A Guide to Peak 2025 - FAQ
Peak Season Dates:
10 November 2025 – 5 January 2026
The festive Peak period is one of the busiest time of year for e-commerce. With increased order volumes and major sales events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, our warehouses and delivery partners experience significantly higher demand.
This guide helps you prepare for a successful Peak period providing you with operational updates including delivery timelines and cut-offs and service-level adjustments to help you plan effectively and maintain smooth operations.
Preparing for Peak Checklist
To ensure seamless operations and timely order fulfilment, here is your Peak checklist:
✅ Share forecasts and B2B plans as early as possible via support@bezos.ai
✅ Book ASNs 4+ days in advance
✅ Be aware of warehouse closure dates and longer SLAs
✅ Use the ON HOLD feature to improve order accuracy
✅ Adjust shipping timelines for carrier delays and Christmas cut-offs
For full operational guidance, Peak Surcharges, timelines and warehouse details, please read the entire guide below.
Goods In
During Peak Season, warehouse teams prioritise picking and packing to maintain on-time despatches. To avoid delays, please plan inbound deliveries early.
Guidelines
Book ASNs at least 4 working days in advance.
Send single-SKU cartons wherever possible to avoid processing delays.
UK Ogden (OGD) Warehouse Restrictions
No container or large pallet deliveries between 26 November – 5 December.
No rework accepted between 17 November – 5 December.
Rework between 5 December – 5 January may take longer than usual.
Updated SLAs for goods in during peak:
*Days: Working days (Monday to Friday)
Order Processing and Order Management
Order Cancellations
- Orders not yet sent to the warehouse can be cancelled automatically in the Seller Portal. Click the link to learn more about order cancellation: How to cancel an order
- Orders that have been sent but not yet picked or packed can still be cancelled or amended by our team requests should be submitted via support@bezos.ai
- Once an order has been packed and placed in the courier collection area, changes are no longer possible. Instead you may inform your customers they can refuse the delivery to initiate a return to us at no cost.
Reducing Error by Using the "ON HOLD" Feature
- This feature will automatically hold all orders for a set time e.g. 60 minutes before sending the order to the warehouse to be picked and packed. For more details and how to use the feature, please use the following link: New orders are "on hold" - what is that and why do we do it?
- This feature helps prevent errors and allows last-minute amendments.
- You can extend the hold period (e.g. up to 12 hours) to fit your business needs.
B2B orders
- To prioritise getting orders out to your customers all B2B orders require at least 48 hours to process. If you are aware of potential B2B orders coming up then please send over a forecast to us at support@bezos.ai so we can inform the warehouse to prepare. Some of the warehouses will have limitations on B2B orders, these are listed here:
- UK - Active Anta (ANT): No B2B orders between 24th November till the 5th December
Warehouse Closure Dates
| 23-Dec | 24-Dec | 25-Dec | 26-Dec | 27-Dec | 28-Dec | 29-Dec | 30-Dec | 31-Dec | 01-Jan | 02-Jan | 02-Jan | 03-Jan | 04-Jan | 05-Jan | |
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | |
| UK-ANT | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
| UK-ELO | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
| UK-OGD | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
UK-PKT | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
| DE-ONT | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | ||||||||||
| FR-ELO | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
NL-ECC | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | ||||||||||
| US-WRPNC | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | |||||||||||
| US-WRPCA | Closed from 12pm* | Closed | Closed from 12pm* | Closed |
* local time
Delivery SLAs
All carriers experience heavy demand during Peak Season, which may result in extended delivery times. Carriers work on a "best effort" basis and therefore it is best to work with adjusted delivery SLAs during peak, which you can read in the table below:
*Days: Working days Monday to Friday)
View & Request Proof of Deliveries in the Seller Portal
- To find the delivery status of your orders, simply go to the orders page in Seller Portal and in the column "Courier Status" you can see the delivery status. To get a proof of delivery (POD) and detailed tracking information, simply click on the tracking numbers. You can read more about delivery status and proof of delivery in this Help Centre article.
Customer support
- Customer support SLAs are in the table below. Please note that our customer support hours of operation are 09:00am to 05:00pm UK time, from Monday to Friday. Our custom service team follows UK bank holidays, which you can find in this link. We will be closed December 25, 26 and January 1. On December 24 and 31 we will close at 12:00pm UK time.
