Shipping carrier statuses

Note

This page is continually updated as new information from shipping carriers is released.

Each shipping carrier is responding to COVID-19, and the holiday season, differently. Review the carrier's latest updates to learn how changes to their services might impact your shipping.

The Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and Surgeon General have stated that there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through the mail.

If you are in the United States and purchase shipping labels through Shopify Shipping, then consider purchasing additional insurance to help protect your shipments.

Shipping carrier overview

Review the table below to get an overview of each shipping carrier.

Overview of each shipping carrier's response to COVID-19 and the holiday season.

Carrier	Additional surcharges	Changes to Service Level Agreements (SLAs)	Impact to Shopify Shipping
USPS	Additional $0.24-$0.40 USD Effective between October 18 - December 27, 2020	SLAs for Priority Mail have been extended by 1 day. Effective April 17, 2020	Surcharges apply
UPS	Up to an additional $4.00 USD $50.00 USD charge for large packages $5.00 USD charge for extra handling Effective between November 15, 2020 - January 16, 2021	Delivery guarantees are removed. Merchants are unable to redeem shipping credits/refunds for missed SLAs. Effective March 26, 2020	Exempt from surcharges
DHL Express	Additional $0.20 USD per kg or $0.09 USD per lb Effective May 24, 2020	Delays depend on destination	Surcharges apply
Canada Post	Additional $20 CAD for oversize and unpackaged items Additional $300 CAD for out-of-spec items Effective between November 9, 2020 - January 10, 2021	SLAs for domestic services have been extended by 1 day. Effective September 21, 2020	Surcharges apply
Sendle	Information not yet announced.	SLAs for domestic services have been extended by up to 3 days SLAs for international services have been extended by up to 30 days	Unknown

Canada Post

Canada Post has the following changes to their service:

• Canada Post is experiencing delays of up to 5 days. Heavier shipments are more impacted than others.
• Proof-of-age verification and required signatures are limited to post-office pickups.
• On-time guarantees are suspended.
• Shipments to many countries are currently not being accepted.

For more information, refer to Canada Post's news releases.

For more information about service disruptions, refer to Canada Post's daily service alerts.

DHL

DHL has the following changes to their service:

• As of May 24, 2020, DHL Express is adding an Emergency Situation Surcharge to most shipments.
• Certain countries are experiencing a temporary service disruption.

For more information about the Emergency Situation Surcharge, refer to DHL's Emergency Situation Surcharge (ESS) Adjustment.

For more information about DHL service disruptions, refer to DHL's COVID-19 updates.

UPS

UPS has the following changes to their service:

• UPS is experiencing service disruptions in certain countries. For more information, refer to UPS's Critical Developments.
• As of March 26, 2020, the UPS service guarantee is suspended for all shipments from any origin and to any destination.
• As of March 24, 2020, the UPS service guarantee is suspended for all US-origin shipments (domestic and international) at any service level.

For UPS's service alerts, refer to UPS's service alerts.

USPS

USPS has the following changes to their service:

• As of May 22, 2020, USPS is resuming service to certain countries. For more information, refer to USPS's international service disruptions.
• USPS is using sea transportation instead of air transportation for shipments to certain countries. For more information, refer to Air to sea diversions in effect.
• USPS is offering refunds on shipments addressed to a country where shipping services are suspended. For more information, refer to USPS PostalPro's international refunds page.
• Some mail classes have extended their expected delivery times:
  • Priority Mail two-day service is now 3 days.
  • Priority Mail three-day service is now 4 days.
  • Priority Mail Open and Distribute is now 2-4 days.
  • First-Class Package Service two-day service is now 3 days.
  • First-Class Package Service three-day service is now 4 days.
• Priority Mail's two-day and three-day services now include up to $50 USD in free insurance.
• Some USPS post offices are closed. For more information, refer to USPS Business mailers service disruptions.
• USPS is not shipping to certain countries. For more information, refer to USPS's international service disruptions.
• There are delays in USPS mail and package deliveries to and from certain countries.
• As of February 10, 2020, there is a temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong SAR China.

For more information about any USPS service disruptions to businesses, refer to USPS® Coronavirus Updates for Business Customers.

For more information about USPS's updated operations, refer to their changes to retail stores and changes to delivering shipments.

For more information about specific country delays for USPS shipments, refer to USPS's international service disruptions.

Sendle

Sendle has the following changes to their service:

• All "signature on delivery" shipments have been changed to "authority to leave". A driver might still request a signature, but it is not guaranteed.
• Sendle has temporarily suspended shipments to certain international destinations.

For more information about Sendle's response to COVID-19, refer to their Coronavirus update page.

For more information about which international destinations Sendle has temporarily suspended service to, refer to their International delivery page.