What cannot travel, and why.
Airlines and customs set these rules, not us. Check them before you order, because anything on this list has to be returned or disposed of rather than shipped.
Anything wrapped, like a present or a birthday card sealed in an envelope, will be opened. Everything travels unwrapped.
Aerosols
Examples include: Deodorant spray (aerosol cans), hairspray, aerosol suncream, shaving foam in pressurised cans.
What you can do instead: Roll-on deodorant, pump spray products (non-pressurised), cream-based suncream, gel or cream products.
Perfumes and aftershaves
Including eau de parfum and eau de toilette.
Vapes and e-cigarettes
Vapes, e-cigarettes and vape pens.
Power banks and loose lithium batteries
Loose lithium batteries and power banks cannot travel. Batteries built into a device are fine, up to two lithium batteries per box.
What you can do instead: Household AA, AAA, C and D batteries are fine. The restriction is on rechargeable lithium batteries, the kind inside phones, laptops, tablets and wireless headphones. They can only travel built into the device they power, up to two per box, packed so they cannot move. Loose rechargeable lithium cells cannot travel at all. If in doubt, contact us before you buy.
Weapons, blades and sharps
Knives, blades and anything with a sharp point or edge, and any weapon.
Frozen food, raw meat and fish
Our boxes are not temperature controlled, so frozen food, raw meat and fish cannot travel. Chilled and fresh items can be sent at your own risk.
What you can do instead: Tinned, dried and packaged food travels perfectly well, and supermarket orders are welcome.
Money and valuables
Cash, travellers cheques, legal tender, notes and coins, debit and credit cards, bullion, and duty or tax stamps and stickers. Also antiques and fine art worth more than £5,000 each, commemorative coins, medals and collectables worth more than £1,800, jewellery, watches and precious-metal objects worth more than £4,000 in total, and loose precious or semi-precious stones.
What you can do instead: Send valuables by an insured specialist courier that handles them directly.
Firearms, explosives and replicas
Firearms, ammunition and explosives of any kind, including inert items, air guns, toy guns, tasers and replicas, and every part or attachment for them.
Party poppers and Christmas crackers
They contain a small explosive charge, which puts them in the same category as fireworks. This one surprises almost everybody.
What you can do instead: Send the gift without the cracker, or buy them locally at the destination.
Dry ice, corrosive and hazardous substances
Dry ice, corrosive substances, and anything hazardous or flammable that is not already covered above. If the packaging carries a hazard symbol, assume it cannot travel by air.
Used car parts and engines
Used vehicle parts and engines, unless they have been professionally cleaned and are free of oil and fuel residue.
Animal products, trophies and by-products
Animal trophies, parts, furs and by-products, including ivory and shark fins.
Human remains and ashes
Human remains or ashes cannot be sent in any form.
What you can do instead: Specialist repatriation services handle this; a forwarding service cannot.
Clinical and biological samples
Clinical and biological samples, and clinical test kits including COVID-19 kits, whether new or used.
Flowers, plants and live animals
Cut flowers and plants, and live animals of any kind including insects, larvae and pupae.
Counterfeit and illegal goods
Counterfeit goods, and illegal goods including offensive bladed weapons, narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and cannabis and its derivatives.
Pornography
Pornography in any format, whether print, film or digital media.
Shipment trackers and active loggers
Active tracking devices and data loggers, including AirTags and similar item trackers, cannot travel inside a shipment.
What you can do instead: Track your box with the courier tracking number we give you when it ships.
If something arrives that cannot travel, we photograph it and tell you straight away. You can have it returned to the retailer or sent on to a UK address, and return fees apply. Nothing is thrown away without asking you first.
Before you order.
Why can I buy it in the UK but not ship it?
Air freight rules are stricter than shop rules. Pressurised cans, flammable liquids and loose lithium batteries are all sold freely on the high street but cannot legally travel by air.
Can batteries travel at all?
Yes, when they are built into the device they power, such as a phone or a laptop. Loose cells and power banks cannot travel.
What about food?
Tinned, dried and packaged food is fine. Frozen food, raw meat and fish cannot be shipped at all. Chilled and fresh items travel at your own risk, and individual countries restrict particular products.
What happens if I send something restricted?
We hold it, photograph it and contact you. It can go back to the retailer or on to a UK address for the usual return fee, but it will not be put in your box.
Do the rules change by destination?
Yes. Some items are refused everywhere, while others are only restricted by certain countries. Choose your destination above to see the rules that apply to you.
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