If you wanna make sure your holiday gifts arrive on time, here are the last days to ship your packages before time runs out!
If you’re buying online gifts at this time of the year, you may find yourself feeling anxious about when you should ship your holiday packages and whether it will arrive on time or not. A recent survey by BadCredit.org revealed that 54% of consumers are worried about potential shipping delays this season.
Patrick Kelleher, DHL Supply Chain’s new CEO for North America, explained that delays are especially likely during high-demand periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And this year, shipping times may be slower than usual.
During the holiday rush, third-party shippers face immense pressure. Lauren Beitelspacher, a marketing professor at Babson College, highlighted that this strain is compounded by a persistent labor shortage. Many companies struggle to find enough workers to manage sorting, transporting, and delivering packages efficiently. When the number of packages being shipped skyrockets, delivery times naturally lengthen. This also increases the chances of packages being damaged, lost, or stolen in transit.
Key Shipping Deadlines to Ensure On-Time Holiday Packages Delivery
“As the holiday season approaches, it’s crucial for consumers to be prepared and aware of shipping deadlines to ensure their gifts arrive on time”, said Nick Spitzman, Stamps.com’s general manager.
Spitzman recommended checking the deadlines for each shipping carrier and opting for guaranteed delivery options whenever possible. Due to Thanksgiving falling later this year, the holiday shopping window is shorter. So, here are the key dates to enure your gifts:
UPS
- UPS 3 Day Select: December 19, 2024
- UPS 2nd Day Air services: December 20, 2024
- UPS Ground: Check ups.com/ctc for details
- UPS Ground Saver: Check ups.com/ctc for details
- UPS Next Day Air services: December 23, 2024
USPS
- USPS Ground Advantage: December 16, 2024
- First-Class Mail: December 16, 2024
- Priority Mail: December 18, 2024
- Priority Mail Express: December 20, 2024
USPS (for Alaska and Hawaii)
- USPS Ground Advantage: December 16, 2024
- First-Class Mail: December 16, 2024
- Priority Mail: December 18, 2024 (Alaska), December 16, 2024 (Hawaii)
- Priority Mail Express: December 20, 2024
FedEx
- FedEx Ground Economy: December 13, 2024
- FedEx Ground: Visit FedEx’s website for more information about shipping deadlines for FedEx Ground
- FedEx Home Delivery: Visit FedEx’s website for more information about shipping deadlines for FedEx Home Delivery
- FedEx Express Saver: December 19, 2024
- Fedex 2Day & FedEx 2Day AM: December 20, 2024 (with an optional Saturday pickup {a $16 per-package surcharge}, the last day to ship for FedEx 2Day and FedEx 2Day AM can be extended to Saturday, December 21, 2024)
- FedEx SameDay: December 24, 2024