What you can ship, and what goes wrong in transit

Items that carriers restrict or refuse, and the delivery problems that follow a parcel once it is on the road: returns to sender, holds, and boxes that arrive damaged.

21 guidesLive quotes on every pageRebuilt 2026-10-11

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Can You Ship a Laptop? Battery Rules ExplainedYes. A laptop with its lithium battery installed ships on ground services with the UN3481 mark; loose spare batteries follow stricter rules and damaged units can't ship. Can You Ship Alcohol? USPS, UPS and FedEx RulesCan you ship spirits or liquor? Not as a private person: USPS bars beer, wine and liquor, and UPS and FedEx carry alcohol only for licensed businesses under contract. Can You Ship Batteries? Ground Rules ExplainedDevices with installed lithium batteries ship by ground with a UN3481 mark; power banks go ground-only under 100 Wh and 5 lb with UN3480. Can You Ship Food? Shelf-Stable Yes, Fresh NoYes, if it survives a week at room temperature: sealed snacks, coffee, candy and baked treats ship as normal parcels. Perishables need cold chain. Can You Ship Hand Sanitizer? Mail RulesYes, by ground. USPS treats alcohol-based sanitizer as flammable hazmat, so it stays off planes. Source cited, packing tips, and 3 lb box rates from 2026-07-27. Can You Ship Knives? Mailing Rules and CostsYes. Kitchen, pocket and hobby knives mail legally when the edge is guarded and the knife can't shift; USPS restricts who may receive switchblades. How to pack one. Can You Ship Magnets? Air Limits, Ground RulesYes. Ordinary magnets ship fine; USPS bars magnetized material above 0.00525 gauss at 15 feet from air transport. Can You Ship Nail Polish? Ground RulesYes within the US: nail polish mails as a consumer commodity, some of it by ground only. Not internationally: USPS Pub 52 bars flammable liquids. The rule, quoted. Can You Ship Perfume? Yes, by Ground OnlyAlcohol-based fragrance is flammable cargo: legal to ship domestically by ground, barred from air and international mail. Live ground rates included. Can You Ship Plants? USPS Rules and Real RatesYes, most live plants mail fine inside the US. What USPS Pub 52 says, why your state's agriculture rules matter, and live rates for a potted succulent. Can You Ship Spray Paint? Ground-Only RulesTo ship spray paint, send it by ground as a Limited Quantity shipment; aerosols never fly. What USPS Pub 52 says about the cans, and the container limits. Can You Ship Vapes? No, and Here Is WhyVaping devices and e-liquids are nonmailable through USPS under the PACT Act framework, and FedEx refuses them by name. Cigarettes fare no better. Can You Ship Without a Return Address?You cannot send a package without a return address on a parcel label: USPS DMM 602.1.5.3 requires a sender line, though it need not be your home. Insufficient AddressAn insufficient or undeliverable address is USPS mail missing a number, street, or unit. What the status means, and how to fix it before you ship. Is Shipping Protection Worth It? An Honest LookIs shipping protection worth it: rarely below the $100 USPS already includes, cheap above it at $7.55 for $500 of declared value. And what sinks claims. Lithium Battery Shipping LabelWhat the red-hatched lithium battery mark means, when UN3481 or UN3480 applies, the text USPS requires beside it, and how our checkout walks you through it. Missing UPS PackageA UPS package missing or never delivered: check Tracking Details, search the address, then claim at ups.com within 60 days of the scheduled delivery date. Package Delivered to the Wrong AddressSent a package to the wrong address? Check the label first, use USPS Package Intercept before it is out for delivery, or let it return. Misdelivery paths per carrier. Package Returned to SenderWhat sends a package back to the sender, whether the return leg costs anything, the honest math on refunds and voids, and second-label prices quoted 2026-07-27. Package Stuck in TransitHow long a package stays in transit: the routes we priced quoted 2-3 to 6-7 business days, plus USPS, UPS and FedEx day counts for a stuck box. USPS Says Delivered but No PackageUSPS marked it delivered and the porch is empty. Where drivers leave boxes, the one-day rule before a service request, and the Missing Mail timeline.

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What you can ship, and what goes wrong in transit

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