How Late Does Amazon Deliver? (Updated 2023) (2024)

If you’re worried about porch pirates or leaving an expensive package out by your front door, then you might be wondering how late Amazon delivers.

If you go to bed early, you could be unsure whether you need to stay awake to accept the package or not.

Considering that Amazon has set the standard for online retail, it’s understandable to think that they may offer later delivery hours than other carriers.

Here’s what you need to know about how late Amazon delivers packages.

How Late Does Amazon Deliver?

Amazon’s standard delivery time is between 8 AM and 8 PM.

However, Amazon can and will deliver as late as 10 PM on weekdays.

If you’re expecting a package at 10 PM, then the Amazon delivery driver will not knock on your door or ring your doorbell.

They’re aware that many people are asleep at that time.

Instead, they’ll put the package in the best location, then quietly leave your area.

If your package requires a signature, then the delivery driver will attempt to call you before delivering the package as late as 10 PM.

If you do not answer, then they will not complete the delivery that late at night since they assume you’re sleeping or unavailable.

Instead, you’ll receive the package the next day or at their earliest convenience.

Most standard deliveries, however, arrive no later than 8 PM.

How Late Does Amazon Deliver On Sunday?

Amazon is one of the online retailers that offer Sunday delivery.

It works with a variety of other carriers to make this possible.

Because of that, the time frame in which your Sunday delivery arrives may vary.

For example, one of the carriers that Amazon works with is the USPS.

The USPS doesn’t traditionally deliver on Sundays except for when they have a backlog or when they’re delivering packages.

They also only work between the hours of 6 AM and 5 PM.

Because of that, you shouldn’t expect your Sunday delivery past 5 PM.

However, if the Sunday delivery is from an Amazon Flex driver, then the package could arrive as late as 8 PM.

Amazon Flex drivers are independent contractors.

Because of that, they’re able to choose their hours and schedules.

That said, they do have a quota that they need to satisfy on the days they do choose to work.

The driver will attempt to make all those deliveries within that timeframe.

On Sundays, that timeframe has a limit up to 8 PM.

That’s because Amazon realizes that Sunday is the last day for many people to rest before the beginning of the new work week.

They don’t want to disturb these people.

They also want to limit how many hours their workers operate to encourage them to rest, too.

Depending on who is delivering your package, your Sunday delivery could arrive as late as 5 PM or 8 PM.

Can You Get A Late Amazon Delivery On Saturday?

Saturday is often one of the preferred days for receiving deliveries for many.

Most people are home and can accept their delivery either from the driver or shortly after they place it beside the door.

Because of that, you may wonder how long delivery drivers will deliver a package on Saturday.

In most cases, Saturday follows the same rules as the weekdays.

Delivery drivers will attempt to deliver between the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM.

However, you can also set your delivery preference for a later time.

Because of this, you can ask that Amazon deliver to your address as late as 10 PM.

How Early Does Amazon Deliver?

While you may want to ensure that you’re up and awake for when Amazon delivers late at night, there’s also an option to receive an early delivery.

The standard delivery time for Amazon packages is 8 AM.

However, since many people are usually at work or heading to work by that time, that isn’t helpful.

The good news is that if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can request an early delivery.

In this case, Amazon can show up at your door as early as 6 AM.

They’ll often work with other carriers, like the USPS, to get this early delivery to your door by that time.

The ability to have your package delivered at 6 AM also depends on the number of Flex workers willing to work at that early hour.

Because of this, 6 AM delivery isn’t always guaranteed.

In most cases, you can expect Amazon drivers to start making their deliveries around 8 AM.

How Late Does Amazon Deliver Groceries?

In an effort to make people’s lives easier, Amazon has released a new delivery program called Amazon Fresh.

With participating stores, you can order groceries and have Amazon deliver them to your home.

This allows you to relax at home and take care of any errands while someone else does your shopping for you.

Because someone else is doing your shopping, you may wonder how late you can order your groceries and have them delivered.

Amazon Fresh operates within the standard delivery hours of 8 AM and 8 PM.

When you use Amazon Fresh, you’ll be able to choose from a series of two-hour delivery windows.

The latest that you can order groceries and have them delivered the same day is 6 PM.

If you want to order groceries past 6 PM, then you can expect the delivery to occur the next day within the delivery window that you choose.

Amazon uses a two-hour delivery window to give their workers plenty of time to shop for your items and then make it safely to your home for delivery.

Amazon Fresh is an ideal choice for people who want to save time.

Using the service allows you to receive your groceries as late as 8 PM.

How Late Does Amazon Deliver Amazon Key Packages?

Amazon Key is a relatively new service that Amazon has adopted to combat porch piracy.

With the increase of people stealing other people’s packages from their homes, there has been an interest in services or products that can protect their packages.

Amazon saw an opportunity to offer a new service which they call Amazon Key.

With Amazon Key, the delivery driver has a special code or key that they can use to access your garage.

They’re then able to put the package inside the garage and lock it afterward.

This ensures that no one can steal from your package.

Since Amazon Key is a specialized service, you may wonder how late they deliver.

Like Amazon Fresh, Amazon Key has specific delivery windows, only they’re four hours for the Key service.

You choose the delivery window, and then an Amazon worker will deliver your package within that four-hour period.

Amazon only allows delivery of Amazon Key packages within their standard delivery hours.

That means you can expect an Amazon Key package delivery between 8 AM and 8 PM.

They do not deliver past 8 PM to avoid any discomfort or accidents of perceived theft.

There is an option to receive your Amazon Key delivery as late as 9 PM, but you’ll need to order your delivery before noon.

When using the Amazon Key service, your package will never arrive past 8 PM.

How Do You Update Your Amazon Delivery Preferences?

