By Pacer Logistics4 min read
A quick overview before you dive in:
Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. For many Australian online stores, the four days between them bring a big jump in orders, and every one of those orders still has to be packed, booked and delivered. Australia Post reported that Australians spent $1.5 billion online over Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2025, a new record.
The shops that handle the rush best usually prepare their shipping before the sale starts. This checklist covers the steps that matter most for a small store.
Work out which boxes and satchels your best-selling products need, and order enough for a busy week before the sale. Running out of the right size mid-sale often means using a bigger box, and a bigger box can cost more to send.
Record the packed length, width, height and weight of your most popular products. Couriers price on size as well as weight, so accurate measurements give you accurate quotes. If the size or weight a courier collects doesn't match what you declared, the price can be adjusted after booking.
Tell customers how long delivery usually takes, and avoid promising exact dates you can't control. Courier delivery dates are estimates, and courier networks are often busier from late November.
The best courier for a small satchel to Melbourne may not be the best for a heavy box to Perth. Comparing options per order lets you choose on price or speed each time. With Pacer Logistics, you enter an order's details once and see live prices from 50+ Australian couriers, with each option's pickup date and estimated delivery date, and the cheapest and fastest options tagged. Prices include GST, fuel and fees.
Couriers collect from your address, so book pickups around your packing schedule. Have orders packed, labelled as your booking requires, and ready when the courier arrives. If a courier can't collect because the goods aren't ready, a futile pickup fee can apply.
Orders from the sale weekend tend to land together. Set aside packing time for the Tuesday and Wednesday after Cyber Monday, and check your packaging and label stock before the weekend rather than during it.
Many Black Friday orders are Christmas gifts. Interstate and overseas parcels need to leave well before Christmas, especially to Western Australia, the Northern Territory and overseas. Our guide to Christmas postage and courier cut-off dates lists the 2026 dates.
Standard bookings within Australia include a transit warranty of up to $350. For higher-value orders, you can add extra cover of up to $100,000 at checkout, before you pay. Cover is for shipments within Australia, and some items are excluded. See Shipment Cover for the details.
Send each customer their tracking number as soon as the order is booked. It cuts down on "where's my order?" messages during your busiest week. Customers can follow any parcel from the couriers we cover with Track a Parcel, with no account needed.
You don't need an account to book, but if you're sending regularly, a business courier account gives you rates quoted for your business, and you can pay by card or by invoice, subject to a credit check. Any business with a valid ABN can apply, and there's no minimum number of shipments.
Black Friday is a good test of your shipping set-up. Afterwards, note which products caused packaging problems, which routes were slow and how many orders you sent each day. That record makes the Christmas rush easier to plan. For more on shipping as an online store, see our E-commerce Shipping page.
Yes. When you get a quote, switch on the residential pick-up option so the price reflects a home address. Residential pickups and deliveries can cost more than business addresses.
No. You can book online without an account. A business account is optional, and is mainly useful if you send regularly and want rates quoted for your business.
A little preparation before the sale goes a long way: the right packaging, accurate measurements, clear delivery expectations and a quick way to compare couriers. Then your team can focus on packing orders, not chasing quotes.