Aschaffenburg, 7th November 2025 - Zuerst First Black Friday at the end of November, then, four weeks later, Christmas, followed by New Year's Eve the week after. In the last weeks of the year, business booms in retail, mail order and online trade, which also means peak season for parcel delivery companies. As every year, DPD is operating at full capacity to ensure that all parcels and packages dispatched on time are delivered before Christmas.
To ensure that all parcels are delivered by Christmas Eve and gifts arrive on time under the tree, shipments should be sent no later than the following dates:
Standard parcels: The last regular and guaranteed delivery date is 23 December. For guaranteed delivery on 23 December, standard parcels must be posted by Friday, 19 December at the latest.
Delivery on 24 December is only possible where feasible and is not guaranteed.
Express and Priority Shipping: Parcels will be delivered within one day. The last delivery date is Tuesday, 23 December.
International shipping: The final deadline is Wednesday, 17 December.
The following deadlines apply for delivery at the end of the year:
Standard parcels: The last posting date for parcels is Tuesday, 23 December. Delivery is possible for items posted after this date but cannot be guaranteed.
Express and Priority Shipping: The latest drop-off date for delivery on December 31 is Tuesday, December 30.
International shipping: The last posting date for parcels is Tuesday, 23 December.
For all shipping methods, parcels should be dropped off at a Pickup parcel shop by 12 noon.
Additional Capacity to Ensure On-Time Delivery
During the so-called peak season, an exceptionally high volume of parcels is shipped. Up to 11,000 couriers are deployed by DPD to deliver gifts, Black Friday purchases, and more. Home delivery remains the most popular shipping option, but it is losing ground (down five percentage points), while out-of-home (OOH) delivery solutions are becoming increasingly popular. This is revealed by the new 2025 E-Shopper Barometer from Geopost, DPD’s parent company. The report is based on a study of the shopping behaviour and preferences of 30,697 e-shoppers across 22 European countries.
Deliveries to parcel lockers have gained four percentage points, overtaking parcel shops as the second most popular delivery option. Customers can pick up their parcels there seven days a week, 24/7 – a convenient and flexible alternative, especially during the busy pre-Christmas period.
It is important for us to be where our customers are, they can avoid unnecessary trips.
Dr. Karsten Schwarz, CEO of DPD Germany
In Germany, DPD operates around 10,000 Pickup parcel shops and parcel lockers, where customers can drop off and collect parcels as well as make returns without waiting in line.
