Well-packed and sent off in good time: making sure that Christmas parcels arrive punctually

• Standard parcels should be dropped off at a Pickup parcelshop by 21 December

• 4,000 additional workers will support DPD Germany in sorting and delivering parcels

• Parcel contents must be packed robustly for trouble-free transport

Aschaffenburg, 26 November 2021 – Christmas is just around the corner. Those who wish to send presents to their loved ones over great distances should not wait too long before dropping off their parcels. This is because in 2021 DPD Germany is once again expecting huge parcel volumes: at peak times in the run-up to the festive season DPD will be transporting more than two million parcels per day and even delivering more than 300,000 parcels per hour. To ensure that gifts reach their destination safely and on time, shippers should follow a few important tips.

It is particularly important to stick to the deadlines for shipping. To ensure that gifts reach the consignee on time for Christmas Eve, DPD recommends that standard parcels should be dropped off at a Pickup parcelshop by Tuesday 21 December (ideally by 12 noon). Priority and express parcels will still arrive on time if they are posted as late as Thursday, 23 December (12 noon). For delivery to other EU countries DPD recommends that standard parcels should be sent by Friday, 17 December (12 noon).

DPD is prepared for high parcel volumes

DPD Germany is planning for the long term. In order to be able to adequately handle the expected high parcel volumes during the Christmas season, the company has for months been putting additional delivery staff and vehicles in place, and these have now been in operation for many weeks. On the peak days before Christmas around 2,000 additional vehicles and around 4,000 additional workers will then be deployed in handling and delivering parcels.

It all comes down to the right packaging

DPD's delivery personnel always handle shipments with great care. In spite of this shippers should make sure that the packaging is sturdy. The cardboard must be able to support the weight of the parcel's contents – which includes the impacts that can happen while the parcel is being transported on the automatic parcel sorting systems. Any empty spaces should be padded out so that the contents of the box have as little room to move as possible. Heavy items should always be placed at the bottom of the parcel.

If the cardboard box has already been used, any old barcodes and parcel labels must be removed or taped over so that they are hidden. The parcel label should always be attached to the largest surface of the parcel. It's even easier with DPD's digital shipping solution: digital parcel labels can easily be created at www.mydpd.de or in the DPD app and paid for online. There is then no need to fill out or print out a parcel label when you drop the parcel off at the shop - all you need to do is show the QR code you have created on your smartphone.

By the way, consignees who would like to thank their delivery driver in this particularly labour-intensive pre-Christmas period can do so conveniently and contactlessly via the DPD app. Many participating delivery drivers can be given a digital tip there, which is paid via PayPal.