How do I post things so they arrive in time?
Work backwards from the last posting dates, and understand what tracking and compensation actually cover.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 20 min
- Read
- 2 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Find the last posting dates and work backwards, adding a few days of your own. Christmas deadlines are earlier than most people assume, and international ones are much earlier.
Most late parcels are posted after the deadline rather than delayed in transit. The published dates are the actual constraint, and they are earlier every year than people remember.
Safety
Step by step
- Find the last posting dates and add a buffer.Published by every carrier well in advance. Add a few days of your own — the published dates assume everything goes smoothly at the busiest time of year.
- Post international far earlier.Weeks rather than days, and customs adds unpredictable time. This is where people are most often caught out.
- Choose the service for the value, not just the speed.Standard services carry limited compensation. Anything valuable needs a service with appropriate cover, and that is usually a signed-for or tracked option.
- Understand what tracking gives you.Visibility, and proof of delivery for a claim. It does not make delivery faster or more certain, though it does make a dispute much easier.
- Pack it properly.Rigid box, cushioning, nothing loose inside, tape along every seam. Damage claims are frequently refused on the grounds of inadequate packaging.
- Write the address clearly and include a return address.Postcode correct and legible, and your address on the back or inside. Undeliverable parcels without a return address are eventually destroyed.
- Check what cannot be posted.Aerosols, perfume, loose batteries, flammable liquids and some foods, especially internationally. Prohibited items can be destroyed without compensation.
- Keep the receipt and the tracking number.Proof of posting is what any claim rests on. Photograph it — receipts fade and get lost.
Tips
- Post early in the day and early in the week. Items posted late on a Friday sit until Monday.
- A cheap set of scales prevents the classic mistake of underpaying postage, which delays the parcel and charges the recipient.
- For anything genuinely valuable or irreplaceable, consider whether it should be posted at all. Compensation limits are lower than people expect.
Questions people ask
When is the last day to post for Christmas?
It varies by service and is published in advance — usually mid-December for standard UK post and considerably earlier for international. Add a few days to whatever is published.
Is tracking worth it?
For anything valuable, yes — it gives proof of delivery, which is what a claim depends on. It does not make delivery faster.