Ban on posting Li-ion batteries

Yeah......Most sellers won't even be aware of the new rules. RM won't have the resources to screen all the mail and for those who flout the rules, it will be cheaper for them to take the hit on the occasional lost battery and send their customer a new one than switch to a courier company.
 
I presume that would also apply to laptops which contain batteries, and tablets and phones and ...... giving all this postal business I guess they must want to go bankrupt like HMV, Jessops etc.
 
That seems so strange. Just Friday I had a nikon battery posted to me from amazon and when it arrived it had a massive sticker on it saying it had a lithium ion battery on and not to transport if damaged.
 
artyman said:
I presume that would also apply to laptops which contain batteries, and tablets and phones and ...... giving all this postal business I guess they must want to go bankrupt like HMV, Jessops etc.
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They are allowed to be posted if they are inside a device, ive worked with some serious lithium batteries in my line of work and we have to a bit of training on them. You don't want to get them wet anyway that's for sure.
 
artyman said:
Quite happy to have lithium batteries in the new Boeing Dreamliner though, so what's the difference!
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That'll be the grounded Dreamliner, grounded (at least in part) by problems with its Lithiun batteries...
 
I had problems at British customs at Gatwick back in the 1980s bringing ni-cad rechargables back into the uk (they didn't mind me taking them out it seems) they said they were a fire risk, I carried them around for years and still no fire.
 
Is this just Royal Mail, or is it illegal to post Li-Ion batteries full stop?
 
Pookeyhead said:
Is this just Royal Mail, or is it illegal to post Li-Ion batteries full stop?
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come January sellers will have to find alternatives to Royal Mail to ship them

Suggests RM Only...
 
So does this mean--- If you fly abroad on holiday or business and take your photographic gear with you and in that gear there are one,two,three spare camera batteries ( most today are Li-ion ) you will have to declare them ?
Then will the spare ones be confiscated??
 
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RichardtheSane said:
come January sellers will have to find alternatives to Royal Mail to ship them

Suggests RM Only...
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Good. I envisaged it becoming difficult to actually buy a battery.. especially as retail stores are dropping like flies.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Good. I envisaged it becoming difficult to actually buy a battery.. especially as retail stores are dropping like flies.
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No because you can still send them by other means and by business accounts in the Royal Mail. Just means the public cant post them as far as I can see.
 
Good to know. Ta.
 
Looks like the Royail Mail will not deliver individual Lithium batteries


"Only if installed in a device, or shipped with a device"

If you sell Lithium batteries you should already be shipping them on a business account via Royal Mail tracked. Come January you won’t be able to ship them via Royal Mail unless they are being shipped (domestically and Internationally) when already installed in a device, or when shipped with a device (domestic post only).

If you sell Lithium batteries, including those to fit everything from watches to laptops and even rechargeable drills and somewhat perversely smoke alarms, then these replacement batteries will have to be shipped with an alternative carrier and you should be shipping them as hazardous goods.

.
 
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RVW said:
So does this mean--- If you fly abroad on holiday or business and take your photographic gear with you and in that gear there are one,two,three spare camera batteries ( most today are Li-ion ) you will have to declare them ?
Then will the spare ones be confiscated??
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No, it applies to posted items only where the aircraft crew don't have access if a problem occurs.

The CAA directive on this issue was put into force 2 years ago but seems to have been ignored (and will continue to be ignored)
www.caa.co.uk/mail

Bob
 
Peculiar state of affairs where RM will not carry these batts., but other carriers will.
 
Only a matter of time before it becomes a 'Premium Rate' ... think how many batteries must be transported each year and how necessary they are for so many things!
 
POAH said:
No because you can still send them by other means and by business accounts in the Royal Mail. Just means the public cant post them as far as I can see.
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From the OP's link, it's not just the public, businesses have to find alternatives too.

If you sell Lithium batteries you should already be shipping them on a business account via Royal Mail tracked. Come January you won’t be able to ship them via Royal Mail unless they are being shipped (domestically and Internationally) when already installed in a device, or when shipped with a device (domestic post only).
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Sounds like H & S gone mad to me.

Makes no logical sense why they are ok to be shipped 'in a device' but madly dangerous when they're on their own.
 
