Coronavirus, Holiday Shipping & International Shipping

Holiday Shopping 2020 Shipping Times

Due to the unprecedented impact the coronavirus has had on international postal services, the following Holiday shipping deadlines are in place for the 2020 Holiday shopping season:

Domestic (USA) Deadline: December 8, 2020
International (Canada) Deadline: October 20, 2020
International (All Others) Deadline: October 8, 2020

Some International locations are still closed or experiencing heavy impacts due to the coronavirus. Please check the USPS page linked below for up-to-date information on which locations are still experiencing shipping restrictions.

Delays in Domestic Shipping

USPS has noted delays in domestic parcel transit times as a result of the coronavirus. This is due to increased parcel volumes and other factors related to the outbreak. First Class packages (what we use for standard shipping) are seeing up to 1 week (sometimes 2-3 weeks) of increased transit time. Priority packages (what we use for express shipping) are seeing a 1-3 day delay in transit times.

International Transit Time Delays

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus situation, international shipping times have been dramatically affected. We are seeing lag times of 4-10 weeks for packages bound for overseas customers, even in countries where postal service has been steady in the past such as the United Kingdom, Canada and more.

While we are still shipping to our lovely international customers, you may have to expect a delay between the time we send out your parcel and the time it gets loaded onto a cargo flight or container ship bound for an international destination. :-(

As a result of the coronavirus, you may notice that your parcel has been sitting at the Miami International Postal Hub or the New York International Postal Hub for a while (I have seen some sitting at the hub for up to 5-8 weeks). This is, unfortunately, due to the virus and your parcel is either waiting on available space on a cargo flight or waiting for the next available spot on a container ship to bring it overseas to you.

Restricted Shipping to Certain International Locations

Some countries have also restricted inbound air traffic and are not eligible for container shipping, which may mean that your parcel might end up being bounced back to us. USPS has issued a notification that all mail bound for restricted countries will be automatically returned to the sender. You can check to see if your country is on the list by checking this page on USPS' website: USPS International Service Alerts

In addition to the above list, we have also experienced mail being rejected for the following countries:

• Croatia
• Brazil
• Saudi Arabia

Impact on Shipping Forwarders

We are uncertain of how these increased transit times and shipping restrictions affect your shipping forwarders. If you use a shipping forwarder, it is recommended to get in touch with them and ask them if they are still able to accept and send out parcels to your country. 

Please bear with us as we weather these delays in transit times and postal service disruptions. Stay safe and healthy!

More Information and News About Shipping Delays

• USPS Coronavirus Service Alerts (via. USPS)
• USPS Updates for Residential and International Customers (via. USPS)
• USPS Ships Mail by Sea as Airfreight Crunch Continues (via. SupplyChainDive)
• U.S. Postal Service Shifting International Air Mail to Sea Transport (via. eSellerCafe)