Prohibited and Restricted Items
Items which are sent wholly at owners risk without compensation
- Prohibited and Restricted Items (Overnight and International Services):
Any person sending such an item, or in breach of the limits, may be subject to their order being cancelled without notice. It may be possible to send, via alternative services, goods which are prohibited or restricted as per this list. Please contact us for details.
| Item | UK | International |
| Aerosols for toiletry or medicinal purposes. Aerosols for personal grooming or medicinal purposes, (including deodorants, body sprays, hair sprays, shaving and hair removal creams, medicinal aerosols for prevention or cure such as flea sprays,etc). Packaging guidelines: Valves must be protected to prevent inadvertent release of contents. Volume per item must not exceed 500ml. No more than two items in any one parcel, tightly packaged. The senders name and return address must be clearly visible on the parcel and Mission must be made aware of contents. | Yes | No |
| Aerosols for any other purpose (including spray paints, etc.) | No | No |
| Alcoholic beverages containing more than 70% alcohol by volume (ABV) | No | No |
| Alcoholic beverages containing more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol by volume (ABV) e.g. gin; rum; vodka; whiskey. Packaging guidelines: Volume must not exceed 1 litre per item. No more than two items in any one parcel. Wrap in polythene and seal with tape. Surround with absorbent material and cushioning to prevent breakage. Mark as ‘FRAGILE’ when sending glass bottles and ensure Mission are aware of nature of contents. Sender’s name and address must be visible on the parcel. | Yes | No |
| Alcoholic beverages containing 24% alcohol by volume (ABV) or less (e.g. beer; wine; and champagne). Packaging guidelines: Volume must not exceed 1 litre per item. Wrap in polythene and seal with tape. Surround with absorbent material and cushioning to prevent breakage. Mark as ‘FRAGILE’ when sending glass bottles and ensure Mission are aware of nature of contents. Restrictions apply for different destinations, please check prior to sending. | Yes | Yes |
| Arms and Ammunition . | No | No |
| Batteries, specifically new alkaline metal, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cadmium (NiCd) and zinc-air Packaging guidelines: Must be new and sent unopened in their original retail packaging. Surround with cushioning material e.g. bubble wrap. There are many rules and regulations regarding batteries and different restrictions depending on destination. Therefore please check with the Mission team before sending batteries. | Yes | Yes |
| Biological Substances | No | No |
| Christmas Crackers | Yes | No |
| Clinical and medical waste (e.g. contaminated dressings, bandages and needles). | No | No |
| Controlled drugs and narcotics | No | No |
| Corrosives (including dyes, acids, corrosive paint and rust removers, caustic soda, mercury and gallium metal). | No | No |
| Counterfeit currency Counterfeit currency and counterfeit stamps are prohibited. | No | No |
| Dry Ice(note that there are alternative services available) | No | No |
| Electronic devices sent with lithium batteries (including mobile phones, digital cameras, etc) where the battery is not connected to the device. Packaging guidelines: The maximum number of lithium batteries allowed in each parcel is the minimum number required to power the device plus two spares. | Yes | No |
| Electronic devices connected to lithium batteries (including mobile phones, digital cameras, etc) where the battery is connected to the device. Country restrictions apply Packaging guidelines: Each parcel must contain no more than four cells or two batteries installed in a device. Country restrictions apply, | Yes | Yes |
| Environmental waste (including used batteries and used engine oil). | No | No |
| Explosives (including fireworks, flares, blasting caps, party poppers). | No | No |
| Financial documents Any financial documents (money, bankers drafts, cheques, dividends, bonds, securities etc). which can be exchanged themselves, or with any other document, for money, goods or services, | No | No |
| Flammable liquids (including petroleum, lighter fluid, certain adhesives, solvent based paints, wood varnish, enamels, acetone and all nail varnish removers). | No | No |
| Flammable solids (including magnesium, phosphorous, sodium, zinc powder and fire lighters). | No | No |
| Gases, including flammable, non-flammable, toxic and compressed gases Gases including flammable, non-flammable toxic and compressed gases, new, used and empty gas cylinders, butane, ethane, refills for lighters, fire extinguishers and scuba tanks, life jackets, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide canisters (culinary foaming devices and soda stream). | No | No |
| Human and animal remains Human remains (including ashes) and dead animals (including preserved animal parts and skins) are prohibited. | No | No |
| Lottery tickets | No | No |
| Indecent, obscene or offensive articles Indecent, obscene or offensive communications, prints, photographs, books or other articles, and packets bearing grossly offensive, indecent or obscene words, marks or designs are prohibited. Those discovered in transit will be stopped, and handed to customs or the Police, who may take legal action against the sender and/or recipient. | No | No |
| Infectious substances and pathogens | No | No |
