Items You Shouldnt Ship Using a Courier Delivery Service | Savings

Items You Shouldnt Ship Using a Courier Delivery Service

by ANutt

If you are in the business of buying and selling items with vendors that may be located in other regions, such as other countries or states, you may be familiar with courier delivery services. Courier delivery shipping company are private firms that are hired to deliver packages versus using a large shipping service or the postal service system. They are generally cheaper and offer a personal service not offered by the larger services. Couriers are often distinguished from the postal service as providing faster delivery time, personal security, a carefully tracked system, signature or confirmation upon delivery and individualization of shipping services. These are things that the postal system cannot always provide.

Couriers are advantageous because they will pick the items up, assume personal responsibility for the items while they are in their possession and deliver them right away within a tight frame of time as dictated by the shipper " something that the postal system cannot guarantee. Many times, dealers work closely with couriers and have a personal relationship with them so they can rest assured their high value or critical items will reach their destination safely and on time.

If you are contemplating using a courier service to ship something, before you do, here are some tips on what you shouldnt ship via a courier service. This will hopefully save you a great deal of time, money and aggravation.

Any chemicals, corrosives or possibly infectious agents. This may seem obvious, but if you have an item like this that someone else wants, perhaps for scientific purposes or research, you cannot use a courier service to ship these items. Thats because there are strict rules governing the shipment of anything that would be harmful in the wrong hands. Best to deliver these things in person if absolutely necessary.

Explosives or ammunition. If you are running a fireworks are firearm shop, you should be aware that you cannot ship these items to other states. You even need a special license to transport these items across state lines. Avoid hefty fines and even imprisonment by not attempting to ship these items via a courier service.

Human or animal remains. Thats right, even if a deceased relative or pet needs to be buried in another place, you cannot ship their ashes or body via a courier service or the postal system. Human and animal remains must be transported by a qualified person, whether that is a Coroner, funeral home or family member. The remains cannot be insured nor can you expect anyone else to be responsible for their safe delivery.

Cash. It is against courier or postal system rules to ship actual cash or currency. Many people dont realize this and have guiltily sent cash inside birthday cards or other correspondence. The reason you cannot send cash via a courier is because you cannot insure the actual cash value of the package. If that were the case, then scammers would enjoy the right to ship individual currency and then insure the packages for millions.

Weapons. If you are shipping an item via a courier, you will want to find out their guidelines as far as shipping any type of weapon, whether modern or vintage. There are laws against transporting weapons across state and country lines and in most cases you wont be able to do this. If you intend to do this, make sure you check with the courier first to make sure you are allowed to do this and if any special paperwork or fees are required before you get yourself into trouble.

Certain medical supplies, prescription drugs, food. Couriers have rules about the kinds of medical supplies, prescription drugs and perishable food items. In some cases, you may have to have special permission to ship these items so be sure to ask for a listing of things that you can and cannot ship before you prepare your shipment. Its important to note that you also should not expect to be able to ship any drugs that may be considered controlled or illegal substances, so dont even try that.

With careful planning, you should be able to ship most things safely and quickly via a courier service. However, if in doubt, contact them to find out if your package meets their guidelines before initiation a pickup for shipment.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

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