Dhanteras is on 6 November and Diwali is on 8 November. If you are reading this on 27 October, you have about ten days before the busiest shipping week of your year. Black Friday follows three weeks later, and Indian shoppers now wait for it too.
Most brands focus on ads and inventory before the festive season, but shipping costs often get overlooked. When you’re handling 500 orders a day, even a small extra cost per shipment can add up quickly as orders increase. A few practical changes to how you manage shipping can help keep these costs under control. Here’s what your operations team can do before the festive rush begins.
Which festive and sale dates should you plan shipping around in 2026
Festive sales bring a sharp rise in orders, which can put pressure on courier capacity and push up shipping costs. Planning around key sale dates in advance can help you prepare your inventory, dispatches and courier partnerships before the rush begins. Mark these important dates on your calendar:
- Dhanteras: Friday, 6 November
- Diwali: Sunday, 8 November
- Bhai Dooj: 10 or 11 November, depending on the panchang
- Chhath Puja: Mid November, with strong demand from Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern UP
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday: 27 and 30 November
- Christmas and New Year sales: December
Redseer expected over ₹1.15 lakh crore in festive season ecommerce sales in 2025, and the first 11 days ran at nearly 3.5 times normal levels. Datum Intelligence now forecasts ₹1.5 to 1.55 lakh crore for 2026. More parcels mean every wasted rupee per shipment gets multiplied.
Where Do eCommerce Shipping Costs Add Up During Festive Sales
During the festive season, shipping costs can go up for reasons beyond regular freight charges. When order volumes increase, even small issues can start adding up.
- Couriers may reweigh your parcels and charge you more than the weight you originally declared. If this happens across hundreds of shipments, the extra charges can quickly add up.
- RTO, where you pay forward and reverse freight for an order that earns nothing
- COD handling fees on orders that were never going to be accepted
- Repeat delivery attempts on weak pin codes
- Peak or festive surcharges, which some couriers apply, so read your rate card closely
Fix these in order and you will reduce courier charges without touching your product prices.
How do you reduce shipping costs before the festive season rush
Work through these seven steps. Each one is a shipping cost optimization lever you can pull this week.
1. Audit last year’s shipments by pin code and zone
Pull your Diwali and Black Friday data from last year. Group it by pin code, zone, courier and payment mode. For each courier, note three numbers: cost per delivered order, RTO rate and delivery time. Brands that skip this usually find out in week two of the sale that their cheapest courier is also their slowest on Tier 3 pin codes.
2. Fix weight and packaging issues
Couriers charge based on whichever is higher: actual weight or volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is usually calculated by multiplying the parcel’s length, breadth and height, then dividing by 5000. However, the formula can vary by courier, so check your rate card.
Even a slightly larger box can push a parcel into a higher weight slab and increase shipping costs. Use standard box sizes wherever possible and make sure your team records the correct weight and dimensions before dispatch. Taking photos of parcels can also help if you need to dispute an incorrect weight charge.
You can read our guide on weight discrepancies in ecommerce shipping to understand how to handle these disputes. Shipway also offers a lowest weight slab of 250 grams.
3. Choose couriers based on delivery performance, not just rates
A lower courier rate doesn’t always mean lower shipping costs. For example, a courier that charges ₹4 less per shipment might end up costing you more if it has more failed deliveries and RTOs in your key PIN codes.
Compare courier performance by PIN code, shipment weight and payment method. This helps you choose the right courier for each shipment instead of relying on one option for every order.
Shipway’s AI-powered courier allocation helps sellers select couriers based on performance. Shipway also states that sellers can reduce shipping costs by up to 10%. It’s also worth keeping an alternative courier available in key locations so dispatches can continue if one partner faces delays during the festive rush.
4. Reduce RTO before order volumes increase
Every return-to-origin (RTO) order adds to your costs. You may end up paying for both forward and return shipping, while the product remains tied up instead of reaching a customer.