| Lighters and refills containing flammable liquid or gas(including new, used and empty butane, petrol cigar and cigarette lighters). | No | No |
| Liquids over 1 litre Liquids over 1 litre (containing liquids not classified as dangerous goods). Packaging guidelines: Items must be securely closed and placed in a leak proof liner, such as sealed polythene bag. Mark as ‘Fragile’ when sending glass bottles. Some liquids, such as alcohol or paints, have their own additional restrictions or prohibitions. Maximum 5 Litres per box or container. Please check with the Mission team before sending these type of items. | Yes | No |
| Live creatures, insects and invertebrates | No | No |
| Magnetized material (with a field strength of 0.418A/metre or more at a distance of 4.6 metres from the outside of the package). | No | No |
| Matches (including safety matches). | No | No |
| Nail varnish, polish or gel Packaging guidelines: Volume per item must not exceed 30ml. No more than four items in any one parcel. Must be placed in strong outer packaging and cushioned to prevent breakage. Mission team must be made aware of contents andsender’s name and address must be visible on the parcel. | Yes | No |
| Oxidising materials or organic peroxides (including disinfectants, nitrates and hair dyes or colourants containing peroxide). | No | No |
| Perfumes and aftershaves (including eau de parfum and eau de toilette). Packaging guidelines: Volume per item must not exceed 150ml. No more than four items in any one parcel. Must be sent in its original retail packaging, placed in strong outer packaging and cushioned to prevent breakage. Mission team must be made aware of contents andsender’s name and address must be visible on the parcel. | Yes | No |
| Perishable foodstuffs and articles Fresh fruit, meat, fish and other perishable articles should be able to withstand transit times of at least 48 hours and must be sent by a guaranteed next day service as a minimum requirement within the UK. Packages must be clearly labelled “PERISHABLE”. Packages of fish should be smoked or chilled, and sealed in vacuum packs before consignment. In all cases they must be enclosed in adequate polystyrene containment to prevent contamination. It is the responsibility of the shipper to package all perishable articles in such a manner that during transport within the system the contents are kept at an appropriate temperature that is unlikely to give rise to a risk to health. Frozen water and dry ice are prohibited. Perishable articles cannot be sent using economy services. Certain international destinations prohibit the import of perishable articles, including perishable and non-perishable foodstuffs. Please check individual country restrictions before sending consignments containing perishable foodstuffs or articles (including plants, flowers, medicines, seeds and other vegetable products intended for further processing) using only priority services. For more information about service availability, or for country-specific prohibitions, exclusions or licence requirements, please contact your Mission team. | Yes | Yes (subject to restrictions by country) |
| Plants Live plants may only be sent in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in ‘Perishable foodstuffs and articles’ above. | Yes | Yes |
| Pesticides (e.g. weed killer and any chemical used to kill pests and insects including fly sprays). | No | No |
| Poisons, toxic liquids, solids and gases (including substances that are liable to cause death or injury if swallowed or inhaled or by skin contact, including arsenic, cyanide, fluorine, rat poison). | No | No |
| Prescription medicines and drugs sent for scientific or medical purposes (non-toxic and non-flammable including asthma inhalers). Packaging guidelines: Medicines must be securely closed and placed in a sealed polythene bag (for liquids) or a sift proof container (for solids). Must be tightly packed in strong outer packaging and cushioned to prevent breakage. Sender’s name and address must be visible on the parcel. For international consignments a copy of the prescription will be required. Please note there are restrictions to some countries depending on the chemicals used. | Yes | Yes (subject to restrictions by country) |
| Radioactive materials and samples (Classified as dangerous goods such as luminous dials from aircraft). | No | No |
| Sharp objects These items may only be sent if they are packaged appropriately so that they do not present a risk to employees, other packages or recipients (see also “Weapons”.) | Yes | Yes |
| Water-based paints, wood stains and enamels Volume per item should not exceed 150ml. There is no restriction on the number of items than can be sent in each package. Wrap in polythene and seal with tape. Surround with absorbent material such as newspaper and sufficient cushioning material to protect each item from damage. The sender’s name and return address must be clearly visible on the outer packaging. Any item which resembles a restricted item may be subject to additional scrutiny which may cause delays. | Yes | Yes |
| Weapons Weapons (including Section 5 firearms, CS gas and pepper sprays, flick knives, and other knives that are banned knives under UK laws, tasers and stun guns). | No | No |
| Works of art Works of art cannot be exported to certain destinations. Works of art are excluded from compensation for loss and damage. | Yes | Yes (subject to country restrictions) |
The following items may also apply to our same day delivery service. Please enquire if you have any questions.
