PickGlobe
Sale season has fixed dates, but the deadlines that matter most to you are the last posting dates and the returns window for gifts. This guide is for shoppers in the UK, US, Canada or Australia who want to plan Christmas orders, avoid missing a delivery cut-off and spot a fake discount. Every date below comes from a page we opened on 21 October 2026, named in the source line under each table; dates can change, so confirm on the carrier's or store's page before you rely on one.
This guide has no store links. It is general information, not legal advice, and we have not tested any carrier or store mentioned.
Sale dates in 2026
| Event | Date in 2026 | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving (US) | Thursday 26 November | Fourth Thursday of November |
| Black Friday | Friday 27 November | The day after Thanksgiving: a retail convention, not an official holiday |
| Cyber Monday | Monday 30 November | The Monday after Thanksgiving weekend: a retail convention |
| Singles' Day | Wednesday 11 November | The name is the date, 11.11 |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December | The day after Christmas |
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have no organiser, so each store chooses its own start and end dates, and many start early. Check the store's own page for the sale it is actually running.
Last posting dates for Christmas 2026
These are the carriers' own published dates. Only the dates we read are shown, and a missing row means we have not read a 2026 page, not that there is no cut-off.
United Kingdom: Royal Mail
Source: Royal Mail, last posting dates, read 21 October 2026. Royal Mail says dates are "correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change".
| Last posting date | Service |
|---|---|
| Friday 18 December | 2nd Class, 2nd Class Signed For |
| Saturday 19 December | Tracked 48 |
| Monday 21 December | 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For, Tracked 24; Parcelforce express48 |
| Tuesday 22 December | Parcelforce express24, expressAM, express10 |
| Wednesday 23 December | Special Delivery Guaranteed |
The page gives no dated table for international post: it says to post as early as possible, especially for international deliveries. In England and Wales, GOV.UK lists Monday 28 December 2026 as the substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day, and Friday 1 January 2027 for New Year's Day (GOV.UK, bank holidays, read 21 October 2026).
United States: USPS
Source: USPS, holiday shipping dates, read 21 October 2026.
| Send-by date | Service (contiguous US) |
|---|---|
| Thursday 17 December | Ground Advantage, First-Class Mail |
| Friday 18 December | Priority Mail |
| Saturday 19 December | Priority Mail Express |
| Wednesday 9 December | First-Class Package International, Priority Mail International (all regions) |
| Wednesday 16 December | Priority Mail Express International (all regions) |
Canada: Canada Post
Source: Canada Post, holiday sending guidelines, read 21 October 2026. The page header is dated October 2026, but the individual dates do not show a year.
| Service | Local | Regional | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority | 23 Dec | 23 Dec | 23 Dec |
| Xpresspost | 23 Dec | 22 Dec | 22 Dec |
| Expedited Parcel | 22 Dec | 18 Dec | 14 Dec |
| Regular Parcel | 21 Dec | 16 Dec | 10 Dec |
To the USA: Xpresspost 17 December, Expedited Parcel 14 December, Tracked Packet 11 December. International Tracked Packet: United Kingdom 11 December, Europe 9 December.
Australia: Australia Post
Source: Australia Post, Christmas sending dates, read 21 October 2026. These are metro-to-metro guide dates; the page does not print the year, but the weekdays match 2026.
| Destination | Express | Standard | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 15 December | 11 December | 4 December |
| USA | 11 December | 7 December | 30 November |
| Canada | 14 December | 8 December | 1 December |
| New Zealand | 15 December | 9 December | 2 December |
Express Post within Australia: Wednesday 23 December for NSW, ACT, Victoria, Queensland, SA and Tasmania to and from each other; Tuesday 22 December to or from WA and NT. Parcel Post dates depend on the route (for example, Tuesday 22 December within a state, Monday 21 December between most eastern states).
What we could not confirm
Germany (Deutsche Post and DHL), Spain (Correos) and Portugal (CTT): we did not read a published 2026 consumer cut-off table for these, so we give none. Check the carrier's own page in late November.
Is the discount real? Rules on "was" prices
Sources: ASA and CAP, "Make sure the price is right: using reference pricing in ads" (22 June 2023); US 16 CFR 233.1, Guides Against Deceptive Pricing. Read 21 October 2026.
- UK. The ASA and CAP say a reference price is likely to be misleading if it is not "the most recent established price at which the product was sold". The higher price should generally have been charged for longer than the promotional price. A recommended retail price must not "differ significantly from the price at which a product is generally sold" (CAP Code rule 3.40).
- US. The FTC's guide says a former price is legitimate when it is the "actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis" for "a reasonably substantial period of time". If the former price was set artificially high to make a later cut look large, the advertised bargain is false.
What this means for you: a big percentage off a price you have never seen is not evidence of a deal. Look up the item's price in earlier weeks, compare two or three stores, and keep screenshots.
Returns for gifts
Some stores extend their returns window for Christmas gifts. As one example, John Lewis (UK) says that any gift bought between 1 October 2026 and 24 December 2026 can be returned until 23 January 2027, against a standard 30 days (John Lewis, returns, read 21 October 2026). We have not read a 2026 holiday returns page for other stores, so check each store's own page before you buy, and see our refunds and chargebacks guide if an order goes wrong.
What to check before you order
- Work back from the last posting date, adding a few days for delays, and for orders from abroad also add customs time: see our customs guide and import cost estimator.
- Compare prices before the sale and keep a screenshot of the "was" price and the date.
- Read the returns window for gifts and when it starts.
- Pay with a method that protects you: see our rights and returns guide.
What this guide does not cover
Prime Day and other Amazon events, store-by-store sale dates, Germany, Spain and Portugal cut-offs, and sale-price rules in the EU. We list only what we read on the pages named above.
