Holiday Shipping and Mailing Deadlines Have Finally Be Announced
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'Tis the season of gift giving, and nowadays, sales are starting earlier and earlier. But if you weren't able to get all of your presents during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or if you're a true last-minute shopping (no judgement!), you could find yourself holiday shopping late into December. To make sure all of your gifts arrive in time, you need to be mindful of shipping deadlines, which also seem to be earlier and earlier every year.
Following the holiday shipping and mailing guidelines for 2023 listed below, you can gain a better idea of when you'll need to order your items by so they come before Christmas Day. While many retailers only list deadlines for ordering packages in time for Dec. 25, you can use this list as a guide for gift-giving for Kwanzaa, which starts on Dec. 26, and you can also utilize express shipping for Hanukkah, which starts on Dec. 7. Happy season of giving
USPS, FedEx, UPS and DHL deadlines
Since every shipping service and retailer has different guidelines, we've compiled a list of the estimated domestic and international holiday shipping deadlines according to major delivery services:
USPS:
Dec. 16: Send by this date for Ground Service or First-Class Mail 5-Day Shipping.
Dec. 18: Last day to send via Ground Service or First-Class Mail 4-Day Shipping.
Dec. 19: Deadline to ship using Ground Service or First-Class Mail 3-Day Shipping.
Dec. 20: Last date to ship via Ground Service 2-Day Shipping, First-Class Mail 2-Day Shipping, Priority Mail 3-Day Shipping or Priority Mail Express 2-Day Shipping.
Dec. 21: Deadline to send via Priority Mail 2-Day Shipping or Priority Mail Express 1-Day Shipping.
International shipping: deadlines vary by destination. Check out the recommended deadlines here.
UPS:
Dec. 18: Deadline to send packages via UPS Ground Shipping.
Dec. 19: Last date to send packages via UPS 3 Day Select.
Dec. 20: Send packages by this date using UPS 2nd Day Air.
Dec. 21: Packages can be sent by this date using UPS Next Day Air.
International shipping: deadlines vary by destination. Calculate time and costs here.
FedEx:
Dec. 12: Deadline to send packages via FedEx Freight Economy.
Dec. 13: Final date to send via FedEx Ground Economy.
Dec. 15: Last date to send via FedEx Ground 5-Day Shipping, FedEx Freight Priority 5-Day Shipping, FedEx Home Delivery 5-Day Shipping or FedEx Ground.
Dec. 18: Deadline to ship via FedEx Ground 4-Day Shipping, FedEx Freight Priority 4-Day Shipping or FedEx Home Delivery 4-Day Shipping
Dec. 19: Send by this date via FedEx Ground 3-Day Shipping, FedEx Freight Priority 3-Day Shipping, FedEx Express Saver or FedEx Express 3Day Freight.
Dec. 20: Final date to send packages using FedEx Ground 2-Day Shipping, FedEx Freight Priority 2-Day Shipping, FedEx Home Delivery 3-Day Shipping, 2Day, 2Day AM or FedEx Express 2Day Freight.
Dec. 21: Last date to ship via FedEx Ground 1-Day Shipping, FedEx Freight Priority 1-Day Shipping, FedEx Home Delivery 2-Day Shipping, First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight or FedEx Express 1Day Freight.
Dec. 22: Final date to send using FedEx Home Delivery 1-Day Shipping or FedEx SameDay
International shipping: deadlines vary by destination. See deadline details by region here.
DHL:
For DHL, the earlier, the better! The service advises customers to not leave shipping to the last minute. But if shipping last-minute can't be avoided, DHL Singapore recommends scheduling your DHL Express deliveries to arrive by Dec. 24. Shipping deadlines may vary by region, so check with your nearest DHL location.
What about mailing pakIt depends on who you ask. Even though most mailing services can mail up until December 23, it's best to give yourself ample time, and follow the above deadlines. Adobe's 2023 Holiday Shopping Forecast predicts consumers will more frequently choose standard shipping to mitigate costs and curbside pickup for last-minute gifts.
Deadlines from retailers
Amazon: While we await official times for 2023, we can say from past years that Dec. 23 was the last day to order using one-day delivery. Dec. 24 marked the last day to order via same-day delivery and two-hour grocery delivery, but you could still purchase and send Amazon eGift cards and Prime memberships on Christmas Day.
Barnes & Noble: Order by Dec. 16 at noon ET for free standard shipping on orders of $40 or more. You can also order by Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET using express shipping or Dec. 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET using expedited shipping. For super last-minute shoppers, you can choose store pickup on Dec. 24 by noon local time.
Etsy: Deadlines vary by the type of shipping that individual vendors use. You can find a full guide to finding your shipping deadline here.
Kohl's: For guaranteed delivery by Dec. 24, order using 2 Day shipping by Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. ET or 1 Day shipping by Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. ET.
Sephora: To get your order by Christmas Eve, use standard shipping by Dec. 19, 2-Day shipping by Dec. 20 and one-day shipping by Dec. 21.
Shutterfly: Order using basic economy by Dec. 14, standard shipping by Dec. 15, expedited shipping by Dec. 16, rush delivery by Dec. 17 or super rush shipping by Dec. 18.
Snapfish: Get your order in using the lowest price shipping by Dec. 10, ground shipping by Dec. 12, expedited delivery by Dec. 17 or rush shipping by Dec. 18.
Target: Target has not released official deadlines yet, but since the retailer offers a three to five business day standard shipping option, a two business day shipping and a one business day shipping method, you might want to select a shipping method that will arrive by Dec. 22 this year, which is the last business day before Christmas.
Walmart: We're still waiting for official timelines for 2023. In the past, free next-day delivery was available on eligible items over $35, as well as two-day shipping.
1-800-Flowers: The delivery service offers same-day delivery for select bouquets if you order by the specific times listed here.
Deadline for mailing packages
Even though most mailing services can ship up until December 22, it's best to give yourself ample time, and follow the above deadlines.
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