I trotted off to the local Post Office this morning first thing, to send a laptop I'd sold over the weekend. The assistant asked me what was in the parcel...

"A laptop" I reply.
"Does it have a battery in it?" she asks
"Yes it does" I reply, accurately summarising the battery scenario.
By this time she's reaching for a wad of leaflets & official guidelines.
"What type of battery is it?" she enquires
"errr, the one that came with the laptop" I respond "I think it's a lithium battery" I inform her, not quite as definitive an answer, I grant you.
"Is the battery fitted or separate?" she goes on to ask
By this time I'm envisaging taking the bl dy thing home, unpacking, scrutinising the battery, repackaging according to Royal Mail RMDG1A...
" I have to ask" she says "because the 'Prohibited and Restricted Items Act' came into force TODAY. (ie 7 minutes before I pitch up at the so ing Post Office).
In the end we agreed that my parcel was OK to send without further modification, inspection or examination but, to all ebayers out there, be aware that from today a whole new raft of prohibitions came into force that may affect your ability to send certain items without careful attention to the provisions of the regulations.
eg "Electronic items connected to (?) lithium batteries" ... Packaging guidelines:
Each parcel must contain no more than four cells or two batteries installed in a device. For lithium ion/ polymer batteries the Watt-hour rating must not exceed 20Wh per cell or 100Wh per battery. For lithium metal/alloy batteries the lithium content must not be more than 1g per cell or 2g per battery. The maximum net quantity of cells or batteries is 5kg
per parcel. Each cell and battery must be of a type proven to meet the requirements of each test in the UN Manual of Tests
and Criteria, Part III, section 38.3. Cells or batteries that are defective or damaged are forbidden. The equipment containing
cells or batteries must be packed in strong rigid packaging and must be secured against movement within the outer packaging and packed to prevent accidental activation. Must be presented at the counter.

Who knows?

 ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Yeah well, I posted some paper last week and they wanted to know if it was valuable paper?
You mean like that you use for printing your own bank notes I asked.

you can't be too careful with paper. i've seen some VERY nasty papercuts. ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Did the packaging for the paper - have a 'sharp' warning sticker attached...  2002 Honda VFR800
2002 Toyota Celica 140 Silver (mid life crisis - again!)
2007 FL2 GS Manual Army Reconnaissance Green + freel2.com sticker
2004 Toyota Celica 140 Black - Gone
2000 Toyota Celica 140 Silver - Gone
1998 Toyota Celica ST Pearl Green - Gone
1996 Nissan Primera 1.6 - Gone
1994 Rover Montego 1.6 Auto - Gone

I can see why they are concerned, a lithium battery can literally go up in flames if exposed to air (as Bear Grylls demonstrates here)

What the Royal Mail does not want is their employees been injured when they drop the laptop whilst it is been trown around been transported

health and safety gone mad Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

He ought to have had his safety goggles on though.

npinks wrote:

I can see why they are concerned, a lithium battery can literally go up in flames if exposed to air (as Bear Grylls demonstrates here)

What the Royal Mail does not want is their employees been injured when they drop the laptop whilst it is been trown around been transported

health and safety gone mad

No, they have to be careful, its a very dangerous job

http://swns.com/news/payne-in-the-grass-ro...rden-9795/

http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/myth-busting/20...cycles.htm p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

Had the same problem with a phone I sent back a few week ago !!!

i know its ridiculous, our local sorting office has now banned public from parking in their forecourt, so you have to jostle for the 4 spaces outside, which are taken by the British Gas vans collecting their parts

so know you have to park in a layby walk 200 yards back down the hill, cross a busy road, then walk on another road as there is no footpath to get to the sorting office, to collect the item that was 2mm too big and needs excess postage to be paid before they will release it Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

They all I think ban the public from driving in at all sorting offices now, forcing you to find parking elsewhere, then when you've found parking and gone inside to collect it they've lost it, twice now we've been carded that a parcel has to be collected and when we go to collect it they've lost it  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

APIL are the root cause of this kind of thing.

Also Google Stark v Post Office if you suffer from insomnia. 2013 RR Evoque Pure Tech
2012 TD4 GS Auto Orkney Grey - gone