The big festive sales are close. Amazon's Great Indian Festival starts on 8 October, and Flipkart's Big Billion Days opens to everyone on 9 October, with early access a day earlier for some members. If you sell online and you are still unsure about stock, couriers or returns, you are not alone, and you still have about a week.
The standard advice is to start planning eight to ten weeks ahead. That is not helpful now, so here is a version for the week you actually have, built on published seller checklists.
The dates that matter
Amazon Great Indian Festival: starts 8 October 2026, according to Fone Arena.
Flipkart Big Billion Days: 9 October for everyone, and 8 October for Plus and Black members and Flipkart credit card holders, per Business Today.
Diwali follows in early November, so the traffic does not stop after the first weekend of sales.
One industry estimate cited by SME Street puts online festive sales at ₹1.50 to ₹1.55 lakh crore, growth of roughly 25 to 29% over 2025. It credits Redseer and Datum Intelligence but links to no report, so treat it as a rough signal of demand, not something to plan your stock around.
Step 1: Pick your top ten, not your whole catalogue
Amazon Shipping's festive checklist for small sellers recommends putting buffer stock behind your top 10 products by expected demand, and not oversizing across the whole catalogue, which drains working capital. The logic is sound: for a small seller, cash tied up in the wrong products can hurt as much as running out of the right one.
This week, list your ten best sellers, check what is on the shelf, and confirm your supplier can restock. Suppliers have their own festive slowdowns, so ask for a firm date, not "in a few days".
Step 2: Lock courier capacity, not promises
The same checklist says to confirm your courier's cash-on-delivery serviceability at surge volume, not just normal volume, and to book specific pickup slots for the peak days instead of accepting a general assurance. If you sell across several platforms, tell your courier the combined volume.
Do this today. If you sell mostly COD in smaller towns, check your top pin codes specifically, since the checklist singles out serviceability as the thing to verify, not assume.
Step 3: Test your packing line at three times normal volume
Amazon Shipping suggests testing your packaging and dispatch workflow at two to three times normal volume. You can do this in an afternoon: pack fifty parcels against a stopwatch and see where it jams. Missing tape, too few boxes and unclear labelling are far cheaper to find now than on the sale day.
If you need extra hands, arrange them now, and brief them on the basics before the rush.
Step 4: Get ready for failed deliveries
When a delivery attempt fails, the courier raises a non-delivery report (NDR), and a quick reply from you can save the order. The checklist's point is that NDR response speed matters more in peak season, not less. Decide who watches the NDR queue each day, and have a template message ready for customers.
Set delivery-date expectations using festive transit times. Promising standard timelines during the sale invites complaints.
Step 5: Work out your margin before you accept a deal
A discount that lifts your sales rank can still lose money once the platform's fees, shipping and returns are counted. Before joining any deal or price event, work out what you keep per unit after all costs, using the platform's current fee page for your category. Then decide the lowest price you can afford. Cash flow matters as much as profit here, because sales arrive fast but payouts do not.
Step 6: If you take UPI payments yourself, know the 15 October change
If you accept payments directly through your own store or QR code, a new merchant discount rate on UPI takes effect on 15 October. As Business Today's FAQ summary notes, small merchants receiving up to ₹1 lakh a month through UPI QR codes directly into their accounts stay exempt, and payments up to ₹2,000 are free. Above those limits, a 0.4% fee can apply to the merchant, capped at ₹300 per transaction. It is a good time to check where your monthly UPI receipts stand.
A one-page version to stick on the wall
Top ten products: stock counted, restock dates confirmed.
Courier: pickup slots booked, COD serviceability checked for top pin codes.
Packing line tested at three times usual volume.
Someone named to handle NDRs every day of the sale.
Delivery dates set with festive transit times.
Margin per unit worked out for every deal you join.
Cash flow checked for the gap between sale and payout.
You will not get everything perfect in a week, and nobody does. Getting the top ten products, the courier and the returns process right covers most of what goes wrong.