Sometimes you need to receive certain items in your order sooner than others. That's why, every time you place an order via our order form, you can choose from one of these shipping preferences:

• Group my items into as few shipments as possible
• I want my items faster. Ship them as soon as they become available (at additional cost)

Read below for more information on each option.

Trying to keep shipping costs down? Choose this first option. We'll consolidate your items into the fewest shipments possible. (We'll always show you the minimum number of shipments needed to complete your order.) Depending on the availability of the items you're purchasing, you might have to wait a bit longer for your order to ship, but you'll save money on shipping.

The number of shipments we make for your order is dependent upon:

• Our fulfillment network: To serve our millions of customers more efficiently, Amazon.com has several different fulfillment centers located across the United States. These centers often house different types of products. If you order dissimilar items--say, a book, a computer, and a cordless drill--they may ship separately, depending on where in our fulfillment network they happen to be located.
• Items requiring special shipping and handling: Items that require special shipping and handling (for example, items that are large and/or heavy) are marked on their product detail pages as such and will ship separately from other items in your order. Note that in some cases, these items require an adult signature upon delivery.

In some cases, you might receive more shipments than we indicated you would when you placed your order. Regardless, we will never charge you more for shipping than the amount that was originally quoted to you at the time you place your order.

Ordering items with different availabilities? Don't let the slower items hold up the rest of your order! Choose this option to have your items ship as they become available, beginning with those already in stock. If some of the items in your order are eligible for Guaranteed Accelerated Delivery, you should choose this option if you want to receive those items quickly--otherwise, the delivery of the items may be delayed.

You'll be charged a per-shipment fee for each shipment, but you'll get some or all of your items earlier than you would have if you'd chosen the "Group my items into as few shipments as possible" option. Of course, we'll still attempt to save you money by consolidating items where it makes sense to do so.

Note that we're unable to accept payment by check for orders set to ship as items become available.