, know what similar items sell for in the marketplace in your area and check eBay. I've seen vintage items priced at 10X what the same item is selling for on eBay. As far as giving them your Email address, I have a special Yahoo! address just for these types of sites. They will bombard you with daily Emails, but you can opt out of those easily. I've yet to receive any spam Emails that would suggest that one of the sites has sold my Email address. I also haven't received any snail mail generated from having my address sold from one of the sites. I don't store my credit card information on the sites, though, because I'm not sure how secure their servers are. At a minimum, browsing the sites might spark an idea with their products. At the best, you will find terrific bargains.

I've been shopping at OKL since they opened, but I get frustrated because of the way their shipping is charged and the time it takes to get the product. I recently received an item ordered almost six weeks ago. Also, I'm wary of buying vintage items because I can't really see the nicks and dings in the one picture they show. Lastly, they clearly give early access to favored customers. I have lightning fast internet and computer speeds and there will be items that are already sold out at 8 a.m. on the dot. I like Ruelala's $9.95 flat fee shipping much better. Of course, they don't really have the same kind of selection as OKL. I'll have to check out Gilt City again. Originally, their items weren't my style. For all flash sales site items, you really have to do quick research on prices. Most times, you can find the non-vintage items available online from other vendors at the same price. Thanks for the article. The evolution and proliferation of flash sales sites is fascinating to me.