Start by confirming COD orders on WhatsApp before dispatch. You can also offer a small discount to encourage prepaid payments and keep an eye on PIN codes where customers frequently refuse deliveries.
Taking these steps before the festive rush can help you avoid unnecessary shipping expenses when order volumes are at their highest.
5. Plan courier capacity and rates in advance
Don’t wait until orders start piling up to speak to your courier partners. Check with them well in advance about daily pickup capacity, any additional festive charges and when revised rates will come into effect.
It’s also a good idea to split your shipments across multiple courier partners. If one courier gets overloaded during the festive rush, you can continue dispatching orders through another instead of letting shipments pile up.
6. Track shipping costs by product and sales channel
If you sell through your website, marketplaces and distributors, your shipping needs won’t be the same for every order. Each channel may have different packaging requirements, courier rates and delivery expectations.
Track shipping costs by product (SKU) and sales channel to see where you’re spending the most. You may find that some heavy products cost more to ship than they’re worth in terms of profit. For these products, consider setting a minimum order value or charging a shipping fee during the festive season.
7. Set realistic delivery dates and keep customers updated
When orders are delayed, customers may contact your support team, miss delivery attempts or refuse to accept their parcels. This can lead to more work and higher shipping costs.
Show realistic delivery estimates at checkout based on the customer’s PIN code. Send tracking updates through WhatsApp or SMS so customers know when to expect their orders. Clear communication helps customers plan for deliveries and can reduce missed delivery attempts.
Add a practical festive planning checklistMake the shipping cost advice more actionable
What should you do in the next 10 days before Diwali
- 27 to 28 October: Run the pin code and courier audit
- By 30 October: Finalize box sizes and stock two weeks of packaging
- By 1 November: Get capacity and surcharges confirmed in writing, switch on allocation rules, and WhatsApp COD confirmation
- By 4 November: Dry run 200 orders end to end and check labels, weights and manifests
- 6 to 8 November: Review RTO, NDR and delivery rate by courier every morning
- After Diwali: Reset your rules before Black Friday on 27 November
Conclusion
Festive sales can bring in more orders, but they can also push up your shipping costs if you’re not prepared. Taking time to review courier rates, fix packaging issues and reduce RTO before the rush can help you avoid unnecessary expenses as orders increase.
Before Diwali, take a closer look at your shipping costs and identify where you could be saving more.
Want to get your shipping operations ready for the festive rush? Talk to Shipway to explore ways to manage courier allocation, COD orders and NDR more effectively.
Make the Diwali advice more actionable. Strengthen the opening with a sharper hook
How can I reduce courier charges during Diwali?
Start by checking your parcel weights and packaging sizes, as these can affect shipping charges. Compare courier performance across PIN codes and work on reducing RTO, especially for COD orders. It’s also worth comparing the total cost of delivered orders rather than choosing a courier just because its rate is lower.
Do courier charges increase during the festive season in India?
They can. Some courier partners introduce peak-season surcharges or limit the number of shipments they accept each day. Check with your partners before the sale begins and confirm any changes to rates or pickup capacity in writing.
What is a good RTO rate for festive orders?
There isn’t one ideal RTO rate for every business. It depends on your product category, customer base, payment mix and delivery locations. COD orders generally have higher RTO rates than prepaid orders. If your RTO rate starts climbing, check whether the problem is linked to certain PIN codes, unconfirmed COD orders or courier delivery performance.
Add practical festive shipping actionsConnect each answer to seller decisions
When should I start preparing logistics for Black Friday?
Start in the first week after Diwali. Your Diwali data shows which couriers and pin codes failed, so you can fix rules before 27 November.
Is using multiple couriers cheaper than using a single courier?
It can be. Different couriers perform better in different PIN codes and weight categories. Using multiple partners lets you choose the most suitable option for each shipment and switch to another courier when delays or capacity issues arise.
