Shipping Lithium-Ion Batteries

I believe several people here have sold items with Lithium Ion batteries and I’m curious on how you shipped them. I’m selling my Makita tools because I don’t really need the sander and I’d rather have the M12 Gen 2 impact driver over the XDT11. I’ve read the USPS guidelines but I’m wondering if you identified on the packaging that it included batteries and if you ran into any trouble with USPS not wanting to send them via Flat Rate boxes when doing so. Google is giving me mixed results, some say they shipped it fine, others say they had issues with them wanting to send it ground only.

jtkendall wrote:

I believe several people here have sold items with Lithium Ion batteries and I’m curious on how you shipped them. I’m selling my Makita tools because I don’t really need the sander and I’d rather have the M12 Gen 2 impact driver over the XDT11. I’ve read the USPS guidelines but I’m wondering if you identified on the packaging that it included batteries and if you ran into any trouble with USPS not wanting to send them via Flat Rate boxes when doing so. Google is giving me mixed results, some say they shipped it fine, others say they had issues with them wanting to send it ground only.

You shouldn’t have problems shipping batteries. I shipped @JimboS1ice the flexvolt DCS575T2 circular saw and there were no issues. Most tool batteries should be allowable on air freight unless your over a certain watt hour per battery like the m18 9.0 battery. The flexvolt batteries are allowable because that red clip is an allowable workaround to let DeWALT ship them via air.

Mostly they just want the sticker on the outside but I believe Jronman is right about what the actual rules are.

I am not sure about the rules.  I bought a roll of stickers on Amazon.  When I ship something with Lithium batteries, I stick two of these on the outside, one on each side.  I have never had a problem.

The sticker says,

Caution

Lithium Metal Battery

Do not load or transport package if damaged.  

I think as long as you identify the package on the outside, your fine.

Thanks everyone, if I end up selling them I’ll just ship via FedEx instead of USPS. Home Delivery/Ground seem to be reasonably priced and I know they will ship them no problem since all my Acme orders come that way. USPS seems to be cryptic with their regulations and from what I found it depends mostly on the person working the counter knowing the regulations and having common sense.

If it is a new in box power tool I just ship with the package visible.

fwiw, here’s my findings on current shipping of lithium-ion batteries.

i am visiting as a tourist to NY from europe in august and was looking to get a M18 milwaukee chainsaw. 

alas it’s battery is actually a whopping 216 wH – something that is not explictly labelled, infact all makers give you volts and amps but all air transport regulations is based on watt hours and the upper limit for normal courier air transport is 160 watt hours and on carry on as a passenger it’s 100, meaning that this battery would have to travel back to europe as dangerous goods/ hazard materials which is subject to special cargo and special packaging and certified statements/declaration and handling, only possible by very few specialist companies.

short story: 750 USD to get that battery back across atlantic to europe.

so i cannot get  a milwaukee and they dont (yet) sell the saw without the battery in usa.

yes, its available in europe, but it’s 250 USD more expensive.

so i cannot get that saw. it turns out i could get makita batteries for their 18volt 5 aH battery and as a passenger travel with 2 of them in cabin luggage from USA.

So check your TSA and IATA regulations if you’re thinking of flying with batteries and don’t risk violating guidelines as they will detect you and are entitled to heavily fine you.

and in case you’re wondering, turns out makita saws are equal priced between usa and europe for consumers, infact in many cases less expensive in europe, but in usa they do gift packs of free batteries for some unknown reason.  

@paulgailey Maybe you could sell the battery to someone before you leave?

paulgailey wrote:

fwiw, here’s my findings on current shipping of lithium-ion batteries.
 
i am visiting as a tourist to NY from europe in august and was looking to get a M18 milwaukee chainsaw. 
 
alas it’s battery is actually a whopping 216 wH – something that is not explictly labelled, infact all makers give you volts and amps but all air transport regulations is based on watt hours and the upper limit for normal courier air transport is 160 watt hours and on carry on as a passenger it’s 100, meaning that this battery would have to travel back to europe as dangerous goods/ hazard materials which is subject to special cargo and special packaging and certified statements/declaration and handling, only possible by very few specialist companies.
 
short story: 750 USD to get that battery back across atlantic to europe.
 
so i cannot get  a milwaukee and they dont (yet) sell the saw without the battery in usa.
 
yes, its available in europe, but it’s 250 USD more expensive.
 
so i cannot get that saw. it turns out i could get makita batteries for their 18volt 5 aH battery and as a passenger travel with 2 of them in cabin luggage from USA.
 
So check your TSA and IATA regulations if you’re thinking of flying with batteries and don’t risk violating guidelines as they will detect you and are entitled to heavily fine you.
 
and in case you’re wondering, turns out makita saws are equal priced between usa and europe for consumers, infact in many cases less expensive in europe, but in usa they do gift packs of free batteries for some unknown reason.  

Here in UK we can not post lithium batteries, this is what I have been told at the post office, BUT the same courier delivers lithium batteries when I order from online sellers, why is that?!