Peak season 2026

• Beginning of October: Inventory stocking by webshops starts, leading to initial volume increases.
• Halloween (October 31): Marks the start of high sales activity.
• Singles’ Day (November 11): Significant sales and shipping activity.
• Black Friday (November 27): Massive orders create a spike in shipments, with label creation peaking on Cyber Monday.
• Cyber Monday (November 30): The busiest day for label creation.
• Sinterklaas (December 5): Higher volumes in the Benelux region.
• Week before Christmas: Last-minute shopping causes another volume surge.

• Pick-ups
  • Request pick-ups early (1 business day ahead).
  • Switch to fixed pick-ups if volumes rise.
  • Keep a signed manifest as proof of handover.
    👉 Why: Prevents missed collections and gives proof for claims.
• Outgoing shipments: delays
  • Set realistic expectations; avoid next-day promises.
  • Offer multiple carriers and delivery options (e.g. service points).
    👉 Why: Reduces customer frustration and failed deliveries.
• Tracking & scans
  • Expect scan delays of 24 h +.
  • Contact support only if tracking hasn’t updated after that period.
    👉 Why: Prevents unnecessary tickets and reassures merchants.
• Returns
  • Encourage drop-off returns rather than home collection.
  • Remind that carriers usually make one pickup attempt.
    👉 Why: Cuts failed return collections and customer confusion.
• Customer communication
  • Be transparent about possible delays and cut-off times.
    👉 Why: Manages customer expectations and avoids negative feedback.

From 20 September onwards, UPS applies demand surcharges to packages exceeding maximum limits, large packages, and shipments requiring additional handling. This will apply to all packages meeting these specifications originating from 19 European countries and to all destinations.

See below the demand surcharges that apply:

International shipping

In addition to the peak surcharge and applicable Demand Surcharges mentioned above, UPS may apply Surge Emergency Fees to international shipments during high-demand periods.

When they apply

• International Air Shipments (Express, Express Saver, Express Plus, Expedited, Worldwide Express Freight)
• Domestic shipments to residential addresses (Standard, Express, Express Saver, Express Plus)
• International ground shipments (Transborder Standard, Worldwide Standard)

Click here for more information.

Detailed explanation of the conditions

Additional Handling

• Any article that is encased in an outside shipping container made of metal or wood
• Any cylindrical item, such as a barrel, drum, pail, or tyre, that is not fully encased in a corrugated cardboard shipping container
• Any package with the longest side exceeding 100 cm (39.5") or a second-longest side exceeding 76 cm (30'')
• Any package with an actual weight greater than 25 kg (55 pounds)
• Each package in a shipment where the average weight per package is greater than 25 kg (55 pounds) and the weight for each package is not specified on the source document or the UPS automated shipping system used.

Large Package
A package is considered a large package when its length plus girth (girth = 2x width) + (2 x height) combined exceeds 300 cm but does not exceed the maximum UPS size of 400 cm. Large packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 40 kg in addition to the large package surcharge.

Over maximum limits

Packages with an actual weight of more than 70 kg, or that exceed 274 cm in length or exceed a total of 400 cm in length and girth combined (girth = (2 x width) + (2 x height), are not accepted for transportation. If found in the UPS small package system, they are subject to an additional charge.

Additional resources

For more information about shipping with UPS over the peak season, you can consult the following resources on UPS.com:

• The days of operation page displays adjustments to our service due to national holidays.
• The service alerts page notifies you of disruptions, such as adverse weather conditions, that may impact your shipments.

Peak surcharges

FedEx applies a peak surcharge of €1.30 per international parcel (£1.30 for shipments from the UK). For domestic shipments within the UK, a peak surcharge of £0.75 per parcel applies.

Additional Demand Surcharges

From 21 September 2026, FedEx applies additional Demand Surcharges to non-standard parcels. These charges apply on top of the existing FedEx surcharges.

For the general surcharge conditions, see our FedEx surcharges article.

The additional Demand Surcharges apply to:

• Additional Handling Surcharge (Dimension, Weight and Packaging)
• Oversize Charge
• Unauthorized Package Charge

See below the additional Demand Surcharges that apply:

Evri

During the Christmas and New Year period, please take the following changes to Evri collections into account:

• Public holidays: There will be no collections on public holidays.
• Christmas Eve (24 December): Collections are not part of the standard collection schedule and will not be booked automatically. If a collection has been arranged, it will take place between 09:00 and 13:00.
• New Year's Eve (31 December): Collections are not part of the standard collection schedule and will not be booked automatically. If a collection has been arranged, it will take place between 09:00 and 13:00.

For collections on 24 or 31 December, make sure all parcels are ready from 09:00, as the collection can take place at any time during the operating window.

During the peak period, requests for additional collection capacity are subject to operational review and available network capacity and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

For more information about shipping with Evri during the Christmas period, see the Evri Christmas delivery information.

DHL

DHL provides information about service availability and adjusted schedules around UK bank holidays. See the DHL bank holiday schedule for more information.

DPD

During peak season, DPD UK is making temporary operational adjustments to support increased parcel volumes.

• Collection times (23 November - 24 December): Depot collections will take place 30 minutes earlier than usual. DPD also encourages early-volume collections where possible.
• Peak volumes: DPD expects very high parcel volumes during this period. Early-volume, Saturday, and Sunday collections are encouraged to help support the network.

Christmas delivery and hub sort schedule:

For the latest information about possible delays, adjusted opening times, and other service updates, see the DPD Parcel Update page.

FedEx

FedEx provides an overview of its service availability during public holidays. See the FedEx holiday schedule for more information.

UPS

UPS provides information about its operating hours and service adjustments during the holiday season. See the UPS holiday shipping schedule for more information.

Royal Mail and Parcelforce

Royal Mail and Parcelforce have announced their last recommended posting dates for Christmas 2026:

• Royal Mail 48: Friday 18 December
• Royal Mail Tracked 48: Saturday 19 December
• Royal Mail 24: Monday 21 December
• Royal Mail Tracked 24: Monday 21 December
• Special Delivery Guaranteed: Wednesday 23 December
• Parcelforce express48: Monday 21 December
• Parcelforce express10, AM and 24: Tuesday 22 December

Last posting dates are subject to change. We recommend shipping as early as possible to help ensure parcels arrive in time for Christmas.

Christmas and New Year collections:

• Royal Mail will operate normal Saturday business collections on 19 December. There will be no collections on 20 December.
• The last Royal Mail collections on Christmas Eve (24 December) and New Year's Eve (31 December) will take place between 11:00 and 14:00.
• For Parcelforce, the last collection for Christmas delivery will be 22 December. There will be no collections on 23 or 24 December.
• Parcelforce collections will resume on 29 and 30 December. Express48 items collected during this period will not be delivered until 2 January 2027.
• There will be no collections on 25, 26, 27 or 28 December, or on 1 January 2027.
• There will be no deliveries in Scotland on 2 January 2027. Deliveries will resume on 4 January 2027.

Royal Mail Tracked Returns 48:

Royal Mail has also adjusted its Tracked Returns 48 schedule over the Christmas and New Year period:

• There will be no collections from Post Offices on 20, 25, 26, 27 and 28 December 2026, or on 1 January 2027.
• On 24 and 31 December 2026, returns collections will arrive back at the Royal Mail plant by 14:00.
• There will be no deliveries in Scotland on 2 January 2027. Deliveries will resume on 4 January 2027.

For the latest operational information, see the Royal Mail service updates.