Christmas shopping warning from Australia Post

Aussies are being urged to plan their Christmas parcel sending early as Australia Post braces for a record peak delivery season.

Australia Post has issued its deadline posting dates for ensuring parcels and presents reach their intended destination ahead of December 25.

While it’s still more than two months away, Australia Post executive general manager parcel, post and e-commerce services Gary Starr said he expected a lot of early shopping during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

“Our message is simple: check the dates, shop early, send early and get one more thing ticked off your Christmas to-do list,” he said.

“We’ve been preparing for months to support another busy festive season and make sending and receiving as easy and convenient as possible for customers.”

Last year, Australia Post delivered a record near-111 million parcels during November and December, up 7.6 per cent on 2024.

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The network handled more than 3075 parcels a minute and delivered about two million a day for more than 30 days in a row.

And this year, even higher volumes are expected.

Here’s when you have to post by to ensure your parcels get delivered in time for Christmas.

For Metro locations across Australia:  

• Parcel Post: Parcels should be sent by December 21 for interstate deliveries and December 22 for same state deliveries.
• Express Post: Parcels should be sent by December 23.
• Letters/Cards: Christmas letters and cards should be sent by December 18 for interstate deliveries and December 21 for same-state deliveries.  
• Items lodged over the counter at a Post Office will need to be lodged by 2.30pm on the abovementioned dates.

People sending to or from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, or regional and remote locations, should allow a few extra days for all postal services. 

International:  

• Economy Air: Parcels should be sent between November 24 – December 4 depending on the destination.
• International Standard: Parcels should be sent between December 1 – December 11 depending on the destination.
• International Express: Parcels should be sent between December 4 – December 15 depending on the destination.