eBay buyer? Can't use the postal system anymore to ship from the US anymore.

[thatcomicsguy]

This news article caught my attention. . .

Post Office Will Stop Shipping iPads, iPhones and Other Gadgets Overseas

The USPS, starting May 16th has put a ban on shipping any device with a Lithium Polymer battery in it. You now have to use some alternative shipping service, or have your gear mailed sans battery.

Oh, the poor U.S.; the screws are getting tighter by the week, it seems!

[Agent 9]

First I've heard of this... well, its not like its going to stop us or anything.

Post person: *looks at box* "You can't ship this ipad to Morocco, its got lithium batteries in it and we can't ship that internationally"
Yank: "... *puts on face of utter bewilderment* What do you mean I can't ship this... *wheels within wheels set in motion*... there is no lithium batteries in this, its NiCad, its the ipad eco plus! there is no lithium in it"
Post person: "Well... ok, if you say so"


Anyways, I thought they weren't supposed to be able to know what you are shipping or ask you about what you are shipping -aside from the standard "do you assure the contents are not hazardous and all that jazz?" or if there is a good reason for them to (like suspecting anthrax laced letters)... how are they supposed to be enforcing these new rules exactly? That's what I'd like to know.

[thatcomicsguy]

It's already difficult enough to find a seller willing to ship internationally. More than half the gear on eBay is unavailable to me up here in Canada regardless of who you ship with simply because the border pirates will randomly tax the daylights out of your package and nobody wants the hassle being dinged for extra, or an angry customer lodging complaints. Easier to just stay within your borders.

Established companies will probably adhere to the rule so as to avoid trouble. Individuals may be more inspired to make a sale.

Whatever. Just so long as I can get replacement parts for my legacy hardware, I don't mind. The batteries in old gear are junk anyway.

[ntsan]

Quite a number of country don't ship package with batteries on it, in the place where I live you can only sent internationally by using the most expensive postage option to ship with batteries, even then they require you to put battery in a separate box with warning sticker on