---
title: "Holiday Shipping Cutoffs for Card Stores: Your 2026 Checklist"
description: Every 2026 Canada Post and USPS holiday cutoff a card store needs, plus a countdown checklist for packing and shipping singles before Dec 25.
image: https://www.sideboard.gg/hubfs/Blog/holiday-cutoff-shipping-hero-advent.jpeg
---
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# Holiday Shipping Cutoffs for Card Stores: Your 2026 Checklist
by [The Sideboard Team](https://www.sideboard.gg/blog/author/sideboard-team)
Nov 11, 2026, 6:53:37 PM
*Last updated November 2026. Dates are each carrier's recommended send-by dates for delivery by December 25.*
**The short answer:** For delivery by Christmas, ship US-bound orders from Canada by **Friday, December 11** (Tracked Packet USA). Ship cross-country Canadian Lettermail by **Friday, December 18**. Inside the US, ship USPS Ground Advantage by **Thursday, December 17**. Canada Post is closed December 25 and Monday, December 28.
December is the busiest month of the year for most card stores, and also the month every late package turns into a customer email. Here's every 2026 holiday cutoff that matters for shipping singles and sealed, plus the countdown we'd follow from now until the last truck leaves.
## Canada Post holiday cutoffs 2026
These are Canada Post's recommended send-by dates for delivery before December 25, between major urban centres ([Canada Post](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/holiday-sending-guidelines.page)). Rural addresses can take longer, so add a day or two of buffer.
### Within Canada
| Zone | Lettermail (PWEs, bubble mailers) | Regular Parcel | Expedited Parcel | Xpresspost | Priority |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Local | Tue, Dec 22 | Mon, Dec 21 | Tue, Dec 22 | Wed, Dec 23 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| Regional | Mon, Dec 21 | Wed, Dec 16 | Fri, Dec 18 | Tue, Dec 22 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| National | Fri, Dec 18 | Thu, Dec 10 | Mon, Dec 14 | Tue, Dec 22 | Wed, Dec 23 |
Canada Post lists the Lettermail dates as "cards." Singles in a plain or bubble mailer travel the same Lettermail stream, but they have no tracking, so treat these as the absolute latest dates.
### To the US and overseas
| Destination | Tracked Packet / Small Packet | Xpresspost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| USA | Fri, Dec 11 | Thu, Dec 17 |
| United Kingdom | Fri, Dec 11 | Tue, Dec 15 |
| Europe | Wed, Dec 9 | Tue, Dec 15 |
| Australia | Wed, Dec 9 | Mon, Dec 14 |
| Asia | Wed, Dec 9 | Fri, Dec 11 |
Expedited Parcel USA sits in between: send by Monday, December 14.
US-bound singles from Canada can't go by Lettermail, and every order needs US duties prepaid. Zonos Declaration IDs expire after 5 days, so create them on the day you ship. Our [Canada shipping guide](https://www.sideboard.gg/blog/shipping-tcg-singles-from-canada-best-practices) covers the full setup.
**Closures:** Canada Post doesn't collect or deliver on Friday, December 25, Monday, December 28 (Boxing Day observed), or January 1 ([Canada Post](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/other-products-services/post-office/find-out-operating-hours-on-holidays.page)).
## USPS holiday cutoffs 2026
For US stores, these are USPS's recommended send-by dates for delivery before December 25 ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-shipping-dates.htm)).
| Service | Lower 48 | To Canada and international |
| --- | --- | --- |
| USPS Ground Advantage | Thu, Dec 17 | First-Class Package International: Wed, Dec 9 |
| First-Class Mail | Thu, Dec 17 | See above |
| Priority Mail | Fri, Dec 18 | Priority Mail International: Wed, Dec 9 |
| Priority Mail Express | Sat, Dec 19 | Priority Mail Express International: Wed, Dec 16 |
Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico share the First-Class, Priority and Express dates. Ground Advantage to those places runs 10 days or more, so check the [USPS service tool](https://postcalc.usps.com/ServiceCommitments) by ZIP code.
Shipping US orders through a consolidator like Stallion Express? Its own drop-off cutoffs are earlier: Wednesday, December 16 for Ground Advantage and Thursday, December 17 for Priority Mail ([Stallion](https://stallion.ca/blog/holiday-shipping-deadlines-2026/)). Check yours before you post dates to customers.
## Your store and marketplaces
Carrier cutoffs are the latest a package can leave. Your customer-facing cutoff should come one or two business days earlier, because orders still need to be picked, packed and dropped off.