Priority | Standard SLA Hours | Peak SLA |
High | 3 | 6 |
Normal | 5 | 8 |
Christmas 2025 Delivery Cut-Off Dates
The following tables show the last recommended despatch dates for orders to arrive before Christmas. These dates are based on the latest courier guidance for 2025. Please send orders earlier wherever possible.
United Kingdom
Carrier Service Level Last Recommended Ship-By Date Royal Mail 2nd Class / Signed For 17 December 2025 Royal Mail 1st Class / Tracked 24 20 December 2025 Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed 23 December 2025 Parcelforce Worldwide Express 24 / Express 48 19 December 2025 DPD UK Two-Day Service 22 December 2025 DPD UK Next Day Service 23 December 2025 Yodel 48-Hour Service 19 December 2025 Yodel 24-Hour Service 22 December 2025 DHL eCommerce UK Standard Parcels 17–18 December 2025
- European Union
Carrier Destination / Service Last Recommended Ship-By Date DPD Classic Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg 22–23 December 2025 DPD Classic Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Portugal 18–19 December 2025 DPD Classic Nordics and Baltics 18–19 December 2025 DHL Paket International Neighbouring EU (AT, BE, FR, NL, LU, CH) 19 December 2025 DHL Paket International Central EU (IT, CZ, PL, HU, SK, SI) 18 December 2025 DHL Paket International Southern & Northern EU (ES, SE, PT, IE, NO, RO, BG) 16 December 2025 GLS Europe Domestic (within country) 17 December 2025 GLS Europe Export within EU 19 December 2025
- United States
Carrier Service Level Last Recommended Ship-By Date USPS Ground Advantage / First Class 17 December 2025 USPS Priority Mail 18 December 2025 USPS Priority Mail Express 20 December 2025 UPS 3-Day Select 19 December 2025 UPS 2nd Day Air 22 December 2025 UPS Next Day Air 23 December 2025 FedEx Express Saver (3-Day) 20 December 2025 FedEx 2Day 22 December 2025 FedEx Overnight / Priority Overnight 23 December 2025
- International (Global Air Express)
Carrier Service Level Last Recommended Ship-By Date DHL Express Worldwide Express Air (Most Destinations) 22 December 2025 DHL Express Economy Select / eCommerce 15 December 2025 FedEx International Priority Global Express 22 December 2025 UPS Worldwide Expedited Global Air Service 19 December 2025
Note: Carriers can experience significant delays during the holiday peak season and do not guarantee on-time delivery.
Returns
Peak Surcharges
Shipping carriers charge peak season surcharges to ensure that service levels and the delivery experience are still maintained despite the influx of increased shipments during this period. These additional fees compensate for the additional costs shopping carriers face, including increased staffing and longer service hours. They are applied in addition to other, regular surcharges. The carrier may change the shipping prices and/or surcharges mentioned, therefore these prices may be subject to change. The charges shown represent the best information we have at the time, but they may vary depending on factors such as the shipment’s origin and destination.
Carrier Peak Surcharges
*Surcharges are based on the most accurate information available at the time and may vary. This list is not exhaustive of all services. Carriers may update, add, or modify surcharges without prior notice. All charges are indicative and subject to change. Final costs can differ depending on carrier adjustments, as well as the shipment’s origin and destination.
Returns
During Peak Season, returns take longer to process due to increased volumes.
Standard processing time: 72 hours
Peak processing time: up to 5 working days
Further Information
Here, you'll find a list of essential instructions. Explore these links below to find answers on your questions.
1) How to Create a Manual Order?
2) How to manually import orders via a CSV?
3) How to create a replacement order?
4) How do I edit an order (including recipient details)?
5) What is an order status?
2) How to manually import orders via a CSV?
3) How to create a replacement order?
4) How do I edit an order (including recipient details)?
5) What is an order status?
6) How to manage on backorders?
7) How to split an order?
Delivery
1) What is a "Not Scanned by carrier" order?
2) How to raise a claim?
Returns
1) How to generate a return label?
7) How to split an order?
Delivery
1) What is a "Not Scanned by carrier" order?
2) How to raise a claim?
Returns
1) How to generate a return label?
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