All that would be needed is a piece of plastic to encapsulate them so that the terminals have no potential to short out.
But there's more to this than has so far been uncovered - there's an ulterior motive.
And if we're talking only about cargo only transportation - i.e no crew other than in the cockpit - then how hard would it be to rig a video feed of the cargo hold linked to a smoke detector?
 
We ship chargers and batteries all the time and have never been told we can't do it. For the most part our batteries are shipped via courier, but shipments to EU are normally RM Airsure and never had a problem.

Hopefully it will put an end to the cheap rubbish that comes from China as these are always shipped via RM once they reach UK.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Is this just Royal Mail, or is it illegal to post Li-Ion batteries full stop?
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arclight said:
Peculiar state of affairs where RM will not carry these batts., but other carriers will.
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I've got 4 Oly LiIon batteries to get shot of. I had a look at DHL's stall in WHS to see what it would cost me to send them via that route and LiIons aren't allowed via them either (apart from thos fitted in devices).

If anyone knows of a means to send the things legally, I have a prize waiting!!!:D
 
Hmm. Going to be a right ball ache if one fails within warranty. You as a normal punter wouldn't be able to send it back to get a replacement.

Ignorance will just have to be a defence ;)
 
Martyn... said:
LCome January you won’t be able to ship them via Royal Mail unless they are being shipped (domestically and Internationally) when already installed in a device, or when shipped with a device
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Right, because evereybody knows that a battery that is likely to explode, wiping out all of the RM sorting office, will be totally safe when packed next to a clock!

H&S morons strike again.
 
Panasonic (direct, not a franchisee) happily posted me some camera batteries yesterday (by Royal Mail), so they apparently haven't received the memo.

As an aside, if ever proof were needed that they are grossly overpriced, Lumix Club members can currently buy as many as they like for £14.99 a pop with a voucher code, retail price = £56.99.
 
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Some weird confusion on the Royal Mail website :

http://www.royalmail.com/despatch-inward-mail-services/hints-and-tips/prohibited-goods

Batteries that are classed as dangerous goods by the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) technical instructions are prohibited. This includes lithium ion/polymer/metal/alloy batteries sent in isolation or with equipment such as mobile phone, digital camera or laptop.

Lead acid batteries (e.g. car batteries) and sealed lead acid batteries are also prohibited.

Alkaline, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries may only be sent when new and in their original packaging. Please see www.royalmail.com/restrictedgoods
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Ok so i did - and from www.royalmail.com/restrictedgoods:

Batteries - new alkaline, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel cadmium (NiCd)

Including household AA and AAA batteries. Must be new and sent unopened in their original retail packaging. Surround with cushioning material e.g. bubble wrap. The sender’s name and return address must be clearly visible on the outer packaging.
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:shrug:

So does this mean Li-ION batteries cannot be posted abroad (on a plane), yet ok within the UK or abroad via boat?

Also as I will going on the holiday this year - from the british airways website :

Restricted items needing no notification

Devices containing lithium cells or batteries - laptop computers, cameras, camcorders, etc.

Spare lithium batteries (less than 100 Wh)

A few simple measures can be taken to ensure that spare batteries are carried safely:

Always pack spare batteries in your cabin baggage.
Where possible keep spare batteries in their original retail packaging (e.g. cardboard/plastic blister packs) which ensure that the terminals are protected.
If the original packaging is not available, insulate the battery terminals so they cannot come into contact with any metallic objects:
- by packing each battery in its own protective plastic bag (e.g. sturdy freezer or sandwich bag)
or,
- by covering the terminals with insulation tape.
It is strongly recommended that both the above measures are taken for batteries with protruding or sharp terminals.
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:thinking:
 
ukaskew said:
Panasonic (direct, not a franchisee) happily posted me some camera batteries yesterday (by Royal Mail), so they apparently haven't received the memo.
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I had exactly the same from Duracell Direct this week. You'd have thought Duracell would be up to speed on battery postage regulations :D
 
I don't find it surprising. I ordered some stuff for Christmas from fragrance direct. The package was taking an age to get here, and when it arrived 2 items were missing. I emailed them right away, they told me one package was returned to them because they were not allowed post aerosols abroad. They sent on the other item and refunded me for the spray.

I wondered - why not? as you can pack aerosol cans in your luggage when going abroad, just not as carry on. And a new unopened one would be in a plastic sealed box.
 
