Keep in mind the delivery times of the carriers and make sure that your packages are under the Christmas tree of your customers on time.
In this article you will learn more about the posting times of DHL, DPD and UPS. Find out by when you should post your parcels with the carriers to ensure successful delivery by Christmas Eve.
In this article 👇
General tips for posting and collection
1. Drop-off your parcels on time
Find out in advance about the posting deadlines and parcel transit times of the carriers and deliver your parcels to the parcel shops on time.
2. Plan your collections
Sporadic pickup requests with Shipcloud
Order sporadic pickups via Shipcloud in advance. Please note that pickups can only be ordered for the following working day and only take place Monday to Friday in the core pickup time window between 9:00 and 17:00. You can also find more information about this here.
In the event that your ordered pickups are not carried out by the carrier as expected and time is of the essence, drop-off your parcels yourself, in compliance with the posting deadlines, to a parcel shop.
Regular pickups via your own carrier account
Find out from your carrier about the last possible pickup day for on-time delivery of your domestic and international parcels. Please note that pickup days vary depending on the destination.
3. Use an express service alternatively
Depending on the shipping scenario and if possible, also use express services of the carriers.
4. Pack your parcels properly
Pack your shipments carefully and securely according to the packaging guidelines of the carriers. This will ensure that your shipments are not damaged in transit, may need to be repacked by the parcel service or even destroyed, and will prevent transit time delays and non-deliveries.
Posting deadlines for Deutsche Post
Delivery before the holidays is possible only if the posting is made before the parcel shop disposal.
Destination | Deadline |
Germany | Saturday, 12/21/2024 by 12 noon |
EU countries | Friday, 12/13/2024 by 12 noon |
Non-EU countries | Friday, 12/06/2024 by 12 noon |
DHL provides you with further information (in german) here.
Posting deadlines DHL
The following posting or drop-off deadlines apply to the timely delivery of your DHL parcels by December 24th. Please also note that delivery before the holidays is only possible if posting takes place before parcel shop disposal.
Destination | Countries | Deadline | DHL shipping method |
National | Germany | Saturday, 12/21/2024 by 12 noon | DHL Paket, Warenpost |
Neighboring countries (excl. France) | Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland | Thursday, 12/19/2024 by 12 noon
| Warenpost International Premium, DHL Paket International Premium |
Nearby European countries | France, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary | Wednesday, 18/12/2024 by 12 noon | Warenpost International Premium, DHL Paket International Premium |
Other European countries | Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway | Friday, 12/13/2024 by 12 noon
| Warenpost International Premium, DHL Paket International Premium, DHL Europaket |
Other European countries | Bulgaria, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Spain | Monday, 16/12/2024 by 12 noon | Warenpost International Premium, DHL Paket International Premium, DHL Europaket |
Non-EU countries | worldwide | Friday, 12/06/2024 by 12 noon
| Warenpost International Premium, DHL Paket International Premium |
DHL regular collections during the Christmas period
If you ship with your own DHL contract via a regular collection, your shipments will generally be delivered by 24.12. if the collection is made by Saturday, 21st of December, 12:00 noon at the latest. The agreed collections via regional transport (regular collection) are generally carried out as on Saturdays. DHL also provides the delivery dates for Christmas 2024 as a PDF (in german).
Posting deadlines for DPD
DPD shipping method | DPD |
DPD Classic (Standard national) | Friday, 12/20/2024 by 12 noon |
DPD Express (national) | Monday, 12/23/2024 by 12 noon |
Europe* | Tuesday, 12/17/2024 by 12 noon |
*Depending on the destination country, no later than 12/17/2024 (estimated deadline) - more info is available via DPD's transit time calculator.
Posting deadlines for UPS
The following drop-off deadlines* apply to timely delivery of your domestic UPS parcels by December 24th.
Destination | Deadline | UPS shipping method |
National | Tuesday 12/19/2024 by 12 noon Monday, 12/23/2024 by 12 noon | UPS Standard
UPS Express, UPS Express Saver, UPS Express Plus |
International | Friday, 12/13/2024 by 6 p.m. | UPS Standard |
*UPS has not published any current deadlines, so the posting and delivery deadlines are based on our experience.
For your international parcels, we recommend that you check directly with UPS beforehand how long your shipment will be en route. Use the UPS delivery time calculator for this. Roughly it can be said that packages shipped with UPS Standard or Express within Europe can take 1 day (e.g. Austria, Italy) to 3 days (e.g. Spain, Portugal) depending on the destination country. For more information on Christmas shipping and applicable holidays, please also visit the UPS website.
Any further questions? We're happy to help.
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