If you’re a Prime member, then Amazon allows you to fine-tune your delivery preferences.

This ensures that Amazon is only delivering packages within the timeframe that you request.

There are two ways to customize your delivery.

The first is when you’re ordering a package.

Before you submit your order, you’re able to choose your delivery day.

You’ll have an opportunity on that page to write any notes or delivery instructions.

You can use that area to tell the driver where to place the package, whether to knock or not, or when to deliver.

In some cases, the driver will not be able to comply since they have a specific route that they’re given.

That said, this is a good method to let them know about your preferences.

A more effective way to set your delivery preference is through your account settings.

You’ll want to find the addresses section of your account.

Click on that, then select your address.

You’ll see a form with a few delivery preferences for you to fill out.

For example, you can choose to opt in or out of Saturday or Sunday deliveries.

You can also specify your preferred delivery hours.

Fine-tuning your delivery preferences ensures you get your packages when you’re home or when it’s the most convenient for you.

What Does It Mean When Amazon Says Arriving By 10 PM?

When you look at your tracking information, you may notice that it says your package will be arriving by 10 PM.

If you’ve never received a package this late before, then you may be unsure what Amazon means by that.

Do you have to stay awake for your package to arrive?

If you’re an Amazon Prime member and you chose same-day delivery, then there’s a chance that you could receive your package late.

It depends on when you ordered it.

Amazon pushes out its orders according to a few set blocks of time.

Those who order between midnight and 8 AM usually get their packages on the first trucks of the day.

Their packages arrive by 1 PM.

Those who order between 8 AM and 1 PM will have their orders on the second truck of the day.

Their packages tend to arrive by 6 PM.

If you order your package late in the day, like between 1 PM and 5 PM, then your order is on the last truck of the day.

These orders can arrive as late as 10 PM.

You can usually tell what block of time your order will be in by looking at the time left to make your order.

Amazon will usually tell you how many hours you have left to qualify your package for same-day delivery or next-day delivery.

Depending on the time of day, you can then estimate whether your package will arrive late that day or early the next day.

If you see that your Amazon package is going to arrive by 10 PM, then it means the delivery driver is going to attempt to deliver your package as late as 10 PM.

However, they will not notify you of the delivery by ringing the bell or knocking on the door since they don’t want to disturb you at that hour.

If you’re worried about someone stealing your package during the night, then you may want to stay up to receive your package.

Otherwise, you can bring it inside when you wake first thing in the morning.

Why Does Amazon Deliver So Late?

Considering that Amazon can deliver as late as 10 PM, you may wonder what the reason behind this is.

Here are a few reasons that Amazon delivers so late.

1. Increased Deliveries

Amazon has rapidly increased in popularity over the past few years.

The COVID-19 pandemic only increased this popularity even further.

Because more people are using Amazon, it pushes out several thousand, if not hundreds of thousands of orders a day.

In July of 2020 alone, Amazon shipped out more than 400 million packages.

Because of this increase in output, Amazon had to increase its delivery hours to deliver them all within a satisfactory time frame.

With more people using the service to buy products, the company needs more time to make its deliveries.

Extending the delivery hours to 10 PM allows that.

2. Amazon Prime Shipping

One of the perks of paying for Amazon Prime is that you get free one-day or two-day shipping.

If you’re not receiving that perk despite paying for it, then you’re unlikely to keep paying for it in the future.

Amazon wants you to continue being an Amazon Prime member.

Because of that, they work hard to ensure your package arrives the same day or the next day.

One of the ways they do this is to deliver later in the day.

This gives their delivery drivers a larger window in which to make their deliveries.

Their customers are thus more likely to get their delivery within the expected delivery window.

3. Driver Shortages

A final reason Amazon chooses to work longer delivery hours is a driver shortage.

With as many packages as Amazon puts out a day, it is always in need of delivery drivers.

Because there aren’t enough drivers to meet demand, Amazon has to increase the delivery window.

This allows the shortage of drivers they do have to deliver more packages a day.

Until Amazon manages to hire more delivery drivers, they will likely continue to keep a large delivery window per day.

Why Is Your Amazon Package Arriving At 10 PM?

Although you may have been expecting your delivery at 6 PM or 8 PM, you might have checked your tracking and found that it’s now arriving at 10 PM.

You may wonder what has caused this delay.

Here are a few reasons your Amazon package is arriving at 10 PM.

1. Order Time

One of the biggest factors that can lead to a 10 PM delivery is when you ordered the package.

If you order an item later in the day, then it’s put on the last trucks of the day.

These trucks have to deliver according to a certain route to make the delivery process as efficient as possible.

The later you wait to order an item, the more likely yours is going to be last on the truck.

If you want to try and get an earlier delivery, then you should order it earlier in the day, preferably before noon.

2. Route Changes

Anything can happen that may cause a route change.

There may be a road out of commission, an emergency, a vehicle repair, or the delivery driver could have an emergency.

In this case, a route change occurs.

The driver might have to take on more deliveries or they may need to give another driver their deliveries.

Whatever the reason, if there’s a route change, that could push your delivery timetable back.

3. Delays

Sometimes even something as simple as a delay can push your delivery back to 10 PM.

Foul weather, traffic congestion, and other difficulties can eat away at a delivery driver’s time.

A series of short delays can add a significant amount of time to a delivery driver’s schedule.

It may be enough to push your delivery back to 10 PM.

Conclusion

Amazon’s standard delivery hours are 8 AM to 8 PM.

In most cases, they won’t deliver past 8 PM.

However, if you’re an Amazon Prime member and requested either same-day or two-day delivery for your package, then your order can arrive as late as 10 PM.

There are also a few variables that can occur on the road which can push your delivery back to 10 PM.

Amazon will never deliver past this time, however.

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