Count on this holiday season to be a busier one for shippers.
The U.S. Postal Service estimates it will see a 20 percent increase in the number of packages it handles between Thanksgiving and Christmas, while officials at FedEx expect an almost 10 percent increase.
A lot of that increased shipping activity will come from online shoppers, FedEx spokesman Chris Stanley said.
As is the case every holiday season, the sooner a package is shipped, the better the chances the recipient will receive his or her gift in time for Christmas, said UPS spokesman John Sequerth.
Here's a list of deadlines for when to get those packages shipped, including the least and most costly shipping options for the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.
