General Question

KatawaGrey's avatar

Is there anything that I cannot ship domestically inside the United States?

Asked by KatawaGrey (21483points) January 31st, 2011

In about a month, a friend of mine will be moving back into her parents’ house because her husband is getting deployed to Afghanistan. I want to send a care package to her to cheer her up a bit. I will be sending it from one US address to another US address. I’m guessing I can’t send any weapons and I know I can’t send anything illegal but I don’t know if there’s anything else I won’t be allowed to send.

Do you know of anything that cannot be shipped inside US borders?

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12 Answers

Rarebear's avatar

Alcohol, firearms, explosives, stuff like that.

zenvelo's avatar

explosives, bullets, any other hazardous materials like anthrax spores. And there are laws about shipping liquor, but I don’t know the details.

KatawaGrey's avatar

Damn, I was hoping to send her a few shooters. Thanks for letting me know!

MyNewtBoobs's avatar

The Post Office will have a list of things you cannot mail up on their wall. It’s possible that some of them can still be mailed through UPS, FedEx, etc.

Nullo's avatar

Data storage units may require a special box.

Jude's avatar

I shipped out some Crown Royal to Blondsjon.

cazzie's avatar

I once sent a bottle of port from New Zealand to Milwaukee. No problem, but this was pre-9/11. You can’t send things like fireworks and flammable liquids. Couriers might take a parcel with alcohol in it. Best bet is to contact your post office. From http://www.usps.com/aviationsecurity/ I found this:

Keep the Mail Safe: Hazardous and Restricted Materials
Some things cannot be mailed or can be mailed only in small quantities for safety and legal reasons. Some items have restrictions on how they can be mailed, including:

Aerosol cans
Firearms
Tobacco and tobacco products
Flammable materials
Liquids and powders
Lottery Tickets
Poisons
Some items, however, are not permitted in the mail, including:

Alcoholic beverages
Ammunition
Drug paraphernalia
Fireworks and other explosives
Call 1·800·ASK·USPS or visit your Post Office if you have questions about the item you want to mail.
(I find post offices in the US scary places. There is always a long wait, the staff is never friendly and I get the feeling of being on a military base, not a business where a service is provided)

JilltheTooth's avatar

It goes beyond the what the post office allows, as different states have different laws, no matter the carrier.

incendiary_dan's avatar

Actually, bullets are totally allowed. I think firearms are too, but I believe you need an FFL to receive them (and, I assume, send them). I buy most of my ammunition online.

cazzie's avatar

@incendiary_dan Does it come by USPS or by some sort of delivery service? I don’t think a ‘private person’ is meant to send ammunition through the mail. I know that some of the risky things can be sent, but special paperwork needs to be written out.

incendiary_dan's avatar

@cazzie Yea, I’ve gotten it through the normal mail. To my knowledge, it just needs to be marked as a commodity. (ORM-D)

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