USPS To Ban International Shipping On Lithium Ion Powered Gadgetry

sl4shd0rk writes "Apparently the USPS is enacting a ban on the international shipment of all devices containing Lithium Ion batteries. The ban is expected to lift in January of 2013. It seems like this would drive more business away from the already floundering USPS financial situation. The article focuses on the shipment of items out of the U.S., but doesn't mention whether the same ban will apply to purchasing these items on eBay from overseas sources."

Comments

It's not my fault!

[ColdWetDog]

This is an issue with International Postal Union and aviation authorities:

MEDIA STATEMENT ON Outbound International Mailing of Lithium Batteries

REACTIVE ONLY — FOR IMMEDIATE USE

Until January 2013, the Postal Service will not be able to accept packages containing lithium batteries and electronic devices containing lithium batteries addressed to international destinations. This includes mail destined to, or from, APO (Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office) and DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) locations.

This change is required by the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), both of which currently prohibit lithium batteries in mail shipments that are carried on international commercial air transportation.

So it is a) hopefully temporary b) because the hazardous little bombs are hazardous little bombs and c) everything is complicated these days.

So, just cram those AAA batteries into you iPhones and wait it out.

Canada will keep the USPS alive

[i_ate_god]

As long as our currency is on, near, or above par with the US dollar, most sensible canadians will order stuff from the US and use USPS to deliver it, since UPS and the like are really just crooked extortionists. How their extortionist techniques are legal, I just don't know.

About that floundering financial situation

[SlippyToad]

. It seems like this would drive more business away from the already floundering USPS financial situation.

The USPS is struggling because they've been required by a vindictive right-wing to maintain an absurd 75-year pension plan commitment, basically they are being forced to fully fund pension plans for employees who haven't even been born yet.

If they were simply required to do business under the same rules as their competitors, they'd be kicking UPS' punk ass raw.

So, just for clarity let's make sure everyone understands that the USPS is being deliberately engineered to fail by the same vandals and saboteurs who are deliberately engineering our economy to fail.