Holiday Shipping

Key information for your holiday shipping

- Shipping best practices
- Carrier discounts
- Shipping deadlines

Shipping Best Practices

One of the easiest ways to grow your eBay business is to follow these best practices for shipping. As a seller, you should offer:

• Free Shipping + Expedited Shipping
• 1-Day Handling
• Crystal-Clear Communication

To attract new buyers and gain their confidence—and keep existing customers coming back—ship your items as quickly as possible, ideally on the same day your buyer pays.

Free Shipping
Converting to Fast 'N Free can increase your sales by up to 11%*

Offer free expedited shipping. As the holiday season progresses buyers will increasingly be in a hurry to wrap up their holiday purchases. Capture those last minute shoppers with a free expedited shipping option.

When eBay can confidently predict your item will arrive at the buyer's location within 4 business days and you offer free shipping, your listing is highlighted as eBay Fast 'N Free. Converting to Fast 'N Free can increase your sales by up to 11%.*

Listings with the Fast 'N Free logo are delivering a solid boost in sales over listings without it. Starting in September, you'll be able to see in your seller dashboard:

• How many of your transactions qualified
• What your sales might have been if all of your listings qualified for Fast 'N Free
• What you can do to get the powerful eBay Fast 'N Free logo on more of your listings

Plus, when you offer free shipping you get an automatic 5-star rating for shipping cost when your buyer chooses this shipping method.

1-Day Handling
The best way to turn your transactions around in one day is to be prepared.

Have inventory, staff, and supplies on hand to meet your holiday needs. Save big on holiday shipping:

• Check the Holiday Hotlist to find this year's most in-demand products and stock up.
• Get free boxes and envelopes from the USPS® Shipping zone.
• UPS shippers can get free packaging for air shipments, self-adhesive labels and more.
• Go to eBay.com to find everything you need for your holiday fulfillment center.

Arrange for carrier pick-up. Use USPS® Carrier Pickup for your Express Mail®, Priority Mail® and International packages at no charge. Check on the package pickup options from UPS. Visit the Shipping Center for more details.

You'll automatically receive a 5-star shipping time detailed seller rating (DSR) as long as:

• You specified 1-day handling.
• You upload U.S. Postal Service®, FedEx, or UPS supported tracking information by the end of the next business day, Pacific Time, after the buyer's payment clears.
• Delivery Confirmation™ or tracking shows confirmed delivery 4 business days from when the payment clears—or within your estimated delivery time if it's less than 4 days (for example, overnight shipping).

Crystal-Clear Communication
The more you tell, the more you'll sell.

Always set buyer expectations by clearly specifying shipping and returns policies in your listings.

Provide shipment tracking and delivery information. eBay label printing automatically uploads tracking and delivery confirmation numbers to your My eBay page, and you can set it up to have delivery emails sent to buyers automatically. Log in to My eBay, click the "Accounts" tab and choose "marketing tools."

*Percentage calculated is based on sales of listings that converted to Fast 'N Free. Individual seller results may vary. Percentage increase in sales depend on, among other things, item price, inventory, shipping cost, shipping speed offered and historical performance of seller.

Carrier Discounts

• Take advantage of USPS® Savings for the holidays!
  Save big on holiday shipping! Now through December 26, all sellers who had 100+ transactions in the preceding calendar month pay Commercial Plus^TM pricing—with savings of up to 32%—when purchasing postage and printing labels from eBay Labels. Check your Seller Dashboard to see if you qualify.

  eBay Top-rated sellers and sellers with an average of 2,500 transactions per month enjoy this discount year-round!

• FedEx Advantage® for all sellers
  Save 8% to 20% on eligible FedEx Ground® and FedEx Home Delivery® shipments, and 25% to 37% on eligible FedEx Express® shipments when you join the FedEx Advantage® program. No minimum shipping requirements. Plus, the more you ship, the larger your discount!
• UPS Savings
  Save up to 32% off air shipments, up to 25% off international shipments and up to 23% off Ground Shipments through the UPS® Savings Program for eBay PowerSellers. All sellers may enroll in the UPS® Special Savings Program for eBay Sellers to secure similar savings.

Shipping deadlines

Ensure gifts will make it to your loved ones in time. Here are the USPS®, FedEx and UPS cutoffs for a December 24th delivery.

Holiday Dates for Domestic Shipments

USPS

Domestic Mail Class/Product	Dates
First-Class Mail® Service	Dec. 20
Priority Mail® Service	Dec. 21
Express Mail® Service*	Dec. 22
Parcel Post® Service	Dec. 14
Destination Network Distribution Center (DNDC) Drop Ship	Dec. 19
Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) Drop Ship	Dec. 21

* Express Mail postage refund eligibility is adjusted for shipments mailed Dec 22-25.

FedEx

U.S.-to-U.S. Shipments	Wed 12/12	Thu 12/13	Fri 12/14	Sat 12/15	Sun 12/16	Mon 12/17	Wed 12/19	Thu 12/20	Fri 12/21	Sat 12/22	Sun 12/23	Mon 12/24	Tue 12/25
FedEx SameDay®
FedEx First Overnight®										2
FedEx Priority Overnight®										2
FedEx Standard Overnight®
FedEx 2Day® A.M.
FedEx 2Day®								2
FedEx Express Saver®
FedEx Ground®
FedEx Home Delivery®
FedEx SmartPost® (not a guaranteed service)

UPS

U.S. Domestic Service	Cut-off for Delivery by December 24*
UPS Ground	Dec. 14-20 (varies by origin and destination)
UPS 3 Day Select®	Dec. 19
UPS 2nd Day Air®	Dec. 20
UPS Next Day Air®/UPS Next Day Air Saver®	Dec. 21

Please review the UPS Year-End Holiday Schedule.

