Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, we’ll cover a range of questions about the services we can and cannot offer to our customers.  This will cover many do's, some do nots, and more than a few special cases.  Please check this list before contacting us.  You might find a lot of information without having to involve someone else to answer your questions, especially later at night, or early in the morning.

Q: Do you deliver to PO Boxes?

A: No, we do not deliver to PO Boxes.

Q: Do you deliver to BFPO (British Forces Postal Offices) addresses?

A: Yes, we do deliver to BFPO addresses. Please contact us for a quote.

Q: If my delivery address includes a remote location, such as the Highlands of Scotland, Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly or the Shetland Islands, are there special considerations?

A: Yes, deliveries to these locations will generally take up to 7 working days to deliver.

Q: Are any goods not covered by your compensation scheme if shipped?

A: Yes, there are several categories of item we cannot offer compensation against:

• Antiques (Any object over 100 years old)
• Any objects listed as Prohibited Goods (link)
• Any dangerous or hazardous items
• Fossils, Stones or Stoneware
• Marble, or any other stone derivatives
• Resin Items, Amber and Composites
• Car Parts and Bodywork (This includes doors, bumpers and headlights)
• Items composed of Ceramic or Composite
• Any items composed wholly or mainly of Glass
• Items that have only been strapped together, as opposed to being packed and secured properly
• Food
• Eggs
• Perishable Goods
• Plats, Seeds, Flowers and Plant Derivatives
• Precious stones, including Diamonds
• Jewellery
• Any article made mostly or wholly from precious metals such as gold or silver
• Electrical or electronic items
• Furniture other than Flat-Packed Furniture
• Any remains of Humans or Animals (including ashes, without limitation)
• Liquids
• Musical Instruments
• Negotiable documents
• Real Fur
• SIM cards
• Stamps
• Watches

We do not accept any goods listed herein for carriage.

We take legal and safety issues extremely seriously, and we refuse to carry any of the items listed below, whether they be illegal, harmful or both.

If we find any of these items in our delivery network, they will be disposed of if they cannot be safely returned to the sender.

Where appropriate, the sender may face prosecution, as described in our Terms and Conditions.

