Are you expecting a package from DHL, and want to know when it is likely to arrive?
While weekend delivery – especially on Saturdays is common for other major couriers like UPS, USPS and Fedex, not many people know about DHL.
So, in this article, we’ll be going over everything you need to know about weekend deliveries with DHL!
Does DHL Deliver On Saturdays?
DHL does indeed deliver on Saturdays, but this is limited to deliveries made within certain countries.
For example, DHL will not deliver on Saturdays within the United States, but Saturday delivery is much more common in certain countries within Europe or Asia.
If you live in a country that allows shipments on Saturday (such as Canada or Germany for example), you may need to pay a fee of 20 to 40 euros for the service.
For normal shipments, the package will simply have its delivery delayed until Monday unless you explicitly request weekend delivery.
Note that there is one exception to this rule, and it involves packages that have been tendered for delivery.
When a package is tendered for delivery, it is handed off to another courier to make the final delivery. For example, DHL, may deliver packages to USPS, and USPS may deliver them out themselves, since they already need to deliver the mail anyway.
In these instances, DHL packages may get delivered on a Saturday within the U.S, if USPS is the one that handles the final delivery.
Does DHL Deliver On Sundays?
Just like on Saturdays, DHL does not deliver on Sundays within the United States.
In fact, even Sunday delivery is much more rare in other countries, even those that support deliveries on Saturdays. However, in many European or Asian countries – like Germany for example, DHL can and will deliver on Sundays if you request this.
Often times, DHL will hand the package off to local post offices for Sunday deliveries in order to help with this.
Like Saturdays, you will need to pay an extra fee in order to receive your package on a Sunday. This fee typically ranges from 20 to 40 euros.
Why Doesn’t DHL Have Weekend Delivery In The United States?
Since DHL offers weekend delivery in other countries, you may be wondering – why don’t they offer it in the United States?
Really, it comes down to profitability.
DHL is the second largest courier company in the world, only behind UPS in terms of market cap.
In fact, outside of the U.S, it is the largest and most popular courier option for international shipments.
That being said, inside the U.S, it’s estimated that DHL handles less than 1% of package deliveries.
In areas where there are very few packages to deliver even on normal days, it doesn’t make economical sense to offer weekend delivery for DHL shipments, when there may only be a small handful of them scheduled to go out.
It would require a massive increase in DHL shipments – and the subsequent infrastructure to support it, in order for DHL to start offering weekend delivery within the U.S. Again, while they are a very popular courier elsewhere, DHL is rarely used as the shipping company of choice among U.S. consumers.
Will DHL Offer Weekend Delivery In The Future?
So, we now know why DHL doesn’t currently offer weekend deliveries – at least not within the United States.
But have they announced any plans to change this? How likely it is that DHL will start offering weekend deliveries to U.S. addresses in the future?
Despite the fact that people are ordering internationally more than ever before, it’s still unlikely that DHL will offer weekend delivery anytime soon. DHL has not announced any plans to expand delivery options to weekends within the United States, and the cost of offering this simply isn’t feasible for DHL’s low shipping volumes in the U.S.
However, it is likely that DHL will continue to expand their shipping options as package demand increases, and online shopping continues to grow.
To keep up with DHL news and events, you can view their press page here.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, DHL does not deliver on weekends within the United States – neither on Saturdays, nor Sundays. However, some weekend delivery options are available for deliveries made in many European or Asian countries.
That being said, packages that have been handed off to USPS for final delivery can be delivered on Saturdays in some cases. For the most accurate and up-to-date estimate on when your package will arrive, reference your shipment’s tracking number.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful, and that it’s answered your questions.
If you have any other questions about DHL, please ask them using the comment form below and I’ll be happy to get back to you.
Thanks for reading, and here’s hoping your package arrives soon!
– James McAllister