Black Friday deliveries: a guide for e-commerce businesses and shoppers
The Black Friday It’s the busiest week of the year for shippers — whether you’re running a small online shop or waiting for a parcel to arrive at home. Courier services are operating at full capacity, delivery times are getting longer, and between Black Friday and Christmas there’s a month when the Italian logistics sector comes under more pressure than at any other time of year. This guide explains what to expect, how to prepare in advance and what to do if something goes wrong.
Table of Contents
When is Black Friday 2026 and when should you book your deliveries?
|
Event |
Date: 2026 |
What to do |
|
Black Friday |
27 November 2026 |
Peak shipping period: please book 4–5 days in advance |
|
Cyber Monday |
30 November 2026 |
Online shopping peak: parcels arrive the following week |
|
BF Week |
23–30 November |
Peak period for all couriers |
|
Black November |
Throughout November |
Many online retailers are extending their offers to cover the whole month |
|
Last delivery date for Christmas |
~18–20 December |
Book by this date to guarantee pre-Christmas delivery |
Black Friday always falls on the last Friday in November — the day after the American Thanksgiving. In Italy, it has effectively become the busiest shopping week of the year, even surpassing the Christmas period in terms of sales volumes across many product categories.
The real problem isn’t Black Friday itself: it’s the week that follows. All parcels ordered between Friday and Monday (Cyber Monday) are dispatched at the same time. Express couriers such as DHL, UPS and FedEx see shipment volumes increase by 30–50% compared with a normal week. This translates into average delays of an additional 1–3 days compared with the estimated delivery times
⏱️ What happens to delivery times during Black Friday?
The question every buyer asks is simple: “If I order on 27 November, when will it arrive?” The honest answer depends on the delivery service chosen, the online retailer you’re buying from and the destination. But here are some realistic expectations for deliveries from Italy:
Service | Normal times | Estimated delivery times for Black Friday |
DHL Express | 1–2 days in Italy | 2–3 days |
UPS Express Saver | 1–2 days in Italy | 2–3 days |
FedEx Priority | 1–2 days in Italy | 2–3 days |
Economy couriers | 3–5 days | 5–8 days |
EU deliveries | 2–4 days | 3–6 days |
Shipments outside the EU | 5–10 days | 7–14 days |
These delivery times apply to parcels booked and collected in advance. Anyone who books a collection on Black Friday evening for collection the following day may have to wait a further 1–2 days before the courier comes to collect the parcel.
🏪 A guide for e-commerce business owners: how to prepare for Black Friday deliveries
If you run an online shop — even a small one — Black Friday is the week when good logistics management makes the difference between a sales peak that builds customer loyalty and one that leads to complaints and negative reviews. Here’s what you need to do in practice.
3–4 weeks beforehand: the preparation phase
- Speak to your courier or SpedizioneComoda — let them know the expected volume of parcels for the Black Friday/Christmas period. Express couriers can only arrange additional collections if given advance notice.
- Check your stocks of packing materials: boxes, bubble wrap, tape and labels. At the height of Black Friday, packaging suppliers also experience delivery difficulties.
- Test your label-generation system if you use an automated integration — a system error cropping up on 27 November is the worst possible time to discover it.
- Prepare communication templates for customers: order confirmation, dispatched, in transit, delay. Customers who are proactively informed about delays are much more patient than those who have to seek out the information themselves.
Black Friday week: opening hours
- Every order is processed within 24 hours of receipt — at peak times, every hour’s delay in processing leads to a cascade of delivery delays.
- Print the labels in batches in the evening for collections the following morning — don’t wait until the day itself.
- If you expect unusually high volumes, please contact the courier to arrange additional collections or a collection from a dedicated collection point.
- Keep an eye on the tracking details for every consignment — a customs hold or a delivery issue discovered on the same day can be resolved; if discovered after five days, it is much more complicated.
To choose the right courier for your e-commerce business all year round — not just during peak periods — read the guide: how to choose a courier for e-commerce.
Returns policy: sort it out before Black Friday
Black Friday generates a higher-than-average volume of returns. Many consumers make impulse purchases during the sales and return items in the days that follow. Clearly set out your returns policy before the peak period and display it prominently on your website: this is both a legal requirement (a 30-day cooling-off period for online purchases) and a way to build trust.
A clear and simple returns policy reduces complaints and boosts conversion rates — Italian consumers check the returns policy before making a purchase, especially from shops they are unfamiliar with.
🛒 Buyer’s guide: what to do if your Black Friday parcel is delayed
Have you bought something on Black Friday and the tracking has stopped, or is delivery taking longer than expected? What should you do?
When to start worrying
- Within 48 hours of dispatch: It is normal for the tracking information not to update straight away. Sorting centres are busy and scans may be delayed.
- 3–5 days without updates (Italy): Contact the seller or open an enquiry on the courier’s website.
- 7+ days without updates (Italy) or 10+ (Europe): File a formal complaint. At this stage, there is likely to be a genuine problem — a parcel lost at the hub, an incorrect address, or a failed delivery attempt that was not notified.
⚠️ Don’t wait too long: the deadlines for making claims with couriers are strict. DHL: 30 days. UPS: 14 days for damage, 60 days for a lost parcel. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of losing your right to a refund.
📦 To find out exactly what to do in each situation — tracking has stopped, parcel shown as delivered but not received, parcel damaged — read the full guide: Failed delivery: what to do in each scenario.
