If October feels quiet, it isn’t because your customers have gone anywhere. They’re waiting for the sales. Black Friday is now closer to Black Friday month: many eCommerce brands start discounting on 1 November, and orders keep coming through to Christmas. Last peak, our order volumes ran at two to three times a normal week.
The few quiet weeks before that are the best time to get your stock, your offer and your delivery promises sorted. Here’s the checklist, then the detail behind it.
Peak season checklist
Now (October)
- Forecast peak order volumes, with a buffer for best sellers
- Book inbound stock with your freight forwarder and 3PL, clear of Black Friday week
- Decide your offer and bundles, and lock them in
- Set up SKUs and barcodes for new products and bundles
- Have bundles and gift sets built in advance
- Send your 3PL your offer, promo dates and forecasts
- Check carrier Christmas cut-off dates
Before the sale goes live
- Check store stock levels match the warehouse
- Test shipping rates, thresholds and discount codes with a real order
- Put delivery cut-off dates on your site
- Prepare customer service replies for delivery questions
- Update your returns policy for gifts
During peak
- Watch stock levels daily
- Keep in touch with your 3PL on volumes and any issues
- Update your site when cut-offs pass
January
- Process returns and get stock back on sale
- Review what sold, what ran out and what to change next year
The calm before the storm
Every year it goes the same way. Orders slow down through October. Customers have seen the ads, they know the sales are coming, and they’re holding off. Then the discounts start in November, and weeks of orders arrive in days.
On our side, last peak went to plan because we prepared for it. Where things got stuck, it was nearly always stock: a client didn’t have enough of a product, or had sold more than was on the shelf. Either way, orders sit waiting and customers wait with them.
“Clients’ inventory is the biggest issue. Not enough stock, or oversold, and that leaves bottlenecks.”
Gavin Tseng, Founder & Director, Fulfilpackers
That quiet stretch is your window. The brands that have a smooth peak are the ones that use it to get ready, not the ones that wait to see how busy it gets.
Key dates
| Date | What it is |
|---|---|
| Sunday 1 November | Many brands start their Black Friday discounts |
| Mid-November (dates not yet announced) | Click Frenzy, the big Australian online sale before Black Friday |
| Friday 27 November | Black Friday |
| Monday 30 November | Cyber Monday |
| Monday 14 to Wednesday 23 December | Australia Post’s last days to send for delivery before Christmas (see below) |
| Saturday 26 December | Boxing Day sales |
| January | Returns and exchanges arrive |
Carriers publish their Christmas cut-off dates each year, and they’re different for regular and express post and for each state. Here are Australia Post’s 2026 dates for parcels sent from our Gold Coast warehouse to metro areas:
| Sending to | Parcel Post | Express Post |
|---|---|---|
| Within Queensland | Tuesday 22 December | Wednesday 23 December |
| NSW, ACT, Victoria, SA | Monday 21 December | Wednesday 23 December |
| Tasmania | Friday 18 December | Wednesday 23 December |
| WA | Thursday 17 December | Tuesday 22 December |
| NT | Monday 14 December | Tuesday 22 December |
Regional addresses can take longer, and other couriers have their own dates. The full tables are on Australia Post’s Christmas sending dates page. Put your last order date a day ahead of these so orders go out before our 12pm dispatch cut-off.
Get stock in early
This is the one that catches people out. If your stock arrives at the warehouse in the week of Black Friday, it’s competing with everyone else’s deliveries to be received, counted and put away. Until that’s done, it can’t be sold.
- Aim to have peak stock in by early to mid October. If you’ve missed that, book your deliveries now and keep them well clear of the Black Friday week.
- Plan with your freight forwarder, not just your supplier. Shipping and customs delays add up fast in the lead-up to Christmas. Work back from the date the stock needs to be on our shelves.
- Work out what you’ll need. Start from last year’s peak orders, adjust for how you’ve grown, and add a buffer for your best sellers. Running out on day two of a sale costs more than holding a bit of extra stock into January.
- Don’t sell what you haven’t got. Overselling was the most common problem we saw last peak. Make sure your store stock levels match what’s actually in the warehouse before the sale starts. Live stock sync between your store and the warehouse is part of our inventory management.
- Check your barcodes and product data. New products and bundles need SKUs and barcodes in your store and in the warehouse system before they go on sale.
