Christmas is an exciting time of year – the snow, the lights, the big family get togethers, the dinners and of course, all the chocolate and dessert that you can eat. Of course, there’s always the excitement of giving a gift to a loved one and seeing their face light up with excitement – provided you can get that gift in time for Christmas. With e-commerce becoming so popular and the huge trend of online shopping, there are a few things you should really know about Santa couriers (ie. UPS, FedEx, Purolator, CanadaPost, etc.)
Last day to ship for Christmas 2017
Christmas this year falls on a Monday and many carriers do not deliver on weekends. With that in mind, you need to pick a service level that can deliver your packages by Fri Dec 22nd in order for your packages to arrive in time for Christmas. You can also use our shipping rate calculator to get an idea of transit times and costs with a variety of carrier. Here’s a quick summary for major carriers in Canada:
Important Note: There are certain conditions that may result in your package being delivered after Christmas. Keep reading below to find out what they are and how to reduce your risk.
Last day to ship for Christmas 2017 with Canada Post
Last day to ship for Christmas 2017 with Purolator
Last day to ship for Christmas 2017 with FedEx
Last day to ship for Christmas 2017 with UPS
CanadaPost has a page dedicated to indicating the last day you can ship in order to get your packages delivered in time for the holidays. You can find the information here: http://goo.gl/wnu7Uw . Looking at this page and comparing it to the CanadaPost delivery standards, http://goo.gl/3dJ8j1, the concern we have is that the timeframes listed are assuming deliveries to Major Urban Centres, assuming best case scenarios and no service exceptions. We’ve decided to merge and factor in all these transit times. Here’s what your deadlines would look like based on various From & To locations:
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 19 | Dec 21 | Priority | 1 business day |
| Dec 18 | Dec 20 | Xpresspost | 1 business day |
| Dec 11 | Dec 13 | Expedited | 1 business day |
| Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Regular Parcel | 1 business day |
Non-Major Urban Centers (within Canada)
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 17 | Dec 19 | Priority | 1-3 business days |
| Dec 17 | Dec 19 | Xpresspost | 1-3 business days |
| Dec 5 | Dec 7 | Expedited | 1-11 business days |
| Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Regular Parcel | 1-11 business day |
Northern Regions and Remote Centers (within Canada)
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 11 | Dec 13 | Priority | 5-8 business days |
| Dec 11 | Dec 13 | Xpresspost | 5-8 business days |
| Dec 4 | Dec 6 | Expedited | 6-13 business days |
| Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Regular Parcel | 7-13 business day
|
Purolator also has a page dedicated to holiday delivery deadlines (
https://goo.gl/4yCsC2), but these are assuming best case scenarios to most central locations (and not remote areas). Comparing it to the Purolator delivery standards,
https://goo.gl/ue4LPS, we’ve come up with these deadlines:
Most locations within Canada
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 19 | Dec 21 | Express | 1 business day |
| Dec 11 | Dec 13 | Ground | 1-? business days |
Remote locations within Canada
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 14 | Dec 19 | Express | 2-3 business days |
| Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Ground | 1-? business days |
FedEx’s holiday shipping schedule can be found here: https://goo.gl/FhzQfD. They don’t account for ground on this page, but they do recommend you visit their rates and transit time page to confirm for all service levels. Again, best case scenario is assumed on all of these services. General delivery standards for express can be found here: https://goo.gl/qMgiqN and for ground here: https://goo.gl/b6eoaP.