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All the Canon batteries I've ever bought, whether 3rd party or not, have always arrived with the orange/yellow plastic plate to cover the terminals, then they are in a plastic bag, then a cardboard box and then usually in a padded envelope. Just how likely to explode are they, I think they're more hazardous to the planet with all the packaging than they are an explosion risk. How many of the millions of batteries already sent in the past have exploded or been hazardous to the RM, I think the total amount would be about 'NIL'. Put stupid people in charge and stupid rules are produced.
 
Bloobird said:
I had exactly the same from Duracell Direct this week. You'd have thought Duracell would be up to speed on battery postage regulations :D
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FYI, Duracell Direct are nothing to do with Duracell, they have a licence to use the name and none of the laptop batteries they sell are Duracell.
 
modchild said:
All the Canon batteries I've ever bought, whether 3rd party or not, have always arrived with the orange/yellow plastic plate to cover the terminals, then they are in a plastic bag, then a cardboard box and then usually in a padded envelope. Just how likely to explode are they, I think they're more hazardous to the planet with all the packaging than they are an explosion risk. How many of the millions of batteries already sent in the past have exploded or been hazardous to the RM, I think the total amount would be about 'NIL'. Put stupid people in charge and stupid rules are produced.
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It there was a "like" button I'd click it :clap:
 
ecoleman said:
FYI, Duracell Direct are nothing to do with Duracell, they have a licence to use the name and none of the laptop batteries they sell are Duracell.
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Odd, the battery that arrived was certainly packaged and marked just like any other Duracell battery I've seen.
 
Bloobird said:
Odd, the battery that arrived was certainly packaged and marked just like any other Duracell battery I've seen.
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Re-read my post. None of the "laptop" batteries sold are Duracell brand. They licence the name and do sell Duracell batteries such as AA, AAA, C, D, camera batteries etc, but that's it.

The company Duracell Direct has nothing to do with Duracell other that the licence agreement.
http://www.duracelldirect.co.uk/info/about.html

I was actually pointing out that just because a brand name is used doesn't always mean that you are buying from that brand.

Another example is the Philips laptops that PC World and Currys used to sell (they may still sell them).
Philips have never manufactured a laptop. DSGi bought the rights to use the name. The laptop itself is a cheap no name laptop with a Philips badge, just like EISystem, Advent and Medion.
 
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I just posted a Nexus 7 tablet to South Africa on Tuesday, I didn't know about this new restriction and told by the woman at the post office that there was a tablet inside the parcel and it would have a lithium battery. I think she asked about the battery being inside the device, I said yes so she took it. Maybe it's just loose batteries they wont post?
 
ecoleman said:
Re-read my post. None of the "laptop" batteries sold are Duracell brand. They licence the name and do sell Duracell batteries such as AA, AAA, C, D, camera batteries etc, but that's it.

The company Duracell Direct has nothing to do with Duracell other that the licence agreement.
http://www.duracelldirect.co.uk/info/about.html

I was actually pointing out that just because a brand name is used doesn't always mean that you are buying from that brand.

Another example is the Philips laptops that PC World and Currys used to sell (they may still sell them).
Philips have never manufactured a laptop. DSGi bought the rights to use the name. The laptop itself is a cheap no name laptop with a Philips badge, just like EISystem, Advent and Medion.
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OK thanks, I get it. Bit lost as to the relevance of laptop batteries, but I now understand where you're coming from.
 
The whole issue of Li-ion batteries is convaluted.

From the industrial sense they are manufactured in a huge range of sizes and to a range of power ranges.

I would have raised my eyes a few years ago about the new RM rules except a few years back I had a serious overheating problem for a 3rd party BP-411 battery for my EOS 300D. I charged it and 2 original canon 411s on the original canon charger and was packing my bag ready fot a day of landscape shots. On putting my 2 original canon batteries into my battery grip I picked up the spare. It was almost too hot to handle. Something made me put it out in the garden. 10 minutes later it caught fire.

So a one off in my life but it was quite fierce. Could have been quite a diferent outcome in the house.

I know there are people who see H&S as a big nuisance but working in industry over the years I have worked alongside a whole raft of H&Sprofessionals who deal with "risk" - their route is about management of risk and not being risk adverse. RM decision is likely based on the management of the known risks at all stages of the processes they operate.

Airbus have done the same with their soon to fly A350 aircraft

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21477126
 
If all the dangers are to be be believed then we all better give a wide berth to those battery recycling tubs we see at the entrances to supermarkets :D.
 
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