Decide your offer early
The brands that struggle at peak often change their offer halfway through. New bundles, new codes and new free gifts mid-sale mean new stock, new packing instructions and more room for mistakes.
“Decide on your offer early and stick with it. Bundle your offers, make it simple, and give customers a real reason to buy from you.”
Gavin Tseng, Founder & Director, Fulfilpackers
- Pick your offer early and stick with it. Your 3PL can plan around an offer it knows about.
- Bundle your offers. Bundles lift order value and are simple for customers to understand. If you’re selling kits or gift sets, get them made up in advance rather than assembled order by order on the busiest days. Our production fulfilment team does this kitting.
- Keep it simple. One clear offer beats five confusing ones, for your customers and for the packing bench.
- Give customers a real reason to buy from you. Everyone’s discounting. A good bundle, a gift with purchase or a guaranteed Christmas delivery date can matter more than a bigger percentage off.
Plan for the spike
The sale doesn’t send you a steady stream of orders. It sends you a wall of them, often in the first few hours.
- Share your promo dates and forecast with your 3PL so they can plan staff and space. A rough number is far more useful than none.
- Keep packaging simple. Peak isn’t the time to launch new boxes, inserts or gift wrap unless the warehouse has them in hand and knows how to use them.
- Test your store settings. Shipping rates, free-shipping thresholds and discount codes all behave differently under sale pricing. Place a test order before the sale goes live.
- Watch your stock levels during the sale. Make sure your store sync is working so you don’t sell what isn’t there.
Set delivery promises you can keep
Late parcels in December are the fastest way to fill your inbox. Customers are more forgiving of a clear cut-off than of a missed one.
“The biggest question we get is whether orders will still go out on time. We prepare by adding extra staff and extending operating hours to keep dispatch on track. The bigger challenge is delivery times, which are outside our control once orders are shipped. We encourage clients to manage customer expectations early by communicating potential carrier delays during peak periods.”
Terry Vasiliou, Customer Success Manager, Fulfilpackers
- Put the cut-off dates on your site once you have them, on product pages, the cart and your shipping page.
- Offer express up to the last express cut-off, and say so.
- Know your dispatch cut-off. Our cut-off is 9am on weekdays for same-day dispatch. Orders that come in after that go out the next business day, which matters a lot in the last week before Christmas.
- Plan your customer service. Have short, ready answers for “where’s my order?” and “will it arrive by Christmas?”.
Plan for returns now
Peak doesn’t end at Christmas. Gifts that don’t fit, wrong colours and change-of-mind returns arrive through January.
- Check your returns policy is clear about time limits and condition. If you’re extending returns for gifts, say exactly how long. The ACCC explains what customers are entitled to by law.
- Agree with your 3PL how returns are handled: inspected and restocked, set aside, or written off, and how quickly they go back on sale.
“When a return arrives, we receive and inspect it against our quality control standards. If approved, it’s returned to stock, and any replacements are dispatched promptly in line with the client’s agreed returns process. Everything is recorded in our warehouse management system, with direct communication through Slack.”
Terry Vasiliou, Customer Success Manager, Fulfilpackers
Our shipping, tracking and returns service covers this.
Talk to your 3PL early
The best time to have the peak conversation is now, while it’s quiet. Things worth sending your 3PL before November:
- Your offer, promo dates and expected order volumes
- Inbound delivery dates and quantities
- Any new products, bundles or packaging
- Who on your side makes decisions during the sale, and how to reach them
If you’re with a 3PL that’s hard to get hold of when it’s quiet, it won’t get easier in December. That’s worth knowing before peak, not during it.
FAQ
When is Black Friday 2026 in Australia?
Friday 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. Many brands start their sales from 1 November.
When should I get my Black Friday stock to my 3PL?
Ideally by early to mid October, so it’s received and on the shelf before the sales start. If you’ve missed that, book your deliveries now and keep them clear of Black Friday week.
What are the Christmas delivery cut-offs?
They differ by carrier, service and state. For 2026, Australia Post’s last Parcel Post dates from Queensland run from Monday 14 December (to the NT) to Tuesday 22 December (within Queensland), and Express Post is Wednesday 23 December for most of the east coast. See the key dates above, or Australia Post’s Christmas sending dates for the full tables.
If you’d like to talk through your peak season with a team that’s done it before, get in touch or see how our 3PL fulfilment services work. For a cost estimate, use our 3PL pricing calculator.