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It’s December, which means the holidays are either upon us, or coming up quickly. Whether you’re shopping for yourself, local friends and relatives, or people on around the world, the time to place your order for the best gifts online is right now.
But according to a new survey by Stamps.com, 40% of customers are unaware of holiday shipping deadlines. The good news is that services and retailers alike have started posting their strict shipping deadlines, which are coming up as soon as next week. This is the most popular time of year to send and receive packages, which means shipping services can get overwhelmed, so we’re here to make sure your package doesn’t arrive too late.
How to Get Your Gift Delivered By Christmas
Below, we’ve found all the hard shipping deadlines you need to know about, plus some tips and tricks to avoid holiday shipping stress altogether.
Find Faster Shipping Options
While many major stores (think Amazon) are offering one or two-day shipping, selecting those options can get pricey fast. Consider signing up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial to get Prime (two day) shipping at no extra cost. Bonus: Amazon will also let you know on certain product listings whether or not your gift will be arrive before Christmas.
get prime 30-day free trial
Consider In-Store (Or Curbside) Pick-Up
If you’re shopping at a retailer with brick and mortar stores and the item you want is in-stock, you may be able to get them the same day by selecting in-store pickup. Most retailers like Target and Walmart also offer curbside delivery, so you don’t need to go into the physical store to find your items and pick them up.
Ship Gifts Directly To Friends And Family
You can save a lot of time and energy by ordering items online and having them shipped directly to the person you’re shopping for instead of shipping them yourselves. Some retailers offer a gifting option, which includes a gift receipt and gift wrapping, while others don’t. If you want to personalize this option, send out cards that your friends and family can open along with their presents.
Ignore Final Shipping Deadlines And Get A Digital Gift
Bad weather or an unexpected surge of online orders may lead to your gift being delivered late even if it’s supposed to arrive on time. Instead, consider giving them one of the best digital gifts, like an online gift card, subscription service, or virtual class (we’re big fans of Masterclass). These e-presents give you the option to e-mail your giftee directly, or print the “gift” out and give them as a card.
Top Retailer Shipping Deadlines
Below, we’ve listed some of our most-shopped retailers and their holiday shipping deadlines, which may vary from official FedEx, UPS, and USPS deadlines.
AMAZON
Amazon hasn’t officially confirmed this yet, but we can extrapolate from previous seasons that holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 14 will arrives on the 24th with Free Shipping. That being said, Prime Members can order by Dec. 22 for 2-Day Shipping and Dec. 23 could arrive on the 24th if you choose one-day shipping at checkout. SHOP NOW.
APPLE
You can order byDec. 21(for most items) or byDec. 24(with two-hour delivery from local Apple Store for select items) to receive gifts by Christmas. SHOP NOW.
ADORAMA
Adorama offers holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 23 at 4 p.m. ET when you choose UPS Next Day shipping at checkout. SHOP NOW.
B&H
B&H offers holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 16 if you choose 1-Day delivery (price varies) at checkout. SHOP NOW.
BARNES & NOBLE
Barnes & Noble offers delivery by Christmas on orders placed by Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. ET. SHOP NOW.
BEST BUY
Best Buy offers holiday delivery on in-stock items if you place an order on Dec. 23 for next-day delivery and Dec. 24 for same-day pickup. To get free next-day shipping, orders must be placed by 10:30 a.m. CT on Dec. 23. SHOP NOW.
BIOLITE
Biolite offers holiday delivery on in-stock items if you place an order by Dec. 22 and choose Two-Day delivery at checkout. SHOP NOW.
BOLL & BRANCH
Boll & Branch guarauntees (free!) holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. ET. SHOP NOW.
CASPER
Casper guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. ET. SHOP NOW.
COYUCHI
Coyuchi offers holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 20 if you choose express shipping. SHOP NOW.
CRICUT
Cricut guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 15 if you choose express shipping. SHOP NOW.
HEDLEY & BENNET
Hedley & Bennet guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 13 if you choose express shipping.SHOP NOW.
LOVEHONEY
Lovehoney guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 21 before 3 p.m. ET if you choose UPS Next Day Air Weekday Shipping shipping.SHOP NOW.
MACY’S
Macy’s guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by December 20 at 12 p.m. ET, or byDec. 24(with same-day delivery in select areas or with in-store pick-up on orders made by 3 p.m.). SHOP NOW.
