Black Friday Delivery and Posting Dates

Black Friday countdown

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We design and print our own cards and prints in the UK and post them ourselves, so this is written from the inside. Where a discount isn't worth chasing, the guide says so.

Black Friday week is busy for couriers but not yet chaotic. The genuine crush starts around the second week of December.

Order in the sale and you're posting in the calm bit - which is half the reason to do it.

Cards, printed and posted from the UK

Ordered before the afternoon post on a working day, printed and in the postbox the same day.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) £3.87

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The dates

  • Black Friday is always the fourth Friday in November. In 2026 that is Friday 27 November.
  • Cyber Monday is the Monday straight after. In 2026 that is Monday 30 November.
  • The weekend between them is now treated as one long sale by most UK retailers.
  • Most UK sales start on the Monday of Black Friday week and run to midnight on Cyber Monday.
  • Royal Mail's busiest stretch starts the week after Cyber Monday, so anything ordered in the sale still moves at normal speed.

How long post takes in sale week

  • First Class: usually next working day, including Saturdays. It's a target, not a guarantee.
  • Second Class: supposed to be two working days, but it can take up to five days anywhere in the UK.
  • Working days are Monday to Saturday. Sundays and bank holidays don't count.
  • Neither class is tracked, so there's no answer to 'where is it' once it's posted.
  • The last collection time on the postbox is the real deadline, not the end of the day.

What actually slows down and when

  • Sale weekend: dispatch queues at big retailers, but Royal Mail volumes are still normal.
  • First week of December: volumes climb steeply.
  • Second and third weeks of December: the crush, and where Second Class drifts furthest.
  • Small independent sellers usually dispatch faster in sale week than large ones, because they aren't clearing a warehouse.

Ordering so it arrives

  • Order overseas gifts on Cyber Monday at the latest - allow a week for Europe, two to three weeks further out.
  • For anything that must land on a set date, add two working days of buffer on top of the class you pay for.
  • Northern Ireland, the Highlands and the islands: add two days again.
  • If it's genuinely date-critical, Special Delivery Guaranteed is the only service with a promise attached.

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Prints that post flat

A5, A4 and A3 art prints, drawn in house and printed in the UK.

All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) £8.00 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print £6.00 Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard £3.00 Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard £3.00

How to write it so it lands

  • First Class: usually next working day. Second Class: two days in theory, five in practice.
  • Sale week is the calm before the December crush.
  • Overseas post goes by Cyber Monday.

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Frequently asked questions

Is delivery slower during Black Friday week?

Dispatch can be slower at large retailers, but Royal Mail itself is still running at normal speed. The real slowdown starts in the second week of December.

How long does Second Class take in November?

It's meant to be two working days, but up to five is realistic anywhere in the UK, and that gap widens as December goes on.

When should I order for Christmas?

Overseas by Cyber Monday, 30 November 2026. UK orders are comfortable through the first week of December, and tight after that.

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