Items that cannot be posted
Although we try to carry most things, there are certain items we cannot accept for legal and safety reasons. We may return any of the following items to the sender, or dispose of them. In some cases, the sender may be prosecuted.
You may not send prohibited items through the international postal service. Prohibitions and restrictions vary from country to country and can sometimes apply to valuable items as well as other apparently ordinary items. Customer Services on 711720 can provide more advice. Some of the most common prohibited items are listed below:
- Aerosols including aftershaves (spray), deodorants (spray), foot spray, hair spray, perfumes (spray), shaving foam, spray glue, spray paint, spray mount
- Alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic content greater than 70%
- Asbestos
- Batteries (unless sent in retail packaging)
- Butane lighters (filled or refills)
- Clinical and medical waste
- Compressed flammable gases including aerosols, airbags, butane, cylinders, gas refills, lighters (gas), methane, propane
- Corrosives (e.g. dyes, sulphuric acid) including bleaches, dyes, caustic soda, cleaning compounds, cleaning fluids, nitric acid, paint remover, paint thinners, peroxides, rust remover, sulphuric acid, storage batteries
- Counterfeit currency, bank notes and counterfeit stamps
- Cremated human remains
- Drugs for medical or scientific purposes – must only be sent by medical practitioners in an emergency
- Dry ice
- Environmental waste
- Explosives including ammunition, blasting caps, Christmas cracker snaps, fireworks, flares, fuses, ingniters
- Filth (e.g. dirt, waste or refuse)
- Firearms including pellet guns*
- Flammable liquids or solids including aftershaves, gasoline, lighter fuel, paint remover, paint thinners, perfumes, petrol, solvents, paint, varnish
- Foreign lottery tickets
- Indecent, obscene or offensive material
- Infectious material (only infectious substances in Risk Group 1, 2 and 3 will be accepted. Infectious substances must be packaged in accordance with Royal Mail packaging instructions 602 - please call Customer Services on 711720 for details)
- Living creatures (see page 51 for exceptions)
- Magnets (except credit cards, video/audio cassettes, loudspeakers and floppy disks)
- Matches of any kind
- Oxidising substances, material or organic peroxide including disinfectants, fibre glass kits, peroxides
- Pathogens in Hazard Group 4
- Pesticides
- Poisons (e.g. rat poison)
- Pornographic material
- Radioactive materials
- Sharp items (unless protected)
- Solvent based paints, inks, varnishes, enamels and similar substances
- Toxic and other dangerous substances including arsenic, medical waste, pesticides, poisons, rat poison
- Water based paints and inks with volume greater than 125ml.
*Established traders may provide proof of weapons specification for which Guernsey Post will obtain Guernsey Police clearance.