- Items Carried On A No-Compensation Basis:
The following items (or any item similar or content) can only be carried on a no-compensation basis and any person sending such items does so at their own risk. Insurance may be available for certain items – please contact us for details.
- Alcoholic Beverages (note that we are unable to send alcoholic beverages to any non-EU destination)
- Aftershave (note that we are unable to send aftershave beverages to any non-EU destination since it contains alcohol)
- Antiques
- Boilers
- Bottles
- Bulbs
- Cameras
- Canvas Prints
- Car Parts (including wheels and tyres)
- Ceramics/Figures/Figurines
- China/Porcelain
- Chocolate and confectionary
- Clocks
- Coffee Machines
- Computer Monitor/Imac
- Concrete
- Crockery
- Diamonds
- Documents
- Driving Licences
- Fiberglass
- Fish Tank
- Fishing Rods
- Framed Painting/Photograph
- Gems Or Gemstones
- Glass/Glassware
- Hamper
- Jewellery
- Juice
- Lampshades
- Lenses
- Lights/Lighting/Lamps/Chandeliers
- Liquids (non-hazardous)
- Marble
- Microscope
- Microwave
- Mirror
- Ornaments
- Over Head Projector
- Packaging/Media Packaging
- Painting/Pictures
- Passports
- Perfume
- Perishable Goods
- Pewter Figures
- Picture Frames
- Posters
- Precious Metals and Precious Stones (Gold/Silver/Platinum Etc.)
- Projector
- Real Fur
- Resin
- Sewing/Knitting Machine
- Shower Screen
- SIM Cards
- Spectacles
- Stoneware
- Telescope
- Television
- Tiles
- Vase
- Watches
- White Goods (Fridges, Ovens, Freezers, Cooker Hoods, Etc)
- Windows and Window Frames
We have been using Mission Despatch for over 11 years, that alone is testament to how good they are.
They take care of all our deliveries, same day. Overnight and internationals. The team are always helpful and friendly and on the very rare occasion there has been a problem it has been sorted out very quickly.
The Mission overnight service opened up a whole new customer base to us. We were traditionally a local printer but now anyone in England can order from us and we can deliver next day, which meant we were able to compete with the Web based printers who took a lot of our Market.
As we got bigger we found the Mission Fulfilment service a great bonus for us, finding some one who could store and send out our work meant we could use our space more efficiently , great when you are paying London rates.
Over the last 12 years we have been using Mission Despatch for all our Sameday and Internationals. They have been very reliable and always there to help out where they can. Although they have an online booking service being old school its always nice to phone up and make the booking. I do like getting the Booking Confirmation, Proof of collection (POC) and Proof of Delivery (POD) as often Client’s phoning up chasing and I have great pleasure telling them exactly who and what time it was signed for without even bothering Mission for the answer. From Office control to the drivers are always very polite. As a Company we have grown and you could say its with the help of Mission to be able to deliver and keep our reputation right at the top.
We have been using Mission Despatch for over 11 years, that alone is testament to how good they are.
They take care of all our deliveries, same day. Overnight and internationals. The team are always helpful and friendly and on the very rare occasion there has been a problem it has been sorted out very quickly.
The Mission overnight service opened up a whole new customer base to us. