Important Courier Service Updates

  • USPS

    Status: Easyship is noticing delays beyond displayed estimated delivery lead times shared by USPS across the country, with some states being affected more than others. Please communicate this to customers if you're electing to use USPS services, as these could result in providing shoppers with unrealistic expectations. Find international service impacts and suspensions here. We will keep you updated as we learn more.

    USPS Domestic Updates

    The USPS advised shippers of delivery delays in its recent “COVID-19 Continuity of Operations Update,” effective, April 17, 2020.

    “U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail products and First-Class packages may require more time to be delivered due to limited transportation availability as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) impacts to the United States,” according to the advisory.

    Some of the key changes in USPS delivery times announced today include the following:

    • USPS Priority Mail Express service, which guarantees overnight service, will not change.
    • Service commitments for local 1-day Priority Mail will not change.
    • Priority Mail's two- and three-day service commitments now will be extended to three and four days respectively.
    • First-Class Package Service (FCPS) two and three day service commitments will also be extended to three and four days, respectively.
    • Global Express Guaranteed Services also have been altered.

    International

    The service disruptions affect Priority Mail Express International® (PMEI), Priority Mail International® (PMI), First-Class Mail International® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS®), International Priority Airmail® (IPA®), International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®), and M-Bag® items.

    1. USPS will hold mail delivered to closed business addresses for 30 days before returning to the sender; businesses can request temporary mail suspension for 30 days.
    2. Because it's classified as an essential service, mail services are still operational.
    3. You can ship hand sanitizers and wipes, but only through Retail Ground, Parcel Select, or Parcel Select Lightweight; these are only available through your local post office branch.
    4. USPS has suspended their guarantee on Priority Mail Express International mail being sent to China and Hong Kong.
    5. As of March 23, 2020, USPS has temporarily suspended the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International service items destined for the following European countries, including: France, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. More details here.
    6. For a full list of international service disruptions, please visit: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm.
    7. For a full list of international service disruptions, please visit: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm.
    8. For a full list of countries that have been recently lifted from suspension, please visit: https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Mail-Service-Alerts-and-Updates#temporary_international_service_suspensions.

    Signature Delivery Updates

    Items requiring signature on delivery will no longer be signed at the moment of handover to the recipient, for health, safety and security reasons. Instead, the postman will ask for the recipient's name and will enter this information in the signature field of the handheld device or delivery manifest. This temporary measure came into force from Monday, 16 March 2020 and remains in effect until further notice. For delivery of items to a mail room, the addressee will receive a text message or telephone call. Deliveries to premises or areas needing to be closed down due to COVID-19 are suspended.

    The following countries have suspended mail services from the USPS system.

    The below list of destinations are suspended as of September 9th, 2020:

    1. Angola
    2. Azerbaijan
    3. Brunei
    4. Cambodia
    5. Chad
    6. Cuba
    7. Honduras
    8. Iraq
    9. Jordan
    10. Laos
    11. Lebanon
    12. Liberia
    13. Libya
    14. Madagascar
    15. Mauritius
    16. Mongolia
    17. Myanmar
    18. Niger
    19. Panama
    20. Papua New Guinea
    21. Republic of the Congo
    22. Seychelles
    23. Sierra Leone
    24. Solomon Islands
    25. South Sudan
    26. Syria
    27. Tajikistan
    28. Timor-Leste
    29. Turkmenistan
    30. Turks & Caicos
    31. Uzbekistan
    32. Vanuatu
    33. Western Samoa
    34. Yemen

    For more information, see here or read more here.

  • UPS

    Status: UPS is fully operational to most destinations but should expect minor delays due to increased volume. Minor service impacts in parts of Europe and Asia Pacific related to Coronavirus. Effective March 26th, 2020 - UPS has suspended their UPS Service guarantee (also known as UPS Money Back Guarantee).

    1. UPS has been deemed to be critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security and is continuing to operate throughout the US, including in rural and restricted areas.
    2. UPS stores across the US remain open - you're advised to check operating hours before going.
    3. Effective March 26th, 2020, UPS is suspending its Service Guarantee for all US-origin shipments (for both domestic and international services).
    4. Delivery times for UPS Next Day Air Saver® and UPS 2nd Day Air A.M.® services scheduled for delivery on or after March 30, 2020 will be extended to end-of-day until further notice.
    5. Signature-on-delivery has been suspended within the US and for international shipments except for Adult Signature Required (ASR) services.
    6. Updated Service Note: Where three routine delivery attempts do not coincide with a recipient's adjusted (e.g., shortened, or weekend-only) business hours, the package will be returned to sender. Find more details here.
    7. Saturday Delivery Changes in Italy and Spain. Express delivery on Saturday has been suspended in Italy, and Saturday deliveries have temporarily changed from noon to end of day in Spain.

    For more information, see here.

  • DHL Express

    Status: Fully operational except for service delays. Temporary emergency surcharge are still applied to all shipments (these surcharges are reflected within Easyship pricing). More details here.

    Updated July 1st, 2020, DHL has adjusted their temporary emergency surcharges. This pricing is already reflected for new shipments made on the Easyship platform. Surcharge breakdown details here.

    For country specific delays see here. Note, Cuba service is currently suspended & India services for APAC.

  • FedEx

    Status: Still Delivering within impacted areas as local conditions and restrictions allow. Allow for additional transit time and delays for certain destinations. Temporary service suspensions for shipments to certain countries in APAC, Middle East, regions in India, and Africa

    1. Fedex Announcement: August 19th, 2020 - Fedex will continue to operate under state-of-emergency and shelter-in-place orders recently issued in the U.S. Click here to access global service adjustments related to COVID-19 containment measures.
    2. On March 24, FedEx suspended its global Money Back Guarantee for all FedEx Express®, FedEx Ground®, FedEx Freight®, and FedEx Office services until further notice.
    3. Since June 8th, 2020 - FedEx Express Economy services from APAC to Europe and Middle East/Indian Subcontinent/ Africa (MEISA) have resumed. Selected FedEx Express Economy services within intra-Asia and from APAC to rest of the world remain temporarily suspended. Learn more here.
    4. FedEx Ground service is experiencing delays in various parts of the U.S.For specific shipment status information, please track your shipment at FedEx.com. More details here.
    5. FedEx has stopped requiring in-person signatures for most package deliveries in the US except for shipments with adult signature required. Services with changes include: FedEx Express (U.S. and Canada), FedEx Ground (U.S. and Canada), FedEx Freight (U.S), FedEx same-day city service (U.S), FedEx Office stores and on-site locations at various U.S. retailers.
    6. Click here to check FedEx local stores with temporary reduced hours and FedEx locations that are temporarily closed.
    7. Effective April 6, 2020, FedEx and its subsidiary TNT International have instituted a temporary surcharge on all FedEx Express international (parcel as well as freight) because of limited air cargo capacity. FedEx surcharges will remain in effect until further notice. FedEx temporary peak surcharge rates are per pound or per kilo.
    8. List of destination countries with temporary service suspensions can be found here.

    Other Notes of Importance:

    Please note that the information is subject to change without prior notice due to the dynamic nature of the COVID19 situation. Easyship will continue to provide updates as they become available.

    For more information on the FedEx response to COVID-19, please visit this site.

  • Hongkong Post

    Status: Operational, but experiencing delays. Mail to China, Singapore, Australia, the USA and the United Kingdom ere experiencing extended delays due to reduced supply of global air freight.

    1. Many services suspended due to reduction or cancellation of passenger flights. All remaining services and destinations expected to be delayed.
    2. Signature-on-delivery services suspended for countries with this policy in place (includes Australia, Italy, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand).
    3. Many route suspensions throughout Africa, South America, and parts of Europe and Asia, although many services resumed service on the 31st of August. Full list of services available based on destination can be found here.
    4. Postal services to Australia subject to delay, find more information here.
    5. Due to insufficient air traffic capacity provided by airlines, there will be delays of around one week in waiting for air allotment to the following destinations for all airmail products (including Speedpost). In addition, local postal operations at the destinations are still under the influence of the pandemic and delays in mail delivery are expected. Affected countries follow:
      • China
      • Singapore
      • Australia
      • USA
      • United Kingdom

    For more information, see here.

