Heads up - Post office not sending sharps after 22nd April

[Paul_B]

You won't be able to send any bladed article via any RM service. Seems pretty clear.

Let me explain to you what they are saying in the following snip from the RM site

• UK - Allowed in the mail, with product restrictions and packaging guidelines. IMPORTANT NOTICE: on and from Monday 22 April 2024 Bladed Items will be prohibited by Royal Mail for all UK destinations.

• • These items may only be sent using the Royal Mail Tracked Age Verification service (this service is only available through Royal Mail Click & Drop​

  • Package appropriately so items present no risk to employees, other postal items or recipients.
  • Wrap heavy cardboard around sharp edges and points, strong enough to ensure that the contents do not pierce the outer packaging.
  • Wrap each item with cushioning material and place in a suitable outer container such as a padded envelope.
  • The sender's name and return address must be clearly visible on the outer packaging.
  • Marked to clearly indicate a bladed item is enclosed

I have made the relevant section more obvious. You cannot send bladed items through normal postage options but you can through the specific service designed for age restricted items like blades. Just as you cannot send a large package as a small letter you cannot send an age restricted item except by the age verification service.

Link to the RM click and collect online booking system showing all the potential options including age verification service. I selected small package at 1kg in the earlier page.

 

[Stew]

Let me explain to you what they are saying in the following snip from the RM site


I have made the relevant section more obvious. You cannot send bladed items through normal postage options but you can through the specific service designed for age restricted items like blades. Just as you cannot send a large package as a small letter you cannot send an age restricted item except by the age verification service.

Link to the RM click and collect online booking system showing all the potential options including age verification service. I selected small package at 1kg in the earlier page.

Heads up - Post office not sending sharps after 22nd April

There are other companies in the UK that deliver things! I know. It's just a shame as I'd like to support RM.

bushcraftuk.com

 

[Paul_B]

Link to restricted items that I got that quote above from.

To simplify things, the wording says you cannot go to a post office to send bladed items. You can however book an age verification service online for click and collect to send bladed items.

On delivery the postal worker will only deliver if the recipient can prove they are over 18 years of age. I have had that check done on me when receiving scissors once. That was an amazon retailer who actually had a very responsible policy to use age verification service.

Not many did in the past but they should have done. Now at least anyone posting bladed items will now have to act responsibly by using verification services.

 

[mikehill]

Members of EM have contacted RM directly and been told that it will be a total ban. No service at all. The age verified too.

They have emailed asking for it to be reconsidered. RM said they will listen to all opinions but plan to go ahead with the ban.

Ring them yourselves if you aren’t totally sure.

I hope I’m wrong about this of course, but that’s the way it seems.

 

[Stew]

Members of EM have contacted RM directly and been told that it will be a total ban. No service at all. The age verified too.

They have emailed asking for it to be reconsidered. RM said they will listen to all opinions but plan to go ahead with the ban.

Ring them yourselves if you aren’t totally sure.

I hope I’m wrong about this of course, but that’s the way it seems.

The subsequent message they have sent is pretty clear. I understand the initial confusion but they couldn’t have made it clearer than in the letter I’ve posted up.

 

[Stew]

Link to restricted items that I got that quote above from.

To simplify things, the wording says you cannot go to a post office to send bladed items. You can however book an age verification service online for click and collect to send bladed items.

On delivery the postal worker will only deliver if the recipient can prove they are over 18 years of age. I have had that check done on me when receiving scissors once. That was an amazon retailer who actually had a very responsible policy to use age verification service.

Not many did in the past but they should have done. Now at least anyone posting bladed items will now have to act responsibly by using verification services.

Have you reread the first post?

 

[Herman30]

Let me explain to you what they are saying in the following snip from the RM site


I have made the relevant section more obvious. You cannot send bladed items through normal postage options but you can through the specific service designed for age restricted items like blades.

That applies now, until 22 April. But after 22 April it is a total ban. You people don´t understand what you are reading.

 

[William_Montgomery]

Let me explain to you what they are saying in the following snip from the RM site


I have made the relevant section more obvious. You cannot send bladed items through normal postage options but you can through the specific service designed for age restricted items like blades. Just as you cannot send a large package as a small letter you cannot send an age restricted item except by the age verification service.

Link to the RM click and collect online booking system showing all the potential options including age verification service. I selected small package at 1kg in the earlier page.

Thanks for the explanation, but you've just highlighted the current restrictions. Just above that, it explains that bladed items will be prohibited from 22nd April. That means a total ban. They've put it in bold to make it more obvious.

