USPS to ban overseas shipments of iPads, Kindles, more

CBS/Apple

(CNET) If you know anyone living outside the U.S. who wants a tablet, laptop, camera or smartphone from the States, it's best to send it to them before May 16.

As of next week, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is banning all international shipments containing lithium ion batteries, which many electronics have (see the full list below).

The most likely reason for the ban is that if lithium ion batteries are fully charged or not correctly stored or packed, they can catch fire or combust - something obviously best to avoid while shipping.

According to Fast Company, lithium ion batteries are thought to have caused "at least two fatal cargo plane crashes since 2006, including a UPS jet in Dubai."

U.S. soldiers serving overseas will probably be hard hit by the USPS' new regulation. Although there are other shipping companies, like UPS, DHL, and FedEx, they are more expensive and can't deliver to troops' Army Post Office and Fleet Post Office mailboxes.

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"After May 16, mailing an iPad to a loved one serving overseas would require mailing it to a civilian address in the host country - which, for a country like Kuwait, would make the price jump from the current Military Priority Mail rate of $5.30 to more than $20," Fast Company reports.

The USPS says it may change the ban on January 1, 2013 and allow customers to mail certain quantities of lithium ion batteries internationally, including to APO and FPO locations, "when the batteries are properly installed in the personal electronic devices they are intended to operate."

Here's USPS' list of the most common electronics that use lithium-ion batteries:

• Video cameras
• Walkie talkies (two-way radio)
• GPS devices
• Radio-controlled toys
• Cameras
• Scanners
• Cell phones
• MP3 players
• Bluetooth headsets
• Smartphones
• Laptop computers
• Electronic shavers
• Power drills
• Tablets
• Portable DVD players
• Electronic measuring equipment

This article first appeared at CNET with the headline "USPS to ban overseas shipments on tablets, smartphones, more."

[hypnotoad72]

And yet they are all manufactured in other countries and shipped here...

Something about all this seems a tad... lopsided...

[Salt_Breeze]

Help us overturn this lithium ban for our military men and women.

http://www.facebook.com/lithiumban

Thanks!

[venusvegasvada]

No lithium batteries on aircraft? Really?

What about the lithium batteries installed IN the aircraft themselves?

That's right. They power many things.

The ELB's on aircraft. The Emergency Locator Beacons.

Rechargeable emergency flashlights and egress lighting.

The standby emergency power supply batteries that power the cockpit avionics in case of power failure.

What about all of them? They have been installed in the aircraft for years?

[PatDaddy67]

The batteries you mention are properly installed and charged where the batteries they reported on in the article may not be properly packaged or charged.

[jtdev1]

Are they really that STUPID?????


Where do they think this crap comes from originally, and how do they think it gets here in the first place???? The tooth fairy???


They ship AND deliver it straight from CHINA.



Can you read this USPS????


Just close the place down, UPS has it anyways.

[hypnotoad72]

See one of my responses below.

UPS gets government handouts (google it). USPS does not (and for that I definitely posted a link because nobody would believe it otherwise... especially as the USPS tends to charge less in the first place, and UPS will leave items that have labels in big letters like "DO NOT FREEZE" in their cars over the weekend in freezing conditions during the winter...)

[Justme8811]

And why would thing think ht USPS is going deeper in the hole? Use a service that will give service and let them dis!

[hypnotoad72]

"dis"? What sort of word is "dis"?

And unlike UPS and FedEx, USPS doesn't take handouts:

http://www.nalc.org/postal/perform/selfsufficient.html#subsidize

Ironic, but true. :)

[hypnotoad72]

P.S. USPS tends to charge less for packages as well... maybe they should up their prices to match the competition...

Once again, "irony" comes to mind...

[venusvegasvada]

"U.S. soldiers serving overseas will probably be hard hit by the USPS' new regulation. Although there are other shipping companies, like UPS, DHL, and FedEx, they are more expensive and can't deliver to troops' Army Post Office and Fleet Post Office mailboxes.

