Rugs, Furniture, Large Items – Huge Shipping Cost Increase – What can you do?

If you thought the cost of shipping large items like rugs and furniture was already steep… brace yourself.

FedEx and UPS are once again rolling out their Peak/Demand Season surcharges — the seasonal price hikes that hit just as order volumes surge during the holidays.

For shippers of bulky goods, this can mean anywhere from $8.25 to $490 per item in extra charges — on top of the already hefty year-round surcharges you’re paying. And to make matters worse, the charges aren’t just “one size fits all” — there are different rates for different weeks of the season.

In other words, this is the time of year when your business gives more than gifts… it gives away margins.

The 111-Day Surcharge Stretch

The 2025 peak period will run for 111 days, covering the high-demand holiday window and the post-holiday return rush.

FedEx has announced its rates. UPS hasn’t yet, but history shows they’ll likely be nearly identical.

This means for over three months, large and heavy items — which already attract “Additional Handling” or “Oversize” fees — will be hit with a secondary surcharge during the most expensive shipping window of the year.

How to Fight Back Against Seasonal Shipping Spikes

The good news? You’re not powerless. With the right adjustments, you can shave serious dollars off each shipment without delaying deliveries to customers.

Break It Down – Literally

If a large package can be split into two smaller ones without damaging the product or customer experience, do it.

• You’ll avoid the oversized weight fees.

• You’ll dodge some peak surcharges entirely.

• Customers still get their items on time, just in multiple boxes.

Example: If a package dims out at 50 lbs. but actually weighs 18 lbs., carriers charge you for a 40lb package, the additional handling fee, plus the peak surcharge. Splitting it into two smaller shipments can slash the total cost.

Reengineer Your Packaging

A small change in dimensions could mean the difference between a normal fee and an “Oversize” penalty.

• Over 96 inches in length? = Oversize fee.

• Over 130 inches length + girth? = Oversize fee.

Slight adjustments — even an inch — can help you dodge hundreds of dollars in unnecessary charges.

Ship on Smart Dates

Peak surcharges aren’t the same every day — they’re broken into three seasonal rate tiers.

Example:

• Ship a qualifying Additional Handling package on Nov 23 instead of Nov 24 → Save $2.65.

• Ship an Oversize package on Nov 23 instead of Nov 24 → Save $18.50.

Shifting large shipments by just one day can add up fast across hundreds of orders.

Wait Out the Surcharge

If your products aren’t urgent, hold them until January 19, 2025, when peak rates vanish.

• Oversize shipments: Save up to $90 per package

• Additional Handling: Save $8.25 per package

Multiply that by dozens (or hundreds) of shipments, and the savings are no longer pocket change — they’re budget-changing.

Bottom Line

The Peak/Demand period isn’t going away — but neither is your ability to outsmart it.

·         Break down big shipments.

·         Re-think your packaging dimensions.

·         Ship strategically by date.

·         Delay non-urgent shipments past January 18.

The key is planning ahead now, before the surcharges start eating into your margins.

Because in shipping, like in chess, the player who thinks three moves ahead… wins.

Let us know if you have any questions on other ways to save on your shipping costs.