Shipping Holiday Gifts

The holiday season is upon us! Many of us have started shopping and want to send gifts to our family and friends across the country. But are you allowed to mail wine, perfume, or the latest electronic gadgets? 

Wine

The United States Postal Service (USPS) prohibits sending alcoholic beverages through the mail. In Canada, you can only ship intoxicating beverages via Canada Post if you’re a Parcel Services contract customer or Solutions for Small Business cardholder.

So for your mother-in-law, who enjoys wine, you won’t be able to pick up a bottle from the local liquor store and mail it to her. Instead, your best and safest bet is to purchase beer or wine through an approved retailer with a license to ship alcohol to your mother-in-law on your behalf.

Perfume

You’ve just found the best smelling perfume and want to send it to your sister. Sending perfume in the mail is unfortunately not allowed in Canada due to its high flammability. In Canada, dangerous goods are considered “Non-mailable matter.” However, if you are aware of how to package and identify the perfume under its dangerous goods classification, you may have some luck with USPS. My colleague Barbara recently wrote a blog all about shipping perfume which may offer some insight.

Electronics

You’ve bought your Dad an Apple watch and won’t be seeing him for Christmas. You can mail it, but once again, due to its lithium batteries classification as a dangerous good, it may not be as easy as slapping a stamp on it and sticking it in the mailbox. Shipping lithium batteries in limited quantities is allowable, as long as you follow the requirements. USPS outlines their regulations in their packaging instruction here.

While spoiling our loved ones with gifts is a wonderful gesture, ensuring we mail it to them safely is important for us all. If shipping your holiday gifts seems a little daunting, going directly through an online retailer may be your easiest way to go for peace of mind. Of course, when in doubt, a gift card is usually a welcome gift as well!

Happy Holidays from ICC. We hope you get to celebrate safely with your loved ones near and far this holiday season.

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