POSTAGE DEADLINE!

news.com.au

Consumers are being urged to make online purchases well before the end of November to ensure gifts they intend to send arrive in time for Christmas.

Australia Post has set a December 12 postage deadline to guarantee parcels will be delivered before Christmas Day and December 19 as the guarantee for Express Post deliveries.

Typically, Australia Post’s parcel service delivers within two to three business days in metropolitan areas, but the pandemic-driven boom in online shopping has played havoc with timelines.

Lockdowns in all states during the year followed by Victorians being closeted for weeks on end following a second coronavirus wave that caused undue delays in deliveries.

It’s also allowed consumers to become more accustomed to purchasing online.

Australia Post Executive General Manager of Business Gary Starr says they handled 600,000 more parcels in August than they did for the same time last year. Picture: SuppliedSource:NCA NewsWire

The issue is not just consumers needing to post parcels destined for interstate by December 12 but first ensuring their online purchase arrives within enough time for them to forward it.

In August, Australia Post moved 600,000 more parcels than for the corresponding month last year and with the prospect of some interstate borders remaining closed until the end of the year, Australia Post is expecting its busiest festive season yet.

Australia Post’s Executive General Manager of Business Gary Starr said their parcel service had been under extreme pressure during the middle of the year when staff at its Victorian processing facilities were reduced to just a third because of the coronavirus lockdown.

He said they’ve cleared out the backlog but still encouraged people to factor in enough time if they’re intending to receive an online order only to wrap it, add a card, and then re-post.