- **Shopify:** Add a site banner with your "order by" dates and repeat them on the cart or shipping policy page. Update the banner the day each one passes.
- **eBay and CardTrader:** Keep your listed handling time honest for December. If you close between Christmas and New Year, use each platform's away or vacation setting so orders don't land in a week nobody is packing.
- **Pickup:** After your last shipping date, point local customers to in-store pickup. It saves the sale and the shipping cost.
A simple rule: post every customer cutoff two business days before the carrier's.
## Holiday shipping countdown checklist
Work backward from the first cutoff that applies to your customers. For most Canadian stores with US buyers, that's December 11.
### Mid-November: stock up
- Order bubble mailers, top loaders, team bags, penny sleeves and labels for twice a normal month
- Measure a packed bubble mailer once so you price Lettermail as Oversize from the start
- Set your customer cutoff dates and add the Shopify banner
### Black Friday week (Nov 23 to 29): clear the backlog fast
- Ship sale orders within one to two business days so they're out before December volume hits
- Batch print labels and pick lists once or twice a day
### Week of December 7: international and US
- Overseas Tracked Packet orders out by Wednesday, December 9
- US-bound orders from Canada out by Friday, December 11, with duties prepaid
- US stores: Canadian and international orders out by Wednesday, December 9
### Week of December 14: cross-country
- Canadian national Expedited Parcel out by Monday, December 14
- USPS Ground Advantage out by Thursday, December 17
- National Lettermail out by Friday, December 18
- Switch your banner to "Xpresspost or pickup only"
### December 21 to 23: local and express only
- Xpresspost and Priority for last-minute buyers who'll pay for speed
- Close shipping for the holiday and set marketplace away settings
## Peak-week workflow
December volume breaks the one-order-at-a-time routine. Here's the batch workflow that keeps a small team ahead.
1. **Print once, in a batch.** Pull every paid order, print all the labels, one combined pick list and a packing slip per order.
2. **Merge same-buyer orders.** Holiday shoppers often place two or three small orders in a day. Combine them into one envelope before you print.
3. **Pick in storage order.** Walk the pick list in the order your binders or bins are stored, then sort cards into orders at the packing table.
4. **Pack in the four layers.** Penny sleeve, top loader, team bag, bubble mailer. Tape the bag, never the loader.
5. **Drop off before the cutoff time.** Post offices have a daily acceptance time, so a package dropped after it leaves the next day.
Sideboard's order printing handles steps 1 to 3 for paid Shopify, CardTrader and eBay orders: one 4x6 label per order, a merged pick list for the batch and a matching customer slip. Merging same-buyer orders works out to roughly 7.6% fewer envelopes.
## FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions:
**What's the last day to ship cards from Canada to the US for Christmas 2026?** Canada Post recommends Friday, December 11 for Tracked Packet USA, Monday, December 14 for Expedited Parcel USA, and Thursday, December 17 for Xpresspost USA. Duties must be prepaid on every order.
**What's the last day to mail a card order by Lettermail in Canada?** Canada Post's dates for cards are December 22 local, December 21 regional and December 18 national. Lettermail has no tracking, so leave a buffer.
**What's the last day to ship USPS Ground Advantage for Christmas 2026?** Thursday, December 17 within the Lower 48. Priority Mail is Friday, December 18, and Priority Mail Express is Saturday, December 19.
**Is Canada Post open on Boxing Day 2026?** No. Canada Post is closed Friday, December 25, and Monday, December 28 (Boxing Day observed), with no collection or delivery.
**What should I tell a customer whose package is late?** Share the tracking link, give the carrier two extra business days in December, then open a trace. Untracked Lettermail can't be traced, which is one more reason to ship anything valuable tracked.
## Spend December packing, not printing
Sideboard batches your Shopify, CardTrader and eBay orders into one print run, with labels, a merged pick list and packing slips. [Book a demo](https://www.sideboard.gg/pricing) and we'll get you set up before the rush.
**Tags:**
[Shipping & Fulfillment](https://www.sideboard.gg/blog/tag/shipping-fulfillment)
Post by [The Sideboard Team](https://www.sideboard.gg/blog/author/sideboard-team)
Built by TCG sellers, for TCG sellers. The Sideboard team is a mix of former card store owners and ex-Shopify engineers. We write the guides we wish we’d had behind the counter: shipping singles, managing inventory, pricing and buylists.
[Follow me on my website](https://www.sideboard.gg/about) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/112420691/)
### Related Articles
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