 

[Kadushu]

I looked at the Parcelforce website and there's no ambiguity in their rules. Blades are banned.

 

[William_Montgomery]

I looked at the Parcelforce website and there's no ambiguity in their rules. Blades are banned.

Looked at a few too and I'm yet to find one that doesn't prohibit blades.

On a side note, I can't find any explanation as to why bladed items are/will be prohibited. There doesn't seem to be any attemp to justify it.

 

[William_Montgomery]

At a quick glance, UPS seem to deliver blades, restricted but not prohibited. I think it is an age verification service, much like the current RM restrictions.

 

[stonepark]

Tape blade between 2 or more sheets sheet of cardboard with cut out to fit knife, wrap in aluminium foil, wrap with wrapping paper, post as normal......

 

[grainweevil]

For those having a little trouble with the Prohibited Items guidance, I believe this small dramatisation will help grasp how it will go:

Janet goes to the Post Office to send a hunting knife, morning star, and double-headed throwing axe to John on April the 21st (Actually that's a Sunday, so, um, April the 20th).

"You must send that with age verification, Miss" says the sub-postmaster, freshly out of the nick and looking for revenge. "Hand it over."

All is well.

John goes to the Post Office to send Janet a butter knife on April the 22nd.

"Get lost," says the sub-postmaster, briefly looking up from the voodoo doll he's modelling. "Royal Mail don't cater to you dangerous knife-sending types any more."

"But," said John, "It says in this leaflet that..."

"The leaflet was published before today to cover the time both before and after the ban, and explains what you used to be able to do prior to April the 22nd, BUT YOU CAN'T ANYMORE. Now CLEAR OFF."

All is not well, and Janet's crumpet will remain wholly unbuttered.

John goes to the Post Office to send Janet a "parcel" on April the 23rd.

"Wot's in it?" The sub-postmaster demands, selecting a shiny fresh pin and looking for any remaining space in his voodoo doll.

"It's a, um, a pencil," says John.

"Give it here then. First, Second, or Signed for?"

And all is well, if decidedly questionable.

The End

No sub-postmasters were harmed in the making. That's how you can tell it's a work of fiction.

 

[slowworm]

Now that's sorted I wonder why they've made the change. I've not heard of any accidents and you can still send a glass vase through the post, even a broken one with sharp points if well wrapped, so safety doesn't seem to be the reason. The law hasn't changed since the age verification thingy came in either.

I wonder if there have been problems with the age verification service? I also wonder if you send a knife after the new April ban if you would be breaking the law as you can't be sure who's receiving it.

 

[Dave Budd]

I send maybe 10 parcels a week with royal fail and most of those have something that will be on their prohibited list come April.

So far the only alternatives that I have found are DPD and UPS, but I still need to check about whether they actually require a business account or not (I've seen conflicting advice on their websites)

It might be that the comparison sites like parcel2go, etc will have something set up to filter couriers that will carry sharps and that might get around a business only account requirement.

 

[Chris]

Now that's sorted I wonder why they've made the change.

Because the laws and interpretation of them is done by absolute cretins who’ve never stepped foot outside of London, or even seen a physical object that wasn’t a product of mass factory production.

 

[Stew]

I send maybe 10 parcels a week with royal fail and most of those have something that will be on their prohibited list come April.

So far the only alternatives that I have found are DPD and UPS, but I still need to check about whether they actually require a business account or not (I've seen conflicting advice on their websites)

It might be that the comparison sites like parcel2go, etc will have something set up to filter couriers that will carry sharps and that might get around a business only account requirement.

That’s an interesting idea. I guess that parcel2go are the business account holder to then qualify. I like it!

 

[Dave Budd]

That’s an interesting idea. I guess that parcel2go are the business account holder to then qualify. I like it!

fingers crossed that these outfits are savvy enough!

 

[Moondog55]

Has England gone totally insane?
Do these new regulations apply to overseas post? Because I was negotiating the purchase of a bayonet from a well know UK based international antique militaria business and I just paid a non-refundable deposit.

 

[lou1661]

Has England gone totally insane?
Do these new regulations apply to overseas post? Because I was negotiating the purchase of a bayonet from a well know UK based international antique militaria business and I just paid a non-refundable deposit.

Well I guess if they take over 2 months to dispatch the item then
a, it could be
2, their customer service is very poor.
iii, may be well know , but how respected. I would expect a max of 7-10 days to dispatch in which case would not be a problem.
d, check your T&C’s