Major locations across Canada
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 19 | Dec 21 | First Overnight | 1 business |
| Dec 19 | Dec 21 | Priority Overnight | 1 business day |
| Dec 19 | Dec 21 | Standard Overnight | 1 business day |
| Dec 15 | Dec 20 | 2Day | 1-2 business days |
| Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Economy | 1-3 business days |
| Dec 11 | Dec 14 | Ground | 1-7 business days |
Major locations across Canada
| Suggested Ship Date | Carrier Deadline | Service | Delivery Standard |
| Dec 18 | Dec 21 | Early AM | 1 business |
| Dec 17 | Dec 21 | Express | 1 business day |
| Dec 17 | Dec 21 | Express Saver | 1 business day |
| Dec 13 | Dec 20 | Expedited | 1-2 business days |
| Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Standard (Ground) | 1-7 business days |
The times in transit shown by the carrier are assuming best case scenario, or rather, don’t account for common situations beyond their control. Here are a few to think about:
Christmas Holiday shipping volume
We’re seeing major slowdowns out of Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal with delays of up to 3-4 days over the originally scheduled delivery time. Some carriers have had to get the sales reps and managers on the road to help handle the massive load of packages. We suggest shipping your packages at least 2 business days sooner.
When carriers are forced to choose which package should be delivered, express services are always favoured over ground services. This makes sense as you’re paying a premium to get your packages delivered faster. If you’ve left your shopping or your shipping to the last minute, it might be worth using an express service just to be on the safe side.
What can you do?
- Ship a day or two in advance
- Use an express service level
Weather and conditions beyond the carrier’s control
Delivery times listed by the carriers never include any weather delays or other conditions beyond the carrier’s control. This time of year can bring snow storms, freezing rain, fog. All these conditions can easily add a day of delay to your shipment.
What can you do?
Shipping a day or two in advance is pretty much the only thing you can do.
Delivery Address on our shipping label
When you create your shipping label, ensure that your address is complete. Ringer/buzzer numbers, suite numbers, or incorrect addresses happen often. Not only will this incur an extra fee, you’ll automatically have your packaged delayed by 24-48hrs. At this time of the year, we expect the delay to be closer to 72hrs – so three days of delays.
If you’re reusing a shipping box, you’ll want to ensure you have removed any previous shipping labels on the box. Conflicting addresses could cause packages to be held or delivered to the wrong location.
What can you do?
- Ensure your address is correct
- Ensure you have the suite # (if applicable)
- Ensure you have a buzzer code (if applicable)
- Make sure you have 1 unique address label on the outside of your package
Reduce risk of lost packages
The biggest reason that packages are lost is because the shipping label has come off. This is especially true for items that are shipping in plastic boxes, duffle bags, wooden crates. Using a proper strength cardboard box can not only save you any additional handling fees that require the package to be sorted by hand, but it has the lowest risk of being lost due to the label coming off.
Of course, there is still a chance that label can come off so we always recommend you include an “in case found” label inside your box. This label should include the destination address and tracking number for your shipment. You can print a second shipping label but make sure you write VOID in big and bold to ensure it isn’t used.
What can you do?
Include an “in case found” label inside your box containing Destination Address & Carrier Tracking Number
Package well
The carriers expect you to meet a minimum packaging standard. This standard is called the ISTA 3A packaging standard. To very quickly summarize, the standard requires you to provide 2” of padding between each item within the box and 2” between the items and the outside wall of the box.
There are so many packages that are going through the carrier’s delivery network this time of year that packages undergo quite a bit more bumps in the road compared to normal. We can’t stress enough how important packaging is. If the carrier notices that your package is damaged (i.e. perhaps it is leaking wine or something is protruding out), the carrier may discard the broken item and continue the delivery once they’ve had a chance to repackage the goods.
What can you do?
- Ensure 2” of padding between each item within the box
- Ensure 2” of padding between the items and the wall of the box
Summary
Getting your package delivered in time for the holidays is tricky, especially if you’ve waited until the last minute. This year is expected to be even more difficult as volumes are in record numbers. Follow these recommendations and you’ll significantly increase your chances of having your package delivered in time for the holidays and with fewer problems:
- Ship 2 business days sooner than the carrier’s deadline
- Ensure the destination address is correct and complete (suite number, buzzer number, etc.)
- Include an “In case found” label inside your package
- Ensure 2” of padding between each item within the box
- Ensure 2” of padding between the items and the wall of the box