Black Friday falls on 27 November this year, Cyber Monday on 30 November. After that, it’s straight into the Christmas season. According to Shopify’s Holiday Retail Report 2026, shoppers in Germany plan to spend an average of €198 over the Black Friday weekend, €15 more than in 2025. At the same time, 48% say the economic situation is holding back their plans. So people are buying, but they’re choosy: price, availability and delivery all have to be right.
To make sure your shop doesn’t fall down on logistics in these weeks, we’ve collected the most important points for you.
1. Plan your stock realistically
Look at what sold last year between mid-November and Christmas, and plan a buffer for your best-sellers. Also check how long your supplier needs for restocking. Goods that only arrive in December often won’t help you for Christmas.
- Secure best-sellers and bundles first
- Clarify your suppliers’ lead times for reorders
- Don’t reorder slow movers into the peak
2. Plan goods receipt early
During peak season, warehouses and carriers are running at full capacity. The earlier your goods are in stock, the more smoothly shipping goes. So agree with your fulfillment partner in good time when your deliveries will arrive and in what quantities.
If you sell via Amazon FBA, this applies twice over: for Prime eligibility in Black Friday week, Amazon named 21 October as the cut-off date for goods receipt. Goods arriving later won’t be rejected, but may not be available with Prime in time.
3. Recalculate your Amazon costs
From 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027, Amazon is once again charging a peak fee for FBA. It averages €0.27 per item and applies to small and standard parcels to customers in Germany. On top of that comes the fuel and logistics surcharge, which rises from 1.5% to 2% of the fulfillment fee from 2 November.
The averages only help so much. It’s best to recalculate your margin, minimum prices and discount campaigns per item, for example with the fee preview in Seller Central.
4. Order packaging and inserts
Cartons, void fill and tape run short at many suppliers just before Christmas. So order early and in sufficient quantities. If you want to include flyers, vouchers or Christmas cards, clarify in good time when they need to be in the warehouse.
5. Communicate delivery deadlines clearly
Nothing annoys customers more than a present that arrives after Christmas Eve. Parcel carriers publish their last posting dates for Christmas every year. Work back from there and show your customers clearly in your shop by when they should order.
6. Prepare for returns
After the peak comes the wave of returns. In Germany, around 560 million returns are expected in 2026, and roughly one in five retailers pays more than €10 per return. So plan capacity for processing returns in January.
Also check whether your shop offers the electronic withdrawal button. It has been mandatory since 19 June 2026 for online shops selling to consumers.
7. Get customer service ready for the rush
More orders mean more questions about parcel status. Make sure your customers automatically receive a shipping confirmation with tracking. That saves your team a lot of enquiries.
How FulFy supports you
We store your goods in Neumünster, pick with scanner technology and ship your orders – including for Amazon FBA and FBM. If you still need capacity for peak season or want to approach next season more calmly, let’s talk about your shop.