Tips, tricks and deadlines for your holiday mail
The holiday season is right around the corner and your mailbox will soon be flooded with Christmas cards from family and friends.
If you want to avoid last-minute stress and send out those packages in the nick of time, here are some tips for your holiday mailings:
Don't forget deadlines
Waiting too long to ship your packages and Christmas cards could leave you feeling, well, grinchy. Most services have a deadline for guaranteed Christmas Day delivery, and this year is tricky because the holiday falls on a Sunday.
The deadline for first class mail through the U.S. Postal Service is Dec. 20, while standard ground packages need to be in by Dec. 15. Don't fret, though, if you wait a little beyond that — there are two other deadlines you can hit: Dec. 21 for priority mail, and Dec. 23 for priority mail express.
Standard FedEx ground packages need to be sent by Dec. 16, FedEx 2-Day by Dec. 21 and overnight by Dec. 22. For the ultimate procrastinator: FedEx offers same-day delivery for Christmas Day.
UPS packages should get in by Dec. 19 for standard shipping options. And last-minute shippers will need to meet the deadline of Dec. 23 for next-day shipments since UPS will not be delivering on Christmas Day this year.
Shopping on Amazon? The deadline for most Amazon users is Dec. 17, but Prime users get a little extra cushion with Dec. 22 as the final day for purchases.
Tracking packages
The Postal Service, FedEx and UPS all have their own services to track mail every step of the way. With UPS My Choice and FedEx Delivery Manager, customers can receive real-time updates, including special delivery instructions and even the ability to reroute their packages.
If you see your kids' gifts from "Santa" are coming a bit earlier than expected, simply sending the packages to your office or your neighbor's house could avoid a holiday disaster. And if it's easier to pick up the package on the way home, UPS and FedEx stores can hold your deliveries. Each services' app also makes it easy to track and make changes on the go.
Postal Service customers can also track, reroute and get live updates on their packages online.
Expanded services
Both the Postal Service and FedEx will be offering Christmas Day delivery, and the Postal Service will also be delivering packages on Sundays starting Nov. 27.
In all, some 16 billion pieces of mail and packages will be delivered through the Postal Service from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, USPS public relations representative Sue Brennan said. Peak delivery day arrives Dec. 22, when more than 30 million packages will get to their destinations.
An additional 35,000 seasonal employees will be hired to process and deliver the increased mail, Brennan said. UPS plans to hire an additional 95,000 seasonal employees.
On its highest volume day, Dec. 19, UPS expects to deliver more than 393 packages per second.
While FedEx does not have exact projections of the number of packages it will handle, it expects the four Mondays of the holiday season to be some of the busiest days in its history.
Packaging tips
Leave the crumpled newspaper for the recycling bin. UPS corporate public relations manager Kim Krebs said more substantial packaging material, such as bubble wrap, and two inches of cushioning should do the trick.
With all automated technology that packages go through, the classic brown-bag with a string wrapping could get caught on machines as packages move along the chain, causing issues, she said. Using a box specifically made for shipping — not an old shoe box you found in the back of your closet — will also ensure your items get delivered safely, Krebs added.
Just to be safe, drop an extra shipping label into your package in case the label on the outside smears or gets damaged. If you're worried a package has been lost, head to USPS.com, UPS.com or FedEx.com to chat with an employee, find a number to call to speak with a representative or file a claim.
Other trouble items could affect your package's delivery date as well. Lithium batteries, for example, have tight restrictions on air and ground travel, so waiting until Dec. 23 to buy the newest hoverboard powered with one of these batteries may not result in a Christmas Day delivery, Krebs said.
Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @MILLERdfillmore