The number of parcels being shipped began rising in November during Black Friday promotions and has now reached its peak. Most packages are delivered to parcel machines, which are already starting to fill up in the more popular locations.

"Estonians really trust parcel machines — 70 percent of orders are delivered to them. There are already well over 1,000 parcel terminals in Estonia and soon it will be 1,500. It's a solid network. Last year, nearly 20 million parcels were ordered. The volume is growing by 17 to 18 percent annually," said Tõnu Väät, CEO of the Estonian E-Commerce Association.

Parcel service providers have added extra measures this December to ensure deliveries are made quickly.

"This year, we've been helped a lot by a new robotic sorting line that allows us to process large volumes quickly and accurately. We've hired more employees and increased the number of shifts," said Janek Kivimurd, commercial director of DPD Estonia.

Erko Brandt, head of sales for the Baltics at Omniva, said the company is now better at forecasting volumes and can plan operations more effectively. "We've added extra shifts and brought in additional resources, including office staff — myself, my colleagues, everyone's pitching in — whether during the week, on weekends or outside working hours. We're doing everything we can to get parcels delivered faster," he said.

Customers using Omniva's self-service platform can now select both a primary and secondary preferred parcel machine. If the first one is full, the package will automatically be redirected to the next available machine.

Kivimurd noted that due to full parcel machines, customers should consider having packages delivered directly to their homes or offices instead.

About 65 percent of parcels ordered by Estonians come from Estonian companies and 35 percent from abroad — a share that is steadily growing.

"And of that 35 percent, around 90 percent actually comes from Asia, mainly China — Temu, Shein and others like them," Väät said.

Postal companies are warning that items ordered from China are unlikely to arrive before Christmas. However, there's still time to shop from European online stores, especially Estonian ones.

"Anything shipped domestically is definitely still on track. People don't need to worry — there are no major bottlenecks at Omniva. I can confirm that. December 20 is our final guaranteed delivery date: if a parcel is handed over to Omniva by then, it will be under the tree in time for Christmas," Brandt said.

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