eBay 2022 Holiday Carrier Shipping Deadlines
With less than two months before Christmas, we have compiled a list of shipping deadlines for eBay sellers in the US to help them offer and use the best carrier for shipments to arrive before December 25, 2022.
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This list of recommended last shipping dates is based on carrier and eBay information. There are no guarantees during the busy peak holiday season that carriers will meet delivery times.
Except for select Express shipments, carriers do not offer delivery guarantees during the holiday season.
To be safe, shippers should add a couple of extra days as a buffer, especially on shipments leaving the contiguous United States.
USPS
Domestic Contiguous United States (“Lower 48”)
- Parcel Select Ground – ship by 12/17
- First-Class Packages – ship by 12/17
- Priority Mail – ship by 12/19
- Priority Mail Express* – ship by 12/23
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico
- First-Class Mail – ship by 12/17
- Priority Mail – ship by 12/17
- Priority Mail Express* – ship by 12/21
Military/Diplomatic Mail (APO/FPO/DPO)**
- Retail Ground – ship by 11/5
- First-Class Mail – ship by 12/9
- Priority Mail – ship by 12/9
- Priority Mail Express – ship by 12/16
* Priority Mail Express (PME) is the only “guaranteed” service the US Postal Service offers on domestic shipments. Not all zip codes are served the next day with PME. Check before shipping. Some other exclusions may apply to PME shipments.
** Military/Diplomatic mail is subject to transport/delivery availability/restrictions. Check with the recipient and USPS website for more information. USPS is only responsible for the domestic portion of mail.
International Shipments
The recommended holiday shipping deadlines for most international shipping destinations are as follows:
- First Class Package International Service – Ship by 12/6*
- Priority Mail International Service – Ship by 12/6*
- Priority Mail Express International Service – Ship by 12/13*
- Global Express Guaranteed Service – Ship by 12/20
* For shipments to Africa, Central and South America, please allow an additional week for all services except for Global Express Guaranteed.
A mail worker strike in the UK may impact delivery times. Therefore, shippers should also consider this scenario if it continues into December.
Other international delays caused by Covid restrictions to severe weather may impact international delivery times. Please see our USPS International disruptions page for the latest updates.
UPS
Domestic
- UPS Ground – Ship by 12/14
- UPS 3-Day Select – Ship by 12/20
- UPS 2nd Day Air – Ship by 12/21
- UPS Next Day Air – Ship by 12/22
US to Canada
- UPS Standard – Ship by 12/12*
- UPS Worldwide Expedited – Ship by 12/19
- UPS Worldwide Express – Ship by 12/22
US to Mexico
- UPS Standard – SHip by 12/12*
- UPS Worldwide Expedited – Ship by 12/19
- UPS Worldwide Express – Ship by 12/21
For other international destinations, please check the UPS website.
* Estimated – may vary by postal code. Check the UPS website for more information.
FedEx
Domestic
- Ground – Ship by 12/14
- Ground Economy – Ship by 12/14
- Home Delivery – Ship by 12/14
- Express Saver – Ship by 12/20
- 2-Day Services – Ship by 12/21
- Priority and Standard Overnight – Ship by 12/22
US to Canada
- FedEx Canada Ground – Ship by 12/14
- FedEx International Economy – Ship by 12/16
- FedEx International Priority – Ship by 12/17
US to Mexico
- FedEx International Economy – Ship by 12/20
- FedEx International Priority – Ship by 12/21
For other international destinations, please check the FedEx website.
eBay Domestic Shipping
- eBay Standard Envelope – Ship by 12/17
eBay Global Shipping (GSP)
Populuar Destinations
- Canada – Ship by 12/2
- For Toronto Only – Ship by 12/12
- United Kingdom – Ship by 12/7
- Australia – Ship by 11/11
- Germany – Ship by 12/7
- France – Ship by 11/30
- Japan – Ship by 12/6
See the eBay Global Shipping Program website for delivery times to other destinations.
eBay International Standard
Populuar Destinations
- Canada – Ship by 12/6
- United Kingdom – Ship by 12/7*
- Australia – Ship by 11/21
- Germany – Ship by 11/30
- France – Ship by 12/1
- Japan – Ship by 12/1
See eBay International Standard website for delivery times to other destinations.
* Since this program relies on USPS shipping, a mail worker strike in the UK may impact delivery times.
eBay International Shipping (New Program)
Populuar Destinations
- Canada – Ship by 12/6
- United Kingdom – Ship by 12/7
- Australia – Ship by 11/21
- Germany – Ship by 11/30
- France – Ship by 12/1
- Japan – Ship by 12/1
See eBay International Shipping for delivery times to other destinations.
* Since this program relies on USPS shipping, a mail worker strike in the UK may impact delivery times.
Final Tips for Successful Shipping During the Holiday Season
Many sellers are hesitant to offer express services due to the cost as most buyers are not willing to pay for it.
But during the holiday season, some buyers are willing to pay extra to ensure their packages arrive in a timely manner. Sellers should offer express services when possible, at least during November and December.
Some buyers may request express shipping using their carrier account number. This is usually a scam, and senders are ultimately always responsible for shipping charges if the recipient or third party doesn’t pay the bill.
When sending items internationally, declaring them below value is a frequent request from buyers, but that could delay customs clearance or even cause the shipment to be rejected, confiscated, or returned.
Most carriers will not allow insuring international shipments above the declared value, so the risk of loss/damage falls on the shipper.
The practice of under-declaring the value of international shipments is generally not a good idea and should be avoided.
Returns after Christmas are increasing on online purchases. Even if sellers say no returns are accepted in their listings, with eBay’s policy to generally favor buyers in disputes, sellers should expect returns and keep sufficient funds available in their eBay account to handle them.
If you have not seen our 2022 Holiday Season Preview where 13 industry experts offered advice on how to navigate this peak season, you can check it out here.
Resources
- USPS Domestic Shipping Disruptions
- USPS International Shipping Disruptions
- Shipping to Ukraine, Russia, Belarus
- UPS Service Alerts
- FedEx Service Alerts
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.