A ComScore report indicates that 2005 was another good year for e-commerce holiday spending. From November 1 to December 25, $18.1 billion changed hands in the US (not including travel or auctions), a 25% increase over 2004.

Some notables:

- the sale of gift certificates was up 19%
- top items include computer hardware, apparel & accessories, consumer electronics, books, toys & videogames, pet food (ok, kidding)
- top 10 vendors include eBay (non-auctions), Amazon, Wal-Mart, Apple Computer, Target, Dell, ToysRUs, Overstock.com, Best Buy, Circuit City

In other e-commerce news, L.L. Bean credits free shipping as the driver for record sales this year. As a company spokesperson told the Times, “free shipping clearly shifted traffic from our call centers to the Web.”