"Sending Aerosols by Royal Mail" Topic

Does anyone know if you can send aerosol cans by Royal Mail / courier delvery services ?

I have checked but they say they don't allow it, yet I can order a can of spray paint from Games Workshop which comes by Royal Mail. How do I know this, well I have ordered spray cans before from Games Workshop.

I have also checked with some courier delivery servies and they say they do not deliver aersol cans either.

Anyone know the real story or a company that can deliver aerosol cans 400ml size.

should be "delivery"

I don't live in the UK, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt there.

However, aerosols are considered dangerous goods for international shipping, so in most cases, they need to be transported by ground service, e.g. truck.

Yes, you can ship them via air, but not without a tremendous amount of paperwork, special packaging, etc.

It is generally not worth the trouble for many companies, due to the liability, and hassle involved.

Seems to depend on the paint:

link

Water-Based Paints, Varnishes and Enamels: Water-based paints, varnishes and enamels with a volume less than 150ml, should be sent in sealed tins or bottles, placed in polythene and sealed again. The items should be surrounded with sufficient absorbent material to soak up any leakage and should be packed in strong fibreboard or polystyrene.

However:
Perfumes and Aftershaves: Any Perfumes or Aftershaves that are non-flammable and have an alcohol content of less than 70%vol are permitted. Those that are flammable are prohibited.

The perfume restriction would probably apply to spirit-based paints too (for the flammability factor, not the smell)

Just disguise the shape and don't tell them what is in the package. That's what I'd do. I hate bloody jobsworths telling us all what to do all the time!

Come the revolution…..

It is illegal to send 400ml UN1950 aerosols through the Royal Mail and has been for a number of years.

Some companies continue to ignore this and send them regardless.

There is a very good reason as a puctured or famaged can in a van could be serious.

A number of courier services recently have also decided that they must be sent via the Dangerous Goods service which makes them prohibitively expensive to ship.

Mike

(who only sells aerosols at shows now).

I have received several quite happily via royal mail. I think Cerdic has hit the nail on the head. If they are well packed in a box,and don't say 'this is an aerosole' on the package ,the postie will happily deliver them.
Egg

Of course should they burst in the post…

Just disguise the shape and don't tell them what is in the package. That's what I'd do. I hate bloody jobsworths telling us all what to do all the time!

Bloody postmen, demanding a safe working environment!

Ok, let's rephrase the question:

Is there any way to send these (at reasonable cost) for delivery in the UK?

Iain,

I haven't found a legal, cheap way of sending them…

Mike

When was the last time you heard of a postman being blown up by anything?

The problem with aerosol cans is that they rattle!

I was unaware that Royal Mail won't accept aerosols and have been sending them quite regularly, maybe that is why some of them have gone missing!

My local Post Office knows what I am sending and haven't said anything!

I am going to check up with the Royal Mail and will report back, in the meantime I will take aerosold off my web site.
Roland

Just checked the Royal Mail web site and they will not carry aerosols and will return or dispose of any they find!

I will now permanently delete aerosols from my web site.

If you want any of the Army Painter range of sprays you will have to visit the shop or come to one of the shows I attend.

Roland
Stafford Games

Roland,

Of course that doesn't stop your competitors still sending out Army Painter through Royal Mail…

Mike

No you are probably right but after taking into account the cost of postage there wasn't much profit in them anyway!

Roland

nobody has yet made the obvious 'Royal Mail ARE Aerosols' joke?

well done one and all, well done!

Pat

oh..

well, there you go.

Pat

Of course there'd be nothing worse than someone else's order of aerosols blowing up a precious order of miniatures.

There are enough instances reported in the news of vans carrying gas cyclinders going up in flames on various motorways. Enough to make any carrier cautious about shipping aerosols.

I applaud Roland's decision. Better safe than prosecuted, too. :-) It's why I don't stock aerosols or solvent-based paints.

Ian

I'll continue to stock them, but as in Roland's case, it's gonna be shows only!

cerdic

if you want to know the last time a postman got blown up then just ask (Freedom of Information's fantastic)

:-)