During the holiday season, there is a huge uplift in the number of packages being sent in the USA and overseas. People start shipping seasonal gifts and retailers and marketplace sellers start to ship large volumes of stock. Whether it is for Black Friday, Thanksgiving or Christmas, our customers are looking for reliable and affordable shipping services.
By using our simple shipping calculator, you will be able to compare prices from various courier companies and book a range of express and economy shipping services. Shipping companies almost double their volumes in November and December, so be prepared if you are shipping over the holidays and post your packages as early as you can!
Thanksgiving, on November 28th, will see all shipping companies closed for business with no collections or deliveries being made. If you have a Thanksgiving delivery, please allow extra time and ensure your package is dropped off or collected by November 21st for economy services and November 23rd for express services.
We can provide a rough guide for Christmas shipping deadlines for some of the couriers available to book using our shipping calculator, but these deadlines are an estimate. The increased volumes can cause delays within courier networks and any adverse weather conditions could exacerbate that, so we always advise shipping your packages early during the holiday season.
We offer a range of domestic shipping services in the US, including ground and overnight shipping. Here are some of the last mailing dates for our most popular domestic services.
| Domestic services | Last day to ship |
|---|---|
| Ground Drop Off/Pick Up | December 16 |
| Overnight Drop Off/Pick Up | December 20 |
Please note that the above services are operated by FedEx. See 2019 FedEx Holiday Service Schedule for more information on holiday shipping dates.
If you choose one of our discounted services with USPS, the tables below can be used as a guide for USPS Christmas shipping deadlines*.
| USPS domestic service | Last day to ship |
|---|---|
| Priority Mail | December 21 |
| Priority Mail Express | December 23 |
| Destination | USPS Priority Mail Express International | Priority Mail International |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | December 7 | November 30 |
| Asia | December 14 | December 7 |
| Australia/New Zealand | December 14 | December 7 |
| Canada | December 14 | December 7 |
| Caribbean | December 14 | December 7 |
| Central/South America | December 7 | November 30 |
| Europe | December 14 | December 7 |
| Mexico | December 14 | December 7 |
| Middle East | December 14 | December 7 |
Learn more about USPS 2019 Holiday Mailing Deadlines
*Dates are for estimated delivery before December 25. The actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time and other conditions. Cutoff date does not take into account the time needed for customs clearance and we always recommend allowing an extra transit day for deliveries to remote locations.
The Parcel Monkey shipping calculator allows you to get shipping rates to over 200 destinations around the globe.
In addition to USPS, express shipping services from the USA include our own-brand international courier services, International Drop Off, International Pick Up and International Priority, and DHL Express International. To ensure international delivery is made in time for Christmas we advise that packages should be sent no later than Friday 13th December. However, in order to allow time for customs clearance and any other issues, we advise posting as early as possible especially to Africa and the Middle East.
DHL eCommerce is a tracked mail service so transit times are slower than express couriers, taking up to 16 business days to deliver. We would advise to drop off any DHL eCommerce packages before 2nd December 2019.
TrakPak is also a tracked mail service and should be booked in for a collection or drop off no later than 2nd December 2019. For shipping to the UK, please ensure your parcel is dropped off or collected by the 6th December.
Any economy shipping services should be sent by the start of December in order to give the couriers plenty of time to handle the delivery.