What are the effects of holidays or busy periods on delivery times?

During holidays or known busy periods (such as the weeks around Christmas, Black Friday, or national holidays), you should expect a longer delivery time than usual. This affects both our processing time and the speed of the delivery service.

Here are the main consequences:

1. Processing time with us

Although we do everything we can to pack your order as quickly as possible, the enormous increase in orders during busy periods can lead to a slight delay in our warehouse. We always process orders in the order they are received.

2. Delay with the delivery service

This is the most common cause of a late delivery.

• Sorting centers: During busy periods, delivery service sorting centers often become overloaded. Packages sometimes remain for one or more days before being scanned for the next step in the process.
• Holidays: On national holidays, most sorting centers are closed and no deliveries are made. This applies not only to the Netherlands but also to the transit countries your package travels through.
• No new scans: It is normal for the tracking status to remain unchanged for a few days if a sorting center is closed or cannot handle the volume. In such periods, wait at least 3 business days before contacting us.

3. International shipments and Customs

Are you sending a package to a country outside the European Union?

• Extra checks: During busy periods, customs are also busier. The inspection of your package may take longer than the usual two weeks.
• No updates: As long as a package is with customs, it receives no new scans. This does not mean the package is lost, but that it is simply waiting for inspection.

4. What can you do yourself?

• Order on time: Plan your purchases for events or reenactment weekends well in advance, especially in the months of November and December.
• Keep an eye on tracking: Use the tracking link in your email to follow the current status. Delivery services often provide warnings themselves if there are delays in their network.
• Check local holidays: Are you ordering from abroad? Check if there is a holiday in your specific region or country that may affect delivery.

Tip: Is the Christmas period just over? Keep in mind that many people are on vacation and the backlogs in the sorting centers need to be cleared first. It may take a few more days before the system is running at full speed again.