USPS Bans Overseas Shipments Of Tablets, Smartphones

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The U.S Postal Service is banning tablets and smartphones from overseas shipments because they can possibly explode...when they kick / stomp / drop / crush your package. Trust me, this is the right decision. Just look at the last package I received via USPS, a tablet probably wouldn't have survived.
 
So it's OK to ship batteries from whatever far east country they're made in INTO the US, but not to ship them out of the country?
 
Here is a simple solution:
Mail clerk,: "Is there anything hazardous, liquid, etc., etc., lithium ion?"
me: "Nope, but can you put fragile on the box."
Clerk: "Sure."
done. Just sent a battery to my friend.
 
Yeah just lie. Anything harmful? Just say no...they don't need to know that I just shipped 5lbs of C4 to my buddy in Texas...its stable enough. If it does explode then hopefully the idiot that mistreated my packaged learned his lesson...
 
Gotta love that eggsaver shipping rate! ;) Another example of how nothing is really free, including shipping.
 
yay for being in Canada and purlator is usually the default for newegg. Have never gotten a package like this yet.
 
Hope you were ordering packing peanuts.....At least its stamped fragile on it , imagine if it hadn't ....:eek:
 
In a publicly issued document, the USPS says that the ban was made because of deliberations between the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), two international bodies which issue semi-binding guidelines for global trade.
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There's a lot of outrage by people aimed at the USPS, when they're following international guidelines... Hopefully they'll get some exemptions in as they said in the article.
 
At least the box doesn't look like a forklift ran over it, that's how UPS treats my computers. Tearing apart the frame of a steel case.. how do you even do that? I assume it was a forklift.
 
Honestly, I don't think it is very hard to instruct workers to handle with more care. I mean, how difficult is their job really?
 
caddys83 said:
I take it they got tired of paying insurance claim on those things :p
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Probably. They sure loved me when they took out a heavily protected Lian-Li A77F case. Between the case and other damaged items in that big package it cost them close to $500 in insurance claims. They seriously managed to bend up a case that was protected with 6" of padding on all sides. If they can do that to a metal case with that much padding, you can kiss a tablet goodbye.
 
Galvin said:
Someone was playing football with your packages.
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Yes, they were. Two corners severely dented too; I suspect my package experienced more than one kickoff. Oh well. Two months of back and forth finally got it resolved in my favor but they fought tooth and nail the whole way.
 
I just recently ordered an sr2 board from the egg, the box arrived in perfect shape via Ups thankfully. It used to be the other way around it seems, usually Usps was good and the others would destroy stuff.
 
Never had any real problems with ups in canada, the worst for us is Purolator, they actually don't even get off the truck, if you are not in the store when they pass, they mark the package as On Vacation and we have to go fetch them ourself
 
Steve said:
The U.S Postal Service is banning tablets and smartphones from overseas shipments because they can possibly explode...when they kick / stomp / drop / crush your package. Trust me, this is the right decision. Just look at the last package I received via USPS, a tablet probably wouldn't have survived.
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Seriously...

I lost my last eBay sale because the box was so beaten up when the buyer got it, that he refused it, even though I bubble wrapped the hell out of it, so the contents was fine.

Now I have to go through all the trouble of reselling it again, and because the contents was undamaged, USPS won't let me file a claim, and I am out my $20 for shipping, even though I paid for insurance :mad:
 
I use USPS all the time, never had a problem. The only thing is that their online tracking system would suck if they actually had one.
 
ha i bought a CPU from fellow user here and after him calling the post office they said package was delivered, online it said it was delivered at local post office (and not to my house) i got the package after almost 3 month.
 
That box in the picture, has FRAGILE stamped on it 15+ times.

I want to ship a box with "KICK ME" stickers all over it and see how it arrives. :D
 
JoeUser said:
Yeah just lie. Anything harmful? Just say no...they don't need to know that I just shipped 5lbs of C4 to my buddy in Texas...its stable enough. If it does explode then hopefully the idiot that mistreated my packaged learned his lesson...
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Dude I told you not to tell people about that... :mad: :D
 
Yeah, this ban is supposedly going to be lifted in January 2013, but it's still a giant "fuck you" to those of us stationed overseas FORCED to use USPS for APO shipping. :mad:
 
JL6speed said:
Honestly, I don't think it is very hard to instruct workers to handle with more care. I mean, how difficult is their job really?
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The problem is that management tries to extract every ounce of speed they can from the workers. There is a tradeoff between quality and speed.
 
I recently purchased a MicroSD card from Newegg. The 1.5" x 1.5" x .025" package came in a box 12" x 12" x 8".
 
bloody idiots. i have to agree im of the school of thought that says "if they dont treat packages with respect they damn well should be at risk of explosions, they might take a little more care in future". if they DID treat the packages right they wouldnt have any NEED for the policy in the first place?

still, i have to wonder what it is about the US where this sort of stuff is acceptable, the kinds of shipping treatment ive seen in the recent past (remember the guy lobbing the flatscreen over the fence?) just leaves me going WTF..... id be interested to see the damage rates for US vs UK,AU,HK and other mail providers around the globe.

id expect the rate is significantly higher in the US, just off anecdotal experience.

ive actually been looking on Ebay at tabs recently, the Nook and Kindle Fire and a few others havent made it to these shores yet, and the AUD was until a few days ago trading above the US. i guess thats not happening now....
 
JoeUser said:
Yeah just lie. Anything harmful? Just say no...they don't need to know that I just shipped 5lbs of C4 to my buddy in Texas...its stable enough. If it does explode then hopefully the idiot that mistreated my packaged learned his lesson...
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Curiously, is there anything on a plane that would make it explode? The mythbusters dropped an anvil on a flaming chunk of C4 and nothing happened. That's a heck of a lot more stable than lithium batteries.
 
JoeUser said:
Yeah just lie. Anything harmful? Just say no...they don't need to know that I just shipped 5lbs of C4 to my buddy in Texas...its stable enough. If it does explode then hopefully the idiot that mistreated my packaged learned his lesson...
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C4 is actually MORE resistant to mistreatment than a Li-ion battery.
If you crush a block of C4 you get a flat pancake of C4, if you crush an Li-ion battery you get a fire that won't go out.
 
sir-gold said:
C4 is actually MORE resistant to mistreatment than a Li-ion battery.
If you crush a block of C4 you get a flat pancake of C4, if you crush an Li-ion battery you get a fire that won't go out.
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This.

C4 is actually great, I cooked many a can of soup over a small block of C4 during the first Gulf War. As long as no one stomps on it while its on fire, its fine, it makes a good camp stove.
 
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