MICROSOFT
Microsoft offers holiday delivery withnext-day shipping on orders placed by Dec. 23 at 12 p.m. PT. SHOP NOW.
NOMAD
NOMAD confirms holiday delivery on orders featuring in-stock items placed byDec. 19. SHOP NOW.
NORDSTROM
Nordstrom guarantees holiday delivery on orders featuring in-stock items placed by Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. ET if you choose Free 2-Day Business Shipping at checkout. SHOP NOW.
OONI
Ooni guarantees holiday delivery on orders featuring in-stock items placed by Dec. 16 by 12 p.m. ET. SHOP NOW.
PARAVEL
Paravel guarantees holiday delivery on non-personalized items orderedby Dec. 16 with Standard Shipping and personalized orders by Dec. 11 with Premium Shipping. SHOP NOW.
RAZER
Razer offers holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 15. SHOP NOW.
REI
REI guarantees holiday delivery on orders byDec. 20(with standard shipping on orders made by 9 a.m. PT) or byDec. 24(with same-day, in-store pickup available at select locations). Members also get free shipping. SHOP NOW.
SAMSUNG
Samsung guarantees holiday delivery on orders featuring in-stock items placed by Dec. 15 at 11:59PM ET. SHOP NOW.
SEPHORA
Sephora guarantees holiday delivery on orders byDec. 19 at 6 a.m. ET, orDec. 20with two-day shipping,Dec. 21with one-day shipping, andDec. 24(with same-day, in-store pickup on orders made by 4 p.m. local time). SHOP NOW.
SONOS
Order at Sonos byDec. 19(with free holiday delivery if your order is placed by 11 a.m.) to get your gifts by Christmas. SHOP NOW.
TARGET
Target guarantees holiday delivery on orders featuring select items placed by Dec. 20 on orders over $35 (just choose free two-day delivery at checkout). You can pick up an order in store until Dec. 24. SHOP NOW.
THE HOME DEPOT
The Home Depot guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 23 if you choose to schedule a delivery ($8.99). You can pick up an order in store until Dec. 24. SHOP NOW.
TUFT & NEEDLE
Tuft & Needle guarantees holiday delivery on orders featuring select items placed by Dec. 14. SHOP NOW.
WALMART
Walmart guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. ET if you select two-day delivery and Dec.21 at 2 p.m. ET if you select Next-Day delivery at check out. You can also pick up orders in-store through Dec. 24. SHOP NOW.
WAYFAIR
Wayfair guarantees holiday delivery via UPS Ground on orders placed by Dec. 18. You can shop as late as Dec. 22 if you use next day delivery. SHOP NOW.
WILLIAMS SONOMA
Williams Sonoma guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 19 at 6 a.m. PT for Standard UPS Shipping, and by Dec. 22 at 11 p.m. PT if you select next-day shipping at checkout. SHOP NOW.
ZAGG
ZAGG guarantees holiday delivery on orders placed by Dec. 11 for free shipping, and Dec. 20 if you select next-day shipping at checkout. SHOP NOW.
FedEx Holiday Shipping 2024 Deadlines
Since Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, you’ll be able to ship FedEx Overnight delivery on Monday, Dec. 23 to get your gift there before Christmas. You can also ship FedEx SameDay on Tuesday, Dec. 24, to get your package delivered by Christmas.
Shipping deadlines from options like FedEx Express Saver, 2Day and 3Day deadlines are all the week before Christmas, and the FedEx Ground deadline is on Dec. 13.
UPS Holiday Shipping 2024 Deadlines
Same as with FedEx, the UPS shipping deadlines will be more manageable this year with the holiday landing on a Wednesday instead of a Monday, like it did in 2023. Make sure to send your final packages by Dec. 23 to make sure they arrive by Dec. 25. At the earliest,Dec. 19 is the last day for UPS 3-Day Select and USPS Priority Mail.
USPS Holiday Shipping 2024 Deadlines
The US Postal Service deadlines for shipping gifts are also back to normal compared to last year. Mark your calendars for Dec. 21 if you want your packages to arrive before December 25 with Priority Mail Express, including for Alaska and Hawaii (that’ll be Dec. 20). The regular ground shipping deadline will be Dec. 18 this year.
