The cut-off time is the time of day by which an order must be received so that it is still picked, packed and handed to the carrier on the same working day. Orders placed later leave on the next working day. In German fulfillment it typically lies between 12 noon and 4 pm local time.
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What is the cut-off time?
The cut-off time is the moment at which the warehouse "cuts off" order intake for the current shipping day. Everything that has arrived as an order in the warehouse management system (WMS) by then is picked, packed and handed to the carrier today; that is same-day shipping. Everything after it starts on the next working day. German providers use the English term too, usually written Cut-Off-Zeit.
Three points in time are easily confused:
- Carrier cut-off: the time at which the parcel carrier collects the shipments, in Germany mostly between 4 pm and 6 pm.
- Warehouse cut-off: the order deadline, calculated backwards from collection time minus processing time.
- Shop cut-off: the time you communicate to your customers. It should never be later than the warehouse cut-off.
How the cut-off time works in practice
The warehouse cut-off follows from the lead time of an order. A typical sequence with a 2 pm cut-off looks like this:
- 1:45 pm: order placed in the shop, transferred to the WMS through the integration within a few minutes.
- 2:00 pm: cut-off. The WMS builds the last wave of the day.
- 2:00 to 4:00 pm: order picking, packing and label printing, together known as pick and pack.
- 4:30 pm: collection by the carrier, handover scan, tracking begins.
- Next working day: delivery to the customer within Germany, as a rule.
The later the cut-off, the smaller the buffer between order receipt and collection. A 4 pm cut-off can therefore only be held with a late collection or several collections a day. With multi-carrier shipping, each carrier often has its own cut-off. On Fridays and before public holidays the cut-off also decides whether a parcel leaves the warehouse before the weekend.
| Order received | Cut-off 12 noon | Cut-off 2 pm | Cut-off 4 pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, 11:30 am | ships Mon, delivered Tue | ships Mon, delivered Tue | ships Mon, delivered Tue |
| Monday, 1:30 pm | ships Tue, delivered Wed | ships Mon, delivered Tue | ships Mon, delivered Tue |
| Monday, 3:30 pm | ships Tue, delivered Wed | ships Tue, delivered Wed | ships Mon, delivered Tue |
| Friday, 3:00 pm | ships Mon, delivered Tue | ships Mon, delivered Tue | ships Fri, delivered Sat/Mon |
What international sellers need to watch
If you run your shop from outside Germany, two details cause most of the trouble. First, the cut-off is always stated in German local time (CET/CEST). A shop team in the UK is one hour behind, so a 2 pm cut-off is 1 pm in London. Second, German public holidays differ by federal state, and carriers do not collect on them. Ask your provider for the holiday calendar of the warehouse location and adjust the delivery promise in your shop on those days. For parcels going on to other EU countries, the cut-off fixes only the dispatch day; transit times are covered under cross-border fulfillment.
Why the cut-off time matters for online sellers
The cut-off time determines the delivery time you can promise in your shop. A cut-off two hours later means delivery one day earlier for all orders placed between noon and 2 pm, a noticeable share of daily volume in consumer retail. A countdown at checkout ("ships today if you order within 1 h 12 min") has a proven effect against abandoned baskets.
Marketplaces calculate with the cut-off as well. On Amazon, the delivery date shown depends on the handling time you have stored, and Seller Fulfilled Prime requires same-day dispatch on working days.
The shop promises "same-day dispatch until 4 pm" but the warehouse closes intake at noon. Every order between noon and 4 pm then ships a day later than promised, and the complaints land with your support team, not with the warehouse. Align shop cut-off and warehouse cut-off exactly.
Do not only ask a prospective provider for the cut-off time, ask for the rate: what share of orders placed before the cut-off was actually handed over on the same day during the last 30 days? A good value is above 99 %. Have it recorded in the service level agreement.
How LogYou handles it
LogYou works with a 2 pm cut-off for same-day shipping: orders that arrive in the LogShip platform by 2 pm German time are packed on the same working day and handed to DHL, GLS, UPS or DPD. Details are on the shipping page.
Frequently asked questions about Cut-Off Time
What does cut-off time mean in shipping?
Which cut-off time is usual in German fulfillment?
Why is the cut-off time important for conversion?
Questions about Cut-Off Time for your shop?
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