At this time of year I get many enquiries from people like me, who haven’t been able to finish their Christmas shopping yet, and who are desperately looking around for last minute Christmas gifts with reliable pre-Christmas delivery. I sympathise!
Last minute Christmas gifts sent to Australian addresses:
Last minute Christmas gifts can be sent out on the same day as they are ordered. At this time of year I know it will be busy and it’s obvious that most orders are needed on Christmas Day. Order mailouts are done immediately, with extra deliveries to the Post Office as Christmas Day gets closer. All orders for 1-4 books are mailed to Australian addresses by Express Post (larger orders can also be sent by Express Post, if required for urgent delivery; otherwise they are bulk boxed and sent by road so the risk of damage in transit is reduced). Express Post delivery usually takes 2 days to capital cities, plus an extra day to regional towns. More regional and remote areas usually require an extra day’s delivery however Australia Post have all hands on deck during December, with extra pickups and extra time allocated to mail sorting. Despite the massive volumes of Christmas mail that Australia Post are dealing with, delivery at this time of year if often quicker rather than slower. During December, mail moves much faster than usual over the weekend, too – so a parcel mailed on Friday will often be delivered to most places on Monday morning.
This year Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. Orders for capital city delivery, made as late as Wednesday 21st December, should be delivered on Friday 23rd December, especially if they are addressed to a P.O. Box. Most if not all licenced post offices across Australia will also be open for at least a few hours on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24th December (check exact opening hours with the post office closest to you).
Please be aware that there is always the chance of a delivery glitch however. While delivery delays don’t happen often, mistakes are always possible, especially when mail delivery systems are stretched to the maximum.
What can you do to help ensure your Christmas gift arrives before Christmas?
- Ordering online and as early in the day as possible will ensure your order is at the head of the day’s mail queue.
- Use the mailing address that will ensure the speediest delivery (eg using a P.O. Box number often mean you can pick your parcel up before a delivery person would get it to you – but it depends on your local postal arrangements, as Australia Post parcel deliveries occur from 7am onwards in some areas.)
What happens if the Christmas gift doesn’t arrive by Christmas Eve?
If you are making a last minute purchase and it doesn’t arrive in time for Christmas Day, I can email you a certificate which you can give the gift recipient, so they can look forward to what will arrive in the mail after Boxing Day. Personally, I’d so much rather receive a fabulous present that I really enjoy, and that shows a lot of thought by the purchaser, a few days late, than a last minute ‘desperate present’ that misses the mark. And I am sure most people think likewise. So don’t hit yourself with a stick if some Christmas presents are late arriving (late quality is better than rubbish early) and remember that we’re all busy and the last thing most gift recipients want, is for the giver to be stressed.
Mailing Christmas gifts overseas:
10-14 days is the usual delivery time for overseas orders which means that Christmas gifts sent to New Zealand between now and Christmas, would be lucky to be delivered in time. And parcels to other countries are unlikely to be delivered before Christmas. Customs clearance delays also make delivery to many countries unpredictable, particularly in Europe and the USA. 2-3 month long delays sometimes occur, for some parcels, while other identical parcels still arrive in 2 weeks. The most likely explanation is that the delayed parcels have been caught up in a customs clearance backlog, where security checks take precedence over timely delivery.
However as mentioned above, I can email you a certificate which you can email on to the gift recipient, so they can look forward to what will arrive in the mail after Boxing Day.
If you’d like to know more about what’s in the books ‘A Million Acre Masterpiece’ and ‘Life as an Australian Horseman’, refer to the Book Contents page; and if you’d like to know what other people think of the books, refer to Testimonials. These books are enjoyed by anyone who has any interest in the bush – and they come with a money-back guarantee of satisfaction.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding urgent Christmas gift delivery, don’t hesitate to contact me.
(Contact details are below).
Tags: Fiona Lake Photography