*Some shipments to and from certain locations may require additional time in transit. For guarantee details, service availability, and delivery time commitments visit Calculate Time and Cost.

UPS peak-season service guarantees: Commitment times for air shipments delivered within the United States will be extended by 90 minutes on the following days: Nov. 23, Dec. 18-24 and Dec. 31. UPS air shipments picked up or delivered in the United States are guaranteed throughout the holiday season. The guarantee is suspended for UPS Ground packages picked up or scheduled for delivery between Dec. 11 and Dec. 24. For further details, visit ups.com for UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service.

Holiday Dates for International Shipments

USPS

The US Postal Service is once again allowing specific quantities of lithium batteries—when installed in the equipment they are intended to operate—to be sent to many international destinations, including APO (Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office), and DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) locations. Learn more.

Destination	Global Exchange Guaranteed® (GXG)*	Express Mail International® (EMS)	Priority Mail International® (PMI)	First-Class Mail®
Africa	Dec. 19	Dec. 11	Dec. 3	Dec. 3
Asia / Pacific Rim	Dec. 18	Dec. 15	Dec. 10	Dec. 10
Australia / New Zealand	Dec. 18	Dec. 15	Dec. 10	Dec. 10
Canada	Dec. 20	Dec. 17	Dec. 13	Dec. 10
Caribbean	Dec. 19	Dec. 15	Dec. 13	Dec. 10
Central & South America	Dec. 19	Dec. 11	Dec. 3	Dec. 3
Mexico	Dec. 20	Dec. 15	Dec. 10	Dec. 10
Europe	Dec. 19	Dec. 15	Dec. 13	Dec. 10
Middle East	Dec. 19	Dec. 15	Dec. 13	Dec. 10

*GXG Notes:

1. Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance.
2. Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities.
3. Last day to ship to Afghanistan is Dec 18 and Iraq is Dec 17.

FedEx

U.S.-to-Puerto Rico Shipments	Thu 12/13	Fri 12/14	Sat 12/15	Sun 12/16	Mon 12/17	Tue 12/18	Wed 12/19	Thu 12/20	Fri 12/21	Sat 12/22	Sun 12/23	Mon 12/24	Tue 12/25
FedEx® International Next Flight
FedEx International Priority®
FedEx International Economy®

U.S.-to-Canada Shipments	Thu 12/13	Fri 12/14	Sat 12/15	Sun 12/16	Mon 12/17	Tue 12/18	Wed 12/19	Thu 12/20	Fri 12/21	Sat 12/22	Sun 12/23	Mon 12/24	Tue 12/25
FedEx® International Next Flight
FedEx International First® 1
FedEx International Priority®
FedEx International Economy®
FedEx International Ground® (certain exclusions may apply)

U.S.-to-Mexico Shipments	Thu 12/13	Fri 12/14	Sat 12/15	Sun 12/16	Mon 12/17	Tue 12/18	Wed 12/19	Thu 12/20	Fri 12/21	Sat 12/22	Sun 12/23	Mon 12/24	Tue 12/25
FedEx® International Next Flight
FedEx International First® 1
FedEx International Priority®
FedEx International Economy®

UPS

International Service	Cut-off for Delivery by December 24*
UPS Worldwide Express®/UPS Worldwide Saver®	Dec 19-21 (varies by destination)
UPS Worldwide Expedited®	Dec 17-20 (varies by destination)
UPS Standard	Varies by U.S. origin and Canadian destination

*Some shipments to and from certain locations may require additional time in transit. For guarantee details, service availability, and delivery time commitments visit Calculate Time and Cost.

UPS peak-season service guarantees: UPS air and international shipments picked up or delivered in the United States are guaranteed throughout the holiday season. Commitment times for international shipments delivered within the United States will be extended by 90 minutes on the following days: Nov. 23, Dec. 18-24 and Dec. 31. The guarantee is suspended for UPS Standard packages picked up or scheduled for delivery between Dec. 11 and Dec. 24. For further details, visit ups.com for UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service.

APO/FPO Delivery

USPS

Addressed to	Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1	First-Class Mail® Service	Priority Mail® Service	Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL)2	Space Available Mail (SAM)3	Parcel Post® Service
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs™ 090-092	Dec. 17	Dec. 10	Dec. 10	Dec. 3	Nov. 26	Nov. 13
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093	N/A	Dec. 3	Dec. 3	Nov. 30	Nov. 26	Nov. 13
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094-098	Dec. 17	Dec. 10	Dec. 10	Dec. 3	Nov. 26	Nov. 13
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP 340	Dec. 17	Dec. 10	Dec. 10	Dec. 3	Nov. 26	Nov. 13
APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962-966	Dec. 17	Dec. 10	Dec. 10	Dec. 3	Nov. 26	Nov. 13

For more specific information regarding holiday shipping deadlines, please see the links below for each carrier:

• USPS: Holiday shipping deadlines coming soon
• FedEx: http://www.fedex.com/us/holiday/last-days-to-ship.html
• UPS: UPS Year-End Holiday Schedule and Calculate Time and Cost