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Similar to shipping lighters, USPS places quite a bit of restriction on shipping matches. For instance, you can only ship safety matches, and you can only ship them within the United States, not internationally. Also, if you’re trying to send strike-anywhere matches, you’re out of luck; the Postal Service prohibits those types of matches from being sent through its network altogether!
Table of Contents
- USPS Allows You to Ship Safety Matches Via Ground Transportation Only
- What About Strike-Anywhere Matches?
USPS Allows You to Ship Safety Matches Via Ground Transportation Only
As long as you’re shipping safety matches, you can ship them with USPS without any major issues. However, since USPS considers matches a hazardous material to ship, USPS will restrict you to ground transportation for any packages containing them. That means you’ll be paying for Retail Ground at the Post Office, or Parcel Select Ground when you use shipping software to buy discounted postage online.
Ground service is the required service for the majority of hazardous materials, especially flammable objects such as safety matches. It’s simply too much of a risk to transport them via an airplane since they could technically combust and catch fire, posing risks to luggage, cargo, and the passengers on board. That’s why USPS won’t let you use air-based services such as First Class Package or Priority Mail for sending safety matches.
What About Strike-Anywhere Matches?
In case you’re not aware of the difference between safety matches and strike-anywhere matches, we’ve got you covered. Safety matches only ignite when you strike them against a specially prepared surface, like the kind you see on the sides of matchbooks and matchboxes. They are the most common type of match available today, and you’ve probably got a box or two laying around your house!
On the other hand, “strike-anywhere matches” are matches that will light when you strike them against any suitable surface. These will work when you strike them against a brick wall or the concrete on a sidewalk. Hence, the name “strike-anywhere” matches. As long as the surface is hard, rough, and dry enough, you’ll be able to light the match. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use USPS to send them anywhere. Since these matches are technically more flammable than regular safety matches, USPS groups them into their list of prohibited items, and you can’t use any service to send them.
To learn about shipping safety matches properly with USPS, check out the USPS Postal Explorer.
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