Friday, July 8, 2011

Things that can't be mailed

Every country has it's own rules for what can and cannot be shipped.

Some make sense -- liquids, perishables and hazardous materials. But there are some quirky things that can't be send.

Sheryl Owen's recently blogged an article about things that can't be sent to some overseas destinations. Some of the more interesting, prohibited items she found were:
  • No chessboards to Afghanistan
  • Musical greeting cards can't be sent to Quatar
  • Cigarettes and soap to many countries

The 1,422 page Universal Postal Union list is here.

I found that you can't ship toothpaste to Modova, fat from ewe's wool to Slovakia, used clothing to Czeck Republic,  "germs" to Austrailia, or "The Happy Drinking Bird" toy to Bahrain.

What are some of the quirkiest things you have discovered that can't be mailed? Comment here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have found that Italy has the most oddest of restrictions. Here's just a few of them:
photo albums
artificial flowers
bells
clocks
footwear of any kind
hair
leather goods (guess anything other that italian leather is just inferior)
typewriter ribbons
toys not made of wood

Anonymous said...

Here is a list for Peru, I think it would be easier to make a list of what we can send!



Accessories and personal items.

Artificial flowers and interior ornaments.

Ceramic products and imitation jewelry.

Clothing, accessories, and underwear.

Contraceptive products, remedies, or apparatus.

Drinks manufactured abroad under the brand name “Pisco.”

Electrical household appliances.

Footwear, shoes, boots, and accessories.

Furs and clothing made of fur.

Gloves and hosiery.

Household articles of iron, steel, copper, and aluminum.

Household linens.

Perfume products or soaps.

Playing cards.

Sound recorders and reproducing devices.

Textiles and carpets.

Toys and dolls of all kinds.

Toys known as “Yoyo Loco” or “Yoyo Chino.”

Travel articles, suitcases, attache cases, kits, or similar articles.

Used clothing and shoes.

Used tires.

Waxes and creams for shoes.

Wooden utensils.

Anonymous said...

You can't send puppies from St Paul MN

Anonymous said...

You can't ship common sense to Washington, DC.

Anonymous said...

I've seen a lot of unusual things that CAN be mailed: cremated bodies, bees, eggs, chickens (baby & adult), a bear hide. We used to own a pet store and got live crickets & meal worms through the mail but when we ordered fish and snakes they had to come by bus. Wonder what the passengers would have thought if they knew there was a python in the cargo area?

Anonymous said...

Wonder, could it be some of those countries want those items purchased in their country? Maybe we should do the same and we might see ALOT more Made in the USA on items. Not to mention what it would do for the economy!