  • SingPost

    Status: Operational, but experiencing delays; mail to certain countries suspended due to new border restrictions.

    Singapore Post is following the government's hygiene guidelines for its employees, facilities, and equipment, which includes frequent sanitation and regular information logging.

    1. They are experiencing a delay in all international mail and SpeedPost services, with current information expecting at least a 2-3 week delay. They are focusing on Speedpost Priority and Speedpost Express during this period.
    2. Some services suspended for countries with closed borders; some suspensions or delays due to reduction or cancellation of passenger flights.
    3. Suspensions throughout South America, Africa, and Middle East

    For more information, see here.

  • Canada Post

    Status: Fully Operational. But as important safety measures continue delays should be expected. Experiencing high volume.

    • Where possible, and to avoid contact, they will not ask customers for their signature, except for the following products: Proof of Identity (POI) items, Proof of Age (POA) items, COD items, and items with customs due.
    • Signature items will now be left at your address. The same applies to customs items that have been prepaid in full online but still require a signature.
    • For POI, POA, COD items and items with customs due: they will leave a delivery notice card (DNC) that directs you to a local post office for pick up

    For more details see the Canada Post site.

  • Hermes

    Status: Operational but facing delays. Have implemented safe operational policies inline with the recommendations of governments in markets they are operating in.

    Hermes is making some changes to the way their couriers deliver parcels to offer 'contact-free delivery' right to everyone's doorsteps.

    These include:

    • Asking customers to choose a safe place for deliveries. Anybody due to receive a parcel should visit the tracking section and choose 'divert' to select a safe place. This can also be done through our app, within the MyPlaces section.
    • If a safe place hasn't been chosen but there is somewhere safe to deliver the parcel, then couriers will leave it there, even when there is someone in the property. A photo will be taken and this will be included in the delivery notification email.
    • For parcels requiring a signature, our couriers can temporarily do this on behalf of the customer to avoid unnecessary contact via hand-held devices. This will only happen when the customer opens the door and gives their name for security reasons. The courier will stay at least two steps away.
    • If there is no safe place available, please be assured that we will always attempt delivery 3 times.

    Click here for the latest Hermes updates

  • Sendle

    Status: Operational but facing delays and suspended destinations. Have implemented contactless delivery.

    ‘Signature on Delivery' has been changed to ‘Authority to Leave' to eliminate person to person contact. Our delivery drivers will leave a parcel at their discretion in a designated safe place. (They can also take a signature on behalf of customers while standing two metres away). See here for latest Sendle updates.

    Delays are to be expected for shipments from or to destinations in the state of Victoria due to current government restrictions.

    See here for latest Sendle updates.

  • DHL eCommerce

    Status: Some destination country services have been suspended, with many others delayed.

    Services have been suspended in parts of South America, Africa, and the Middle East, and due to a reduction in airline freight availability, delays are expected in other destinations.

    For more information, see here.

  • Aramex

    Status: Operational, but experiencing some delays in international services and suspensions for certain destinations.

    1. Aramex has confirmed that all services are currently facing delays to most international destinations due to high cancellations of airline services. Some destination country services have been suspended.
    2. Temporary emergency surcharges are being applied to shipments. These charges are already implemented for new shipments being created on Easyship.
    3. Have temporarily suspended pickup from home businesses (residential addresses) in Singapore due to circuit breaker rules. Delivery to residential addresses have not been impacted.

    For more information, see here.

  • Royal Mail

    Status: Some international routes have been suspended, while other routes, including domestic are experiencing delays.

    Royal Mail advised shippers of delivery delays in its recent update, effective, April 1st, 2020.

    “Normal deliveries and collections should take place in all parts of the UK today. However, despite our best endeavours, some parts of the country may experience varying levels of delivery disruption, due to Coronavirus-related absences and necessary social distancing measures,” according to the advisory.

    1. Royal Mail is handling coronavirus test kits for NHS staff.
    2. They are operating with far fewer staff.
    3. 1pm time guarantee for Special Delivery has been suspended.
    4. Currently, 11,000 post offices are still open throughout the area.
    5. Signature-on-delivery services have been suspended; couriers will wait by door until packages are retrieved and enter names into their handheld devices themselves.
    6. Major export routes remain open, including the USA.
    7. Delays are to be expected in many cases; suspensions are in place for certain countries.

