UPS and FedEx both published their 2026 holiday demand surcharges, with basic residential Ground fees running roughly 23% to 25% above last year’s. UPS starts charging on oversized and nonstandard packages September 27 and widens the surcharge to most residential Ground and Air shipments October 25, at $0.50 a package and $0.75 from November 22 through December 26, up from $0.40 and $0.60. FedEx runs a near-identical calendar a day later at each step, starting at $0.50 and topping out at $0.80 against $0.65 last year. Negotiated contract rates won’t match the published schedules, but on eBay and Etsy, where shipping counts toward percentage-based transaction fees, whatever sellers pass to buyers also raises what the marketplace collects, according to Liz Morton at Value Added Resource.