• Asbestos
• Aerosols (Excepting inhalers with a volume of 50ml or less)
• Alcoholic Liquids (where the Alcohol Content is 70% or above)
• Batteries (Where classed as dangerous goods in the most recent edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Technical Instructions)
• Butane Lighters (Including filled lighters and refills)
• Clinical and Medical Waste (including, but not limited to, used dressings, bandages, needles and cotton wool)
• Corrosive Substances (Those substances which can cause severe damage to living tissue, other freight or transport by means of chemical action). All such substances are prohibited, including:
• Aluminium Chloride
• Caustic Soda
• Corrosive Cleaning Fluids
• Corrosive rust Removers/Preventative Treatments
• Corrosive Paint Removers
• Electric Storage Batteries
• Hydrochloric Acid
• Nitric Acid
• Sulphuric Acid
• Counterfeit items (Currency, Bank Notes and Stamps) (Except for older denominations that no longer counts as legal tender as they are obsolete and worthless excepting collector’s value)
• Drugs (Both Prescription & Illegal. If discovered in transit, they will be stopped and passed to customs or the police. These parties may take legal action against the sender or recipient)
• Dry Ice (Solid Carbon Dioxide)
• Environmental Waste (Including, but not limited to Used Engine Oil, Used Batteries)
• Explosives (Any chemical compound, mixture or device capable of producing an explosive-pyrotechnic effect with substantial instantaneous release of heat and gas) Including, but not limited to:
• Ammunitions
• Blasting Caps
• Fireworks
• Flares
• Fuses
• Igniters
• Nitroglycerine
• tems that give the appearance of an illegal Weapon or Prohibited Explosive, even if made safe or incapable of use in that capacity are also prohibited.
• Filth (eg Dirt, Waste, Refuse)
• Flammable Liquids (Mixture of liquids, or liquids containing solids in solution or suspension which give off a flammable vapour. Any liquid with a closed cup flash point below 60.5 degrees Centigrade is prohibited.) This includes, but is not limited to:
• Acetone
• Benzene
• Cleaning Compounds
• Gasoline
• Lighter Fuel
• Paint Thinners
• Paint Removers
• Petroleum
• Solvents
• Flammable Solids (Solid materials which are likely to cause fire, whether by friction, absorption of water, spontaneous chemical changes or retained heat from manufacturing or processing. Solid materials which can be readily ignited and burn vigorously.) Including, but not limited to:
• Adhesives
• Calcium Carbide
• Cellulose Nitrate Products
• Matches
• Metallic Magnesium
• Nitro-Cellulose based film
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Sodium Hydride
• Zinc Powder
• Zirconium Hydride
• Gases (Gases that are compressed, liquified or dissolved under pressure. Permanent gases which cannot be liquified at ambient temperatures. Dissolved gases which are dissolved under pressure in a solvent)
• All flammable compressed gases are prohibited, including but not limited to:
• Blow lamps
• Butane
• Cigarette Lighters
• Ethane
• Gas Cylinders for Camping Stoves
• Hydrogen
• Methane
• Propane
• All toxic compressed gases are prohibited, including but not limited to:
• Chlorine
• Fluorine
• All non-flammable compressed gases are prohibited
• Indecent, obscene or offensive articles (Prints, photographs, books or other articles which may be deemed indecent, obscene or offensive, and packets bearing grossly offensive, indecent or obscene words, marks or designs are prohibited)
• Illegal Lottery Tickets (Tickets and related advertisements for illegal lotteries are prohibited)
• Living Creatures (Any and all are prohibited)
• Magnetised Material (Goods made in foreign prisons, except those imported for non-commercial purpose of a kind not manufactured in the United Kingdom, or those in Transit)
• Misleading Endorsements (Parcels must not bear words, marks or designs which are unauthorised, and which may reasonably lead the recipient to believe that the packet has been sent On Her Majesty’s Service)
• Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles (Goods made in foreign prisons, except those imported for non-commercial purpose of a kind not manufactured in the United Kingdom, or those in Transit)
• Oxidising Substances and Organic Peroxide (Substances such as disinfectants that may cause or contribute to combustion of other substances. They may also be liable to explosive decomposition, react dangerously with other substances and injure health) These include, but are not limited to:
• Bromides
• Chlorates
• Components of Fibreglass Repair Kits
• Disinfectants
• Nitrates
• Per Chlorates
• Permanganates
• Peroxides
• Pathogens (Things that can cause disease, such as a virus. Pathogens in the Risk Group 4 and selected Rick Group 3 listed in Schedule 9, Part 5 of the latest edition of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations are prohibited) These include, but are not limited to:
• Clinical, Environmental and Medical Waste
• Ebola
• Anthrax
• Foot & Mouth Disease
• Perfumes & Aftershaves (Any perfumes or aftershaves classed as flammable are prohibited. While non-flammable aftershaves and perfumes may be accepted, restrictions apply based on alcoholic content.)
• Poisonous (Toxic) and Infectious Substances (Substances likely to cause death or injury if swallowed or inhaled, or by skin contact. All toxic substances are prohibited, including, but not limited to:)
• Arsenic
• Beryllium
• Cyanide
• Fluorine
• Hydrogen Selenide
• In addition, Substances containing Micro-Organisms or their Toxins that are know to cause (or are suspected of causing) disease, including but not limited to:
• Mercury
• Mercury Salts
• Mustard Gas
• Nitrobenzene
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Pesticides
• Rat Poison
• Serums
• Vaccines
• Pesticides (Any chemical that is used to kill pests and insects)
• Radioactive Materials (Radioactive materials and samples that are classified as radioactive using Table 2-12 of the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisations’ (ICAO) Technical Instructions. Examples include, but are not limited to:)
• Fissile Material (Uranium 235)
• Radioactive Waste Material
• Thorium
• Uranium Ores
• Sharp Instruments (Including, but not limited to: Knives, gardening and household tools. This only applies to items that are not properly packed and protected.)
• Solvent-Based Paints and Inks (These are varnishes (including nail varnish), enamels and similar substances)
• UN2814 or UN2900 Infectious substances (These are classified at Division 6.2 of the 2005-2006 Edition of the Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air published by the International Civil Air Organisation (ICAO).
• Water-based Paints and Inks (Such as household paints and inks over the volume of 150ml)