For many people Christmas time involves a lot of last-minute online shopping (with the desperate hope of 24-hour delivery). But in many cases it is hard to avoid a stressful trip to the post office to make sure your gifts get to our loved ones around the world – that’s if we can make it there before they close.
But buying Christmas presents and making sure they get to where they’re supposed to – on time – doesn’t have to be stressful or overly expensive if you know a few tricks:
- Firstly, it’s a good idea to budget for postage and packaging before you even start shopping for gifts, according to courier service Pack & Send. This will help to eliminate any nasty shocks when it comes to actually delivering the present and might make you think twice about buying that big, heavy vase for your friend in the UK. Most courier services offer quotes online so it’s easy to do your research beforehand.
- Another way to remove the stress of gift-giving is to be aware of the deadlines for posting packages internationally and domestically. Pack & Send recommends sending international airmail parcels by 1 December and express parcels (overseas and domestic) by 13 December to make sure they get there by Christmas Day.
- Post office opening hours can be inconvenient for anyone working a full-time job, but you can avoid having to go there at all (and the queues) by arranging for pick-up and delivery of your parcels online. Courier companies will collect your parcel from wherever you need and send it to your chosen destination. And if you’re really stuck for time, they’ll also package any large, fragile or valuable gifts so all you have to do is handover the gift.
- It’s also important to remember that many postal/courier services don’t send lithium batteries, so make sure you’re aware of the postage regulations before you attempt to send someone an iPad or battery-operated toys for the kids.