Latest Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2018: Amazon, Post Office, UPS

WASHINGTON, DC — If you've delayed sending holiday cards or shipping gifts, it's crunch time. For holiday procrastinators, the very last day to mail a first class greeting card is Dec. 20. For serious procrastinators, you can hold off another day by using Priority Mail and three more days if you choose Priority Express. Of course, they are costlier options.

Gift-givers in Virginia need to know the holiday shipping deadlines from the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express and UPS are coming soon. The week of Dec. 17-23 is expected to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week, when nearly 3 billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered, the postal service says.

Amazon, the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx have all posted their recommended ordering or shipping dates for the 2018 holiday season, as well as some helpful tips to make the holidays a little less hectic.

The Post Office expects to deliver nearly 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages through New Year's Day and is expanding its Sunday delivery service in most major cities. About 8 million packages will be delivered on Sundays this December.

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A new service, Informed Delivery, is also available in most metropolitan areas. It provides a digital preview of what's coming to your mailbox, and allows you to manage your packages, peek at the cards that are headed your way and see the exterior images of magazines and catalogs, all from a mobile app, dashboard, tablet or computer.

Tuesday, Dec. 18, was Amazon's final deadline for standard free delivery, even if you're a member of Amazon's Prime expedited shipping and entertainment service or not. The deadine was extended to Wednesday, Dec. 19, USA Today reports.

Here are all the deadlines you need to keep in mind:

U.S. Postal Service

Domestic

Dec. 14: USPS Retail Ground
Dec. 20: First Class Mail, Priority Mail
Dec. 22: Priority Mail Express
International
Dec. 1: First-Class Package International Service and Priority Mail International
Dec. 8: Priority Mail Express International
Dec. 19: Global Express Guaranteed
Military
Dec. 4: Parcel Airlift Mail
Dec. 11: Priority Mail; First Class Mail (cards and letters)
Dec. 18: Priority Mail Express Military Service
For more information on mailing cards and packages to the troops, go here. You can also order flat-rate boxes featuring the "America Supports You" logo here.
FedEx
Dec. 10: SmartPost Services
Dec. 14: Ground
Dec.17: Home Delivery
Dec. 19: Express Saver
Dec 20: Two-Day Service
Dec. 21: Overnight Service
UPS
Dec. 14: Ground
Dec. 18: 3 Day Select
Dec.20: 2nd Day Air Service
Dec. 22: NextDay Air Services

For more information and to find a shipping location in Maryland, go the USPS, FedEx and UPS websites.

Holiday Mailing Packing Tips

Finding The Right Box

"Choose a box with enough room for cushioning material around the contents. Sturdy paperboard or corrugated fiberboard boxes are best for weights up to 10 pounds. If you are reusing a box, totally remove or obliterate all previous labels and markings with heavy black marker," according to the Postal Service.

Most Post Offices sell boxes and tubes in multiple sizes. Some Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail boxes are available free at the Post Office for items using either of these services. While you are not required to use the free packaging, you must use the USPS-produced address label provided by the Post Office for Priority Mail Express. To order Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail boxes at no extra charge, call 800-222-1811 or visit www.usps.com/store.

Cushioning

Place the cushioning all around your item or items. You can use newspaper, "foam peanuts," or shredded paper. Close and shake the box to see if you have enough cushioning. If you hear items shifting, postal officials suggest adding more cushioning.

Another pro tip is to place an extra address label with the delivery and return addresses inside the package in case the outside label becomes damaged or falls off.

Mailing Fragile Items

Mark your packages "Fragile" if they can break. Mark food items as "Perishable."

Mailing Heavy Items

If you are mailing a very heavy or dense item, postal officials suggest using a sturdy box. Pack the contents securely with a strong material for bracing to prevent shifting and tape all the edges with reinforced tape. Packages heavier than 70 pounds cannot be mailed, according to postal officials.

Sealing

Postal officials suggest taping the opening of your box and reinforcing all seams with 2-inch-wide tape. "Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape, or paper tape," officials said. "Do not use cord, string, twine, masking or cellophane tape. Place a strip of clear packaging tape over your label to prevent the address from smearing."

Return Address
Remember to print or type your address in the upper left corner on the same side of the package as the delivery address.

Extra Services

"Place labels for extra services above the delivery address and to the right of the return address, or to the left of the delivery address," according to postal officials.

Postage

You can use stamps, a postage meter or a PC Postage system to apply the correct postage. You can also calculate and purchase postage online at www.usps.com.

Delivery Address

"Print or type the delivery address parallel to the longest side of the package," postal officials advised. "Type or print clearly with a pen or permanent marker so that your address is legible from an arm's length away. Do not use commas or periods."

Confirmation Services

Labels for USPS Tracking or signature confirmation should be placed to the left of the address label.

City, State and ZIP Code

To find the correct spelling of a city name and state abbreviation or to find a ZIP Code visit www.usps.com or call 800·ASK·USPS. Using the correct ZIP Code helps direct your mail more efficiently and accurately.

Drop Off

If your mail item weighs 13 ounces or less, and you have used correct postage, you can save time by mailing it in one the blue collection boxes that your parents still refer to as mailboxes. If your item weighs more than 13 ounces, and you have affixed postage stamps, you must take it to an employee at the retail counter of a Post Office.

— By Patch National Editor Beth Dalbey and Editor Elizabeth Janney

PHOTO: People wait in line to ship last minute packages for the holidays at the James A Farley Post Office on 8th Avenue in New York City. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images)