USPS Shipping Restrictions: The Full List of Restricted and Prohibited Items

A complete list of items both restricted and prohibited by the USPS
shipping restrictions
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USPS Shipping Restrictions
Full list of prohibited and restricted items
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At some point, you’ll probably end up looking at an item and asking yourself, “Can I ship this?” It’s a fair question, and we’ve all been there. Sometimes the answer is no! Therefore, it’s always good to be aware of the number of shipping restrictions when shipping with USPS. On top of restricting certain items, the Postal Service also prohibits a number of goods. For example, shipping alcohol is completely prohibited. No matter what you’re shipping, we’ve compiled this full list of items so you can see them all in one place.

Table of Contents

Shipping Restrictions vs Prohibited Items: What’s the Difference?

First thing’s first: it’s important to know the difference between prohibited items and restricted items. You are unable to ship prohibited items under any circumstances. However, you are able to ship restricted items…but you’ll need to follow a list of stringent guidelines.

Prohibited Items

These are items you can’t ship with USPS—no exceptions! You’ll notice that all prohibited domestic items are also prohibited to be shipped internationally. However, some items (like aerosols and dry ice) are only prohibited internationally and not domestically.

Prohibited Domestic Items

  • Air bags
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Ammunition
  • Explosives
  • Gasoline
  • Marijuana (medical or otherwise)

Prohibited International Items

  • Aerosols
  • Air Bags
  • Alcoholic Beverages (or items containing any trace of alcohol whatsoever)
  • Ammunition
  • Cigarettes
  • Dry Ice
  • Explosives
  • Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
  • Gasoline
  • Hand Sanitizers
  • Marijuana (medical or otherwise)
  • Mouthwash
  • Nail Polish Perfumes (containing alcohol)
  • Poison

Restricted Items

This is a list of items that you can ship under certain circumstances. Each item category has particular guidelines, regulations, and packaging requirements that you’ll need to abide by in order to ship. If you want to learn more, here’s a more comprehensive breakdown of USPS’ restricted items categories.

Restricted Domestic Items

Restricted International Items

  • Cigars
  • Lithium-Ion Batteries
  • Medical Devices
  • Medicine or Drugs
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37 Comments

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  1. hanna

    Hi am i allowed to mail six to ten handcrafted artisenal leather handbags from mexico to Norway? if so, how many would be the maximum.. thanks!

    Reply  
  2. Tony Magnesi

    When shipping epoxy resin does it have to be label HAZMAT or is labeling liquid handle with care ok?

    Reply  
  3. CHARLOTTE M ARMSTRONG

    I received diet gummies from UPS> The gummies were in five bottles of 30. The jars or bottles were not sealed. I called company and told them I did not want items that could be tampered with. Is this legal to send something like gummies unsealed?

    Reply  
    • Helpful Hal

      1. The USPS didn’t sell you the gummies, some gummy corp did.
      2. The FDA, who administrates food & drug standards, doesn’t have legal authority to define requirements like packaging for non-drug supplements (like diet gummies.)
      3. Yes, it’s perfectly legal to send that, that way, through the mail – same as it would be legal for a sweet old granny to send a tin of homemade cookies to her grandkids. (It’s also perfectly reasonable to not buy from that gummy corp again, because – gross.)

      Reply  
  4. Linda

    Can I send computers to Ghana

    Reply  
  5. Rebecca Willard

    Is tea considered a perishable food?

    Reply  
    • David Schlesinger

      Why won’t car parts websites send shock absorbers to my APO address (in South Korea)?

      Reply  
  6. Bob

    Can I send Christmas candies and roasted nuts (gift packs) to Japan?

    Reply  
  7. Donald Gould

    Can I mail home made preserves that are NOT perishable? They will be securely packed with insulation and styrofoam pellets!

    Reply  
  8. Ravindra

    Can I send conditioned(almost dry) onion parcel to Ohio State.

    Reply  
  9. Miro

    Could I ship Toner Cartridge international by USPS? HP Samsung MLT-D116L (SU832A) MLT-D116L Toner Cartridge. To :Saipan, MP 96950
    United States

    Reply  
  10. Lula

    Can I ship MEN Cologne

    Reply  
  11. G

    I forgot my documents and they keep sending it back to the person who keeps mailing them.
    I’m not understanding why
    Documents like SSN and green card.

    Reply  
  12. Barry W Boyer

    Can you ship non- serialized firearms parts through the USPS?

    Reply  
    • Steve K. Sasaki

      What would it take to ship a full paintball bottle of CO2 similar to a Soda Stream bottle?

      Reply  
  13. Vesna

    Can I mail hair-color internationally?

    Reply  
  14. Lynn Chief

    Can i send a vape and canvas painting to Arizona from Canada?

    Reply  
  15. Gail Jackson

    I mailed a soft ladies hajib (turban) to a lady in this U.S. in a legal size white envelop, with ample postage stamps, she never got it. What do you think happened to it. I am assuming the Post office didn’t mail it for some reason unbeknownst to me.

    Reply  
  16. Alvin Zimmermann

    Can I ship a blister pack of alkaline batteries to an international location?

    Reply  
    • Rockwell Sands

      Hi Alvin – it doesn’t look like USPS allows for alkaline batteries to be sent internationally, unfortunately. I just saw this in the Postal Explorer regarding corrosives: “Nonspillable batteries with UN2800 are prohibited in international mail but may be sent as domestic mail via air or surface transportation when prepared within the conditions of Packaging Instruction 8B in Appendix C.” Hope this is helpful!

      Reply  
  17. Sarah

    Can I mail a sealed spice packet? in example a garlic and Herb rub? If so. What’s the maximum oz?

    Reply  
  18. mp

    Are “knockoff”items, like fake Rolex, etc legal to mail into US?

    Reply  
  19. Hilen

    Can I enclosed money in the package to other contries?

    Reply  
  20. Sharon Land

    Can I ship a wooden ammo box empty? They are to large to put in a separate box.

    Reply  
    • Rockwell Sands

      Hi Sharon – Yep, this is no problem! I would just wrap the box in some sort of packaging that conceals that it says “Ammo” on it. But other than that, you won’t run into any problems if it’s empty.

      Reply  
  21. Ihor

    Can I send a knife to Mexico if I have an expert opinion that it is not a weapon?

    Reply  
  22. Alexandra Cox

    I forwarded a friend of mine dry peppermint, pumpkin spice and other artificially flavored dry tea bags. These things arent perishible. They have so many preservatives, anything will perish before these things do. I was denied sending these via the mail. So then why did I receive all these via UPS, and Amazon, and Walmart mail services?

    Reply  
  23. isabella

    Can kinder eggs be shipped from europe to usa for personal use?

    Reply  
  24. Shaun Francis

    Can i ship Lysol disinfectant spray and wipes within the US

    Reply  
  25. Remedios Mascarenhas

    Can I ship firework to india from canada

    Reply  
  26. Adrian

    Can I ship delta 8 or cbd from Florida to Europe?

    Reply  
  27. Daniel

    Can I mail liquid vitamins and supplements from Arizona to California?

    Reply  
  28. Fatima Tagiyeva

    Can I ship dry herbs to US from Azerbaijan?

    Reply  
  29. Dan Ledesma

    Can I ship Nike tennis shoes from California to Cozumel Mexico??!

    Reply  
    • Rockwell Sands

      Yes, you can 🙂 There’s nothing stopping you from shipping a pair of shoes to Mexico!

      Reply  

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