What can I send by Courier? | Prohibited Items

As the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company, we carry and cover most things. After all, we delivered a record-breaking (for us!) 640million parcels last year. So it’s only fair to tell you what you can’t send with us – and what items we can’t compensate you for loss, damage or major delay.

We want your parcels to arrive safely and securely first time, every time. So remember: check before you send!

Prohibited items

There are certain items we can’t carry for the safety of our parcel people. There’s also the not-so-small matter of breaking the law! Many of the items on our prohibited list are not only dangerous, they’re illegal too.

Restricted items include:

Lithium batteries. These might be rechargeable, such as those you’d find in phones and laptops, or non-rechargeable, including watch and car key fob batteries. Either way, lithium batteries are a potential fire hazard. You can only send them with us if they’re contained securely within the device they power.
Fragrances. It might be a romantic gift, but please don’t pop perfume or aftershave in the post. It’s flammable! We also don’t like glass bottles.
Liquids in general, including solvent- and water-based paint and ink, lighter fluid, gels, creams and oils.
Drugs – any substance that falls under the UK’s current Misuse of Drugs act. As well as narcotic and psychoactive drugs, this also includes any medicinal substances.
Live animals – this is cruel and can easily be fatal, and includes (but isn’t limited to) mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, birds, insects and larvae.
Pressurised containers – from fire extinguishers to hairspray!
Vehicle parts – specifically large, heavy parts that are above our weight limit of 15kg.
Sharp instruments, such as scissors, knives and certain garden tools. These packages can be dangerous to anyone handling them.
On the subject of gardening, please don’t send pesticides. That’s any chemical used to kill pests and insects.
Explosives and weapons – for hopefully obvious reasons! This includes decorative or antique firearms, as well as deactivated and air-powered weapons.

For a full list, download our guide. While it’s unlikely these things would find their way into our network, if they did they’d be disposed of immediately.

Sending items we don’t cover

There are some items we simply don’t cover. Unlike prohibited items, we can deliver these things, but remember – you send them at your own risk. If they’re lost, damaged or late we won’t be able to offer compensation. We’re also unable to compensate for any damage they might cause to other items in your parcel.

Common non-compensation items include:

China, ceramic, mirrored and glass items – including liquids that are contained in glass or ceramic bottles or jars.
Laptops, TVs and monitors.
Spectacles, lenses and optical equipment such as binoculars and telescopes. The same goes for cameras!
Kitchen appliances – including white goods and electronic equipment with glass or fragile parts.
Plants and other perishable goods – including seeds and flowers.
Chilled, frozen and fresh food – anything that could go off in transit!
Antiques, jewellery, watches and precious stones valued at over £999.
Currency notes and coins, credit and debit cards, and even cheques. So hold on to your cash!
Musical instruments.
Furniture – unless it’s flat-packed and securely packaged.

Speaking of big and bulky things like furniture, remember to check the weight and dimensions of your parcel. Items weighing more than 15kg can incur a penalty. Here’s a handy guide to weighing your parcel correctly.

Also, we can’t compensate for any items that have been strapped together, or badly packaged items in general – so please take care with your wrapping! See our easy step-by-step guide on how to pack a parcel to keep it as safe as possible.