Your rights as an online consumer
If you have made a purchase from an Italian or European online retailer, Legislative Decree 206/2005 (the Consumer Code) protects you:
- The seller is responsible for delivery to your doorstep, not the courier (on your behalf)
- You are entitled to receive the goods within 30 days of placing your order, unless otherwise agreed
- If the goods do not arrive on time, you can request an extension and — if this is not granted — a full refund
- The 14-day right of withdrawal from the date of receipt also applies to Black Friday purchases (even though some sellers try to exclude it from their offers)
🌍 Black Friday international deliveries: what’s changing
Black Friday has turned international parcels into a massive volume concentrated over just a few days. If you’re sending parcels to Europe or receiving parcels from abroad during Black Friday, there are a few extra things you need to know.
Shipping to the EU during Black Friday
For intra-EU shipments, there are no additional customs formalities, but delivery times are longer. DHL, UPS and FedEx handle the European peak via their main hubs (Leipzig for DHL, Cologne for UPS, Paris/Roissy for FedEx) — hubs which are already operating at full capacity during Black Friday week.
→ See the estimated times and costs for each country: Guide to international shipping.
Purchases from overseas websites (USA, UK, Asia)
Shopping on Black Friday from Amazon.com, US or Asian websites introduces two additional factors: customs clearance on arrival in Italy and intercontinental delivery times. You should always allow an extra 3–7 days on top of the usual estimates for purchases from non-EU websites.
- USA → Italy: normally 5–8 days for express delivery; during BF, expect 7–12 days
- UK → Italy: Post-Brexit customs clearances add 1–3 days; during Black Friday, expect 5–8 days
- China/Asia → Italy: normally 7–14 days; during the Black Friday period, some Chinese couriers can take up to 20–30 days
The mass shipment of goods from Asia before and during Black Friday is causing congestion at customs in many European airports. If your parcel is from a Chinese website and the tracking status remains stuck at “In transit” or “Clearance in progress” for several days, it is almost always due to a customs hold — not a problem with the courier.
✅ Pre-Black Friday checklist for shippers
Print or save this checklist and go through it by the second week of November:
For those who run an e-commerce business:
- Packaging stocks checked and topped up (boxes, bubble wrap, tape, labels)
- Expected volume notified to the courier/parcel service
- Proven label generation system
- Ready-to-use customer communication templates (confirmation, dispatched, delay)
- Black Friday returns policy published on the website
- Tracking is enabled for all outgoing shipments
- SpedizioneComoda helpline number saved for emergencies
For those shopping online:
- Ordered at least 5 days before the date you need the parcel
- Verified delivery address (street, house number, postcode, floor/block, if applicable)
- A valid telephone number provided to the online shop for courier notifications
- Tracking email saved to monitor the status of the delivery
- I have read and kept a copy of the seller’s returns policy
🎄 Black Friday and Christmas: the busiest month of the year for deliveries
Black Friday is just the start. Between late November and mid-December, the Italian logistics sector faces its busiest period: couriers have to handle Black Friday returns, new Cyber Monday shipments, Christmas orders and normal volumes all at the same time. This is the time of year when delays build up the most.
If you’re planning to send Christmas presents, do have a look at our guide: How to send Christmas presents in time — showing the expiry dates for each courier and destination.
✅ The rule of thumb: anything that needs to arrive by 25 December must be posted by 18 December for destinations in Italy, by 15 December for Europe, and by 10 December for destinations outside the EU. In the run-up to Black Friday, these deadlines are even tighter.
❓ FAQs — Black Friday deliveries
How long does it take to receive a parcel ordered on Black Friday?
With an express courier (DHL, UPS, FedEx) and an Italian destination: 2–3 working days instead of the usual 1–2. With economy services: 5–8 days. The biggest delay isn’t in the dispatch itself, but in the collection: if the online retailer takes a long time to prepare the parcel, all the lead times are extended.
Is Black Friday a good time to send parcels, or is it best to avoid it?
If you’re a private individual and need to send something urgently, try to avoid Black Friday week if you can: the costs won’t change, but delivery times will be longer. If you run an e-commerce business and Black Friday is your peak sales period, you don’t have a choice — but you can prepare in advance to minimise delays.
What should I do if the courier is unable to deliver the parcel I ordered during Black Friday?
If the courier has attempted delivery and no one was home, the parcel will be held in storage for 5 working days. Log in to the courier’s website and choose whether to reschedule the delivery, collect it from a collection point, or authorise it to be left at your address. Don’t delay: once the storage period has expired, the parcel will be returned to the sender.
Can I return items during Black Friday? Does the right of withdrawal apply?
Yes, the 14-day right of withdrawal applies to all online purchases, including those made on Black Friday. Some retailers voluntarily extend this period to 30 or 60 days during the festive season. Check the individual retailer’s terms and conditions — excluding the right of withdrawal for personalised or perishable goods is legitimate, but not for most Black Friday products.
Is it riskier to ship abroad during Black Friday?
Yes, in proportion to the distance and the complexity of customs procedures. Intra-EU shipments are the most resilient. Non-EU shipments (to the US, the UK and Asia) are most at risk of further delays, due both to peak demand for courier services and to congestion at customs.
How can I work out the cost of postage for Black Friday?
Use the SpedizioneComoda calculator: enter the weight, dimensions and destination to compare DHL, UPS and FedEx in real time with up-to-date prices. Costs don’t go up during Black Friday — it’s only delivery times that may be affected. Get a quote →
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