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‘Early as possible’: Australia Post reveals Christmas postage deadlines

Australians sending parcels overseas at Christmas will want to get in early this year.

Australians sending parcels overseas at Christmas will want to get in early this year. Photo: AAP

Australians hoping to send gifts overseas for Christmas might want to do their shopping early, with post deadlines for the holiday season only weeks away.

Australia Post published its Christmas deadlines on Monday, revealing international parcels will need to be sent by December 11 unless you want to pay extra for express by December 16.

The taxpayer-owned postie’s executive general manager for parcels, Gary Starr, said Australia Post has been preparing for the Christmas rush “all year” and are hiring thousands of staff.

“We understand how crucial these deadlines are for ensuring cards and gifts reach loved ones in time for Christmas, which is why we’re providing this information as early as possible,” he said.

“While we’ll do our best to deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as possible, they may not arrive until after Christmas.”

Almost 100 million parcels were delivered over the Christmas period last year, underscoring why Australia Post is enhancing its delivery network before the peak shopping and gifting period.

Australians sending parcels locally over Christmas will have until mid-December in most cases to get their gifts posted, though dates vary between different states as the table below shows.

Express Post can be sent by December 23 at the latest in most urban areas, though Australians living in the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia must send by December 20.

For overseas parcels, the earliest deadline isn’t even in December (November 26), so it’s key to plan ahead to make sure your gift doesn’t arrive late.

“We’ll deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as we can, but they may not arrive until after Christmas,” Australia Post said.

As far as costs are concerned, Christmas cards sent within Australia will cost 65 cents during November and December.

Overseas Christmas cards will cost $3 to anywhere in the world.

Parcels up to 5 kilograms are priced at a flat rate anywhere in Australia, ranging from $10.95 for small Parcel Post, to $31.35 for extra-large Express Post.

A calculator for larger parcels that estimates their price is available on Australia Post’s website.

Additionally, a full and complete list of country Christmas post deadlines is also available on Australia Post’s website.

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