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It used to be that the vast majority of people shopped for their holiday gifts in traditional, brick-and-mortar stores, circumventing the need for shipping. Yes, there was still an influx of Christmas cards and year-end letters, but that was mostly the domain of Canada Post or the USPS.

Nowadays, suffice it to say things have changed. According to Shopify, 2018 has already totally eclipsed 2017 in terms of holiday eCommerce sales per day-over-day stats. The attractive idea of doing all your holiday shopping from the comfort of your computer or mobile device, with the cheapest shipping options to Canada at your fingertips, has caught on in a big way, marking a 16% increase over last year.

The only consequence of this uptick in online shopping is that package delivery sees a real demand increase. Add to that the fact that companies close for certain days over the holidays, and shipping on time can be tricky. In this article, we will focus on UPS Canada, surveying their closure dates, ship by dates and how to stay informed about your package.

Last Minute Shoppers

UPS Closure Dates

For the cheapest shipping to Canada options are available year-round with netParcel, however, UPS does close certain days. Here is how the regular schedule will be affected over the holidays:

• Per the UPS Holiday Schedule, on December 23^rd there will be no pickup or delivery service.
• On December 24^th, Christmas Eve, it will mostly be business as usual for UPS, with delivery service available for all services. They only have pickup service, however, for the following: UPS Express Service, UPS Expedited and UPS 3-Day Select.
• On December 25^th, Christmas Day, there will be no pickup or delivery service.
• On December 26^th, Boxing Day, there will be no pickup or delivery service.
• On December 30^th, there will be no pickup or delivery service.
• On December 31^st, New Year’s Eve, delivery is available for all services, however, pickup is limited to Express, Expedited and 3-day Select.
• On January 1^st, New Year’s Day, there will be no pickup or delivery service.

Ship By Dates

In an effort to help your customers (or you, yourself) get their packages by Christmas Eve, in time to be placed under the tree, here are your UPS ship-by dates. (Please note, though, that the less than truckload shipping services we offer don’t apply here).

• Thursday, December 20^th is the last day to ship UPS Expedited packages for delivery by December 24^th.
• Friday, December 21^st is the last day to ship UPS Express, Express Saver and Express Early for delivery by December 24^th.
• It must be noted that UPS suspends its On-Time Delivery Guarantee between November 26^th and December 31^st, due to peak demand and inclement winter weather. While these ship by dates are useful, they are no guarantee, unfortunately.

How to Stay Informed

You can manage your package through the UPS website, and calculate the time it will take for the package to arrive. Punch in your information, and the calculator will give you the days in transit for the package, as well as when it will be delivered by.

For all you last minute shippers and shoppers out there, hopefully, this article on the UPS holiday schedule will clear the air!