    For more information, see here.

  • SF Express

    Status: Have applied temporary emergency surcharges. Services to several destination countries has been suspended.

    1. To cover costs of increased safety requirements, SF Express are applying temporary emergency surcharges for Economy Express and Standard Express services. These prices are currently reflected in the Easyship platform.
    2. Services to India have been temporarily suspended.
    3. Have temporarily suspended pickup from home businesses (residential addresses) in Singapore due to circuit breaker rules. Delivery to residential addresses have not been impacted.

    Have applied a temporary emergency surcharge for all new shipments. This pricing is already being reflected on the Easyship platform.

    The below list of destinations are suspended as of September 15th, 2020:

    1. Mongolia
    2. Cambodia
    3. Myanmar
    4. Chile

    For more information, see here.

  • Other Couriers

    Airpak: Operational but with delays due to manpower shortages and circuit breaker requirements. Click here for latest courier updates.

    APC: Operational but with service suspended to some countries and operation delay destinations being delayed due to shortages of air freight supply and backlog of items. Certain postal codes in Spain are embargoed due to COVID-19.Click here for latest courier updates.

    Asendia: Operational but facing delays for international shipments.

    Australia Post: Operational but facing delays for all international shipments due to shortage of flights. Domestic shipments are less impacted but delays are still to be expected. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Canpar: Operational with limited disruption, expect delays due to high volume. Temporary suspension of service guarantees for Canpar Express shipments. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Couriers Please: Operational but facing delays. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Direct Link: Previously suspended for all destinations. Services to some destinations have resumed. Temporary emergency surcharges are also being applied. Details found here.

    DPD: Operational but facing delays. Have implemented safe operational policies inline with the recommendations of governments in markets they are operating in. Click here for latest courier updates.

    DPEX: Operational but services suspended to some destination countries. Delays being faced in other markets. Click here for latest courier updates.

    GlobalPost: Operational but service suspended for some countries or facing delays in other destinations. Their USPS Priority Mail and First-Class Package Service packages with 2 or 3 day delivery commitments, have been extended to 3 and 4 days, respectively. While local Priority Mail packages with one day delivery remain unchanged.

    J&T Express: Operational but facing delays due to manpower shortages and circuit breaker requirements. Have implemented contactless delivery measures.

    Lalamove: Operational but with delays due to manpower shortages and circuit breaker requirements. Click here for latest courier updates.

    NinjaVan: Operational but facing delays due to manpower shortages and circuit breaker requirements. Have implemented contactless delivery measures. Have suspended pickups from home based businesses (residential addresses).

    P2P: Operational but facing delays. Have implemented safe operational policies inline with the recommendations of governments in markets they are operating in. Click here for latest courier updates.

    ParcelPoint: Operational but facing delays, suspended signature on delivery. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Purolator: Operational but suspended to some destinations. Suspension of service guarantees for time-definite services. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Quantium: Operational but all services are currently facing delays to most destinations due to high cancellations of airline services. Temporary surcharges applied. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Qxpress: Operational but with delays due to manpower shortages and circuit breaker requirements. Have implemented contactless delivery measures.

    SEKO: Operational but facing delays. Priority given to Medical, Aid and Relief shipments.

    Skypostal: Operational. Check https://www.skypostal.com/ for further updates.

    TNT: Operational but facing delays. Refer to FedEx service notes. Click here for latest courier updates.

    Toll: Operational but facing delays. Click here for latest courier updates.

FAQ

  • Can I still make deliveries? Which countries have restrictions?

  • What happens after my 30-day free trial of Easyship?

  • What can I do if my recipient is closed and I still need to ship to them?

  • What if I'm in an existing Easyship Paid Plan and need financial relief?

  • How can I register to the COVID-19 webinar series?

  • How can Easyship help during the coronavirus pandemic?

  • Can I still process shipments as normal on the Easyship platform?

Other Helpful Information

Visit the World Health Organization website (WHO) for real-time information about the Coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 disease.

Access the CDC website to get guidance on coronavirus protocols and protection against COVID-19.

Other Helpful Information