Guidelines
2026 Holiday Shipping Guide
Posted on September 25, 2026 by Nerd 7 Actual
🎁 2026 Holiday Shipping Guide – Tactics 2 Toys, LLC
Make sure your toys and games arrive before Santa does!
The holidays are fast approaching — which means sleigh bells, wrapping paper, and one universal truth: earlier holiday carrier surcharges. Shipping deadlines wait for no one, and this year, the pressure is on early. At Tactics 2 Toys, LLC, we’re all about fun, strategy, and delivering joy on time. Whether you’re grabbing the latest release board game for family game night, a fresh set of dice for your next RPG campaign, or a rare collectible you’ve been hunting all year, we want it in your hands before Christmas morning.
So, grab a hot cocoa (or a whiskey), pull up your wish list, and let’s make sure your orders beat the holiday rush.
🕒 Order Early – Even Santa Has a Schedule
The holiday season is the busiest shipping time of the year. Carriers get overloaded, winter weather strikes, and even Rudolph gets stuck in gridlock. Our golden rule for 2026: If you want to play it perfectly safe, aim to have all your standard orders placed by December 15.
- Standard / Ground Shipping: Order by December 15
- 3-Day / Express Saver: Order by December 18
- 2-Day Air or Priority Shipping: Order by December 21
- Overnight Shipping: Order by December 23
📦 USPS, UPS & FedEx Shipping – Official 2026 Deadlines
✉️ USPS (Great for TCG Singles, Action Figures, & Smaller Collectibles)
- USPS Ground Advantage: Ship by Dec 17
- First-Class Mail: Ship by Dec 17
- Priority Mail: Ship by Dec 18
- Priority Mail Express: Ship by Dec 19
- Shipping to Alaska or Hawaii? Your cutoff for Ground Advantage drops to December 16.
🚚 UPS (Best for Large Board Games and Bulk Case Bundles)
- UPS Ground: Ship by Dec 15
- 3-Day Select: Ship by Dec 18
- 2nd Day Air: Ship by Dec 20
- Next Day Air: Ship by Dec 22
- Note: UPS handles the heavy stuff beautifully but remember that standard pickup and delivery services are fully closed on Christmas Day.
🚀 FedEx (When You’re Cutting It Close)
- FedEx Ground Economy: Ship by Dec 15
- FedEx Express Saver (3-Day): Dec 22
- FedEx 2Day: Ship by Dec 23
- FedEx Overnight Services: Ship by Dec 24 (SameDay options available)
🌎 International & Military Shipping
Sending gaming gear to friends abroad or to service members stationed overseas? You must plan ahead—way ahead.
- APO/FPO/DPO (Military Air Mail): Ship by Dec 2
- International First-Class or Priority Mail: Ship by Dec 9
- International Priority Express: Ship by Dec 16
🎯 Smart Shopper Tips from Tactics 2 Toys
- Beat the Surcharges: Major carriers are implementing peak holiday fees earlier than ever. Buying in October and early November saves you money.
- Double-Check Your Address: A simple typo delays joy. Ensure your apartment or suite numbers are accurate!
- Bundle to Save: Group your TCG boosters, sleeves, and board games together to hit free or reduced tier shipping thresholds.
- Track Your Packages: We send tracking links the moment your gaming gear leaves our warehouse.
📅 The Tactics 2 Toys 2026 Holiday Timeline
- Oct 1–15: Start browsing—early birds secure the most anticipated TCG expansions and hot restocks before inventory dries up.
- Oct 16–31: Watch for early holiday sales. Grab high-demand products before carrier holiday fees spike.
- Nov 1–15: Surcharges lock in. This is your target window to grab heavy board games or bulk cases.
- Dec 10–15: Last call for standard ground shipping options.
- Dec 16–20: High-risk ground territory. Time to upgrade to 2-day or Express air options.
- Dec 21–23: Overnight or bust!
- After Dec 23: Digital gift cards save the day for instant last-minute gifting.
Special Note: In an effort to keep orders on a reasonable timeline during the busy season, Saturday shipping will be instituted. All orders placed on a Friday will no longer wait until Monday to be shipped.
USPS Surcharges: From October 4th to Jan 17th, USPS is doing a temporary price spike on everything except Media Mail and International mail. It is based on zones. The Zones are determined by distance from the originating zip code.
Distance Breakdown for Domestic Zones:
- Local: Same ZIP code or immediate local delivery area.
- Zone 1: 1 to 50 miles.
- Zone 2: 51 to 150 miles.
- Zone 3: 151 to 300 miles.
- Zone 4: 301 to 600 miles.
- Zone 5: 601 to 1,000 miles.
- Zone 6: 1,001 to 1,400 miles.
- Zone 7: 1,401 to 1,800 miles.
- Zone 8: 1,801 miles or greater (continental US).
- Zone 9: Outlying U.S. territories, Freely Associated States, and select military/diplomatic mail
| USPS Ground Advantage | ||
| Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
| 0-3 lbs | $0.40 increase | $0.55increase |
| 4-10 lbs | $0.65 increase | $1.05 increase |
| 11-25 lbs | $1.05 increase | $1.75 increase |
| 26-70 lbs | $3.15 increase | $7.70 increase |
| USPS Priority Mail | ||
| Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
| 0 – 3 lbs | $0.40 increase | $0.85increase |
| 4 – 10 lbs | $0.65 increase | $1.75 increase |
| 11 – 25 lbs | $1.05increase | $3.85 increase |
| 26 – 70 lbs | $3.15 increase | $9.10 increase |
| USPS Ground Advantage Cubic | ||
| Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
| 0.1- 0.3 | $0.40 increase | $0.55 increase |
| 0.4 – 0.5 | $0.65 increase | $1.05 increase |
| 1.0 | $1.05 increase | $1.75 increase |
| USPS Priority Cubic | ||
| Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
| 0.1- 0.3 | $0.40 increase | $0.85 increase |
| 0.4 – 0.5 | $0.65 increase | $1.75 increase |
In addition, Large Priority Flat Rates have a $1.75 increase. All other USPS Flat Rate products have a $0.85 increase.
🧩 About Tactics 2 Toys, LLC
Tactics 2 Toys, LLC brings strategy, creativity, and fun to every purchase. From trading card games and tabletop strategy to premium dice and future collectibles, we help you play smarter, laugh louder, and collect cooler — all while ensuring your orders arrive quickly and safely.
This holiday season, skip the shipping panic. Order early, unwrap happiness, and let Tactics 2 Toys make your Christmas legendary. If you have any questions on, please reach out.
🛒 Visit us anytime at tactics2toys.com
