Companies and Brands

Amazon's $1,685.69 Christmas Tree

Thinkstock

With two weeks to go until Halloween, it’s not too early to begin your search for the perfect Christmas tree. Is it?

If it’s not, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has you covered. Well, more accurately, Amazon has you surrounded and covered. The company lists a mind-numbing 12,009 results for Home & Kitchen: Seasonal Decor: Trees: Christmas trees. There’s got to be at least one there for every household.

The selection ranges from an 11.5-inch high LED model for $2.99 (plus $4.44 shipping) to a 15-foot Kennedy Fir for $1,685.69 (plus $3.99 shipping).

Amazon’s best-selling tree is closer to the bottom of that range than to the top. A six-foot artificial Christmas Pine Tree (model #SKY2359) from Best Choice Products sells for $44.95, just short of the $49 order requirement for free shipping. Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping with this tree. Or, maybe you could just add a couple of those $2.99 LED trees to reach the free shipping level.

A 7.5-foot Premium Spruce with 550 clear lights (model #SKY2888), also from Best Choice Products, sells for $124.95. Shipping is free on this one. Lights are pre-strung and the bulbs are replaceable.

As for the highest-priced tree, it’s a 15-foot by 112-inch Kennedy Fir from Vickerman (Amazon ASIN #B00EB1UGFS). The tree is sold and shipped by a company called Light Bulbs and there are only two left in stock, so a word to the wise.

Our curiosity about a pricey artificial Christmas tree led us to the Vickerman website where we found a 14-foot flocked white spruce with 3,600 pre-strung lights for a tidy $3,941.99. This one comes with an extra strand of 50 lights in case 3,600 is not enough.

Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts

Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.

It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.

We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today.  Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.

Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.