Mail order ban on bladed products

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Have regularly ordered Isopropanol from EBay and Amazon, gets delivered by Post Office, no problems. Try sending a parcel from our local Post Office and it’s the third degree on what’s in the parcel, has it got any batteries etc. I think a litre of Isopropanol is far more of a hazard than a AAA battery, but there again what do I know?

Dave W

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Comment deleted

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 13/07/2018 12:39:52

[JonParticipant @jon]

Post Offices and Couriers do my fruit in the last 7 years. All in the interest of national security apparently.
Most of these couriers havent even a category for engineering.
Always a sigh at post office, "whats in it" every time even though they know me as a regular, greet with an abrupt "aluminium".

The main couriers and post office scan all items been going on for years and acts as Customs for export. Anything of interest package pulled for closer inspection and could take 5 months to then get to destination purposefully broken, has happened many times.

Even better are the main global couriers delivering items that the UK arm will not! ie DPD, TNT, UPS just to name three. Hows that work what that means is items they delivered i would not be able to send via UK courier.

Have batterys delivered at least once a month, oils, inflammables, weapons you name it.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

My nearest Post Office (well bit of shop counter) has a list of no-no’s on the counter.

Parcel Force has a long online list of what they can and cannot handle for both Uk and Int’l. Link here.

**LINK**

Looking at the latest Government proposed ban on sending bladed products, I cannot find an age related restriction for blades there but it does appear that they will not be sent to a domestic address, this could be a stupid nightmare for many ordinary people trying to get legitimate goods delivered!

Edited By V8Eng on 13/07/2018 18:13:38

Edited By V8Eng on 13/07/2018 18:14:11

[Dod MoleParticipant @georgeclarihew]

As Homer Simpson says "It just gets woise and woise"

Many many years ago, 1968 or thereabouts, I was sent to the Post Office to post a neatly wrapped brown paper parcel all securely tied up with strong string (an 8 inch cube).

Upon placing on the scale the postmaster asked what was in the parcel as it was very heavy for a parcel so small.

I replied honestly "it is a stone". Upon hearing this he said that I couldn't post a stone, now being an objectionable teenager I enquired why not as it was well wrapped, properly addressed and below their size and weight limits and I had the means to pay for its postage.

He then asked why I wanted to post a stone and I told him it was to help with the country's exports.

Funnily enough he said he didn't believe me and take it away.

So I went to another Post Office where it was accepted and paid for then was asked what was in such a heavy wee parcel and again I answered truthfully "a stone". This answer was followed up with "why would anyone want to post a stone"

I resisted the temptation to tell the nice lady that the addressee was building a house but replied honestly that the parcel was a sample of the stone quarried at the place I worked and a potential customer had asked for a sample.

And as they say at the end of a good book – "everybody lived happy ever after"

And at an airport have anybody ever tried answering truthfully to "did you pack this box yourself "

I did on two occasions, boy did I get a hard time before me and the box getting on to the plane.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by George Clarihew on 13/07/2018 22:33:42:

And at an airport have anybody ever tried answering truthfully to "did you pack this box yourself "

I did on two occasions, boy did I get a hard time before me and the box getting on to the plane.

George, I always reply ‘Of course not’. Because I never do.

On the way back from Canada one time, the guy asked me that and then asked me what was in the bag. Again, I told him that I didn’t pack it, but I knew who did – my wife. He asked me to take out the contents and there was a 3 legged cast iron triangle about 200- 250mm across, with loops on two ends and a spring at the other. I explained what it was,. All was well and we boarded the plane with it.

More recently, I left an adjustable spanner in my coat pocket by mistake, so I laid it on top of the coat at Stansted. The fellow asked me why, so I told him that I needed it to get into my car on our return and had forgotten to put it in the hold luggage. Again, I was believed and boarded the plane with my spanner.

Spanish security missed a bottle of liquid last time, but one. I didn’t tell them and packed my stuff as though I had no clue it was there (which I hadn’t, until the bag had been through the machine). Perhaps they would have been more careful had I not been an OAP and obviously not of middle eastern origin!

[Barnaby WildeParticipant @barnabywilde70941]

Posted by George Clarihew on 13/07/2018 22:33:42:

As Homer Simpson says "It just gets woise and woise"

Many many years ago, 1968 or thereabouts, I was sent to the Post Office to post a neatly wrapped brown paper parcel all securely tied up with strong string (an 8 inch cube).

Upon placing on the scale the postmaster asked what was in the parcel as it was very heavy for a parcel so small.

I replied honestly "it is a stone". Upon hearing this he said that I couldn't post a stone, now being an objectionable teenager I enquired why not as it was well wrapped, properly addressed and below their size and weight limits and I had the means to pay for its postage.

He then asked why I wanted to post a stone and I told him it was to help with the country's exports.

Funnily enough he said he didn't believe me and take it away.

So I went to another Post Office where it was accepted and paid for then was asked what was in such a heavy wee parcel and again I answered truthfully "a stone". This answer was followed up with "why would anyone want to post a stone"

I resisted the temptation to tell the nice lady that the addressee was building a house but replied honestly that the parcel was a sample of the stone quarried at the place I worked and a potential customer had asked for a sample.

And as they say at the end of a good book – "everybody lived happy ever after"

And at an airport have anybody ever tried answering truthfully to "did you pack this box yourself "

I did on two occasions, boy did I get a hard time before me and the box getting on to the plane.

There is a legend in the builders merchant industry that someone building a house in a remote part of the Scottish highlands/islands had the bricks delivered by RM parcel post. Each individual brick labelled & postage paid saved considerably on the cost to transport the whole lot

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

I see in the Parcel Force list of prohibited contents referred to in V8eng’s post, flammable liquids are forbidden, today our Postie delivered a litre bottle of Isopropanol that I ordered through Amazon, on the outside of the parcel it was marked as “medicine” is this the way that the trade now circumvents safety regulations?

Dave W

[Author]

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