After May 16, mailing an iPad to a loved one serving overseas would require mailing it to a civilian address in the host country - which, for a country like Kuwait, would make the price jump from the current Military Priority Mail rate of $5.30 to more than $20," Fast Company reports."

That glosses over a big problem.

The US military and all the civilians sent overseas, UNDER ORDERS FROM THE US GOVT., rely on the United States Postal Service to get things DUTY FREE.

The US Postal Service is unique in shipping as all the military bases, ships and Embassies worldwide are considered US soil by the USPS. That means even though they are overseas, things mailed through the USPS don't come under Customs regulations and DUTY PAYMENTS. IT'S DUTY FREE VIA THE USPS. IT'S NOT DUTY FREE SENDING THINGS VIA FEDEX OR UPS OR DHL. IT'S ALOT MORE EXPENSIVE TOO. Like 20 to 40.00 PER POUND.

THE USPS NEEDS TO PULL IT'S HEAD OUT OF IT'S REAR AND REALIZE THEY ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR WAR FIGHTING SYSTEM. BANNING THINGS LIKE CIGARETTES AND BATTERIES HAS A HUGE DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON PEOPLE FORWARD DEPLOYED.

GET IT TOGETHER USPS. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THEM. THEY ARE THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN OVER THERE.

[hypnotoad72]

Agreed

[EdKent678]

Meanwhile, the iPad is the leading tablet used by pilots for their flight journals, plane manuals, and more and is widely used by the US Airforce. The Universal Postal Union just killed all the ebay shipping business that USPS was clinging to. Bye bye USPS shipping. No ebay business will bother with USPS anymore for any electronics sold to international markets. USPS will lose MILLIONS from this ruling. WOW. And, just in time before the new iPhone comes out this fall. This will be the nail in the coffin for the USPS. Let's see if Congress really wants to fund this dying thing even more (yes they are obligated to fund for domestic letters), but once they see how much business is lost they be on the backs of someone this year. This seems like something else then just the 'protecting'. No iPad or iPhone has ever blown up in cargo. In fact, FAA workers use them all the time and transport them on planes. This is something else.

[tomanyt]

@EdKent678...Did you actually read this article?

[EdKent678]

Meanwhile, the iPad is the leading tablet used by pilots for their flight journals, plane manuals, and more and is widely used by the US Airforce. The FAA just killed all the ebay shipping business that USPS was clinging to. Bye bye USPS. Looks like the FAA just wants the government to completely fund USPS with taxpayer $ and doesn't want it to survive in it's present form. No ebay business will bother with USPS anymore for any electronics sold to international markets. USPS will lose MILLIONS from this ruling. WOW. And, just in time before the new iPhone comes out this fall. This will be the nail in the coffin for the USPS. Let's see if Congress really wants to fund this dying thing even more (yes they are obligated to fund for domestic letters), but once they see how much business is lost they be on the backs of the FCC this year. This seems like something else then just the FAA 'protecting'. No iPad or iPhone has ever blown up in cargo. In fact, FAA workers use them all the time and transport them on planes. This is something else.

[rightbehind]

Years ago I worked for a private carrier. When a container broke open they had to treat it like it was a radioactive spill until the substance was identified. Personnel showed up wearing bio suits and carrying hazmat containers. It usually shut the whole operation down and grounded the flight until it was identified.

[venusvegasvada]

This is UTTER BS.

First you screwed us over with banning mailing cigarettes to people overseas through the mail. Now you come up with this BS.

JUST HOW IN THE @#@## DO YOU EXPECT US PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY OR ANYONE FORWARD DEPLOYED TO GET STUFF (IN AFGHANISTAN, etc) OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?

THE USPS IS THE ONLY @#$@@ METHOD WE HAVE OF HAVING THINGS MAILED TO US.

I'D LOVE TO PASS ALONG A HARDY F@CK Y@! TO THE BUREAUCRATS THAT CAME UP WITH THIS ONE. FOR YEARS WE HAVE SUFFERED UNDER THE RIDICULOUS USPS BATTERY REGULATIONS.

THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE. I don't know who is running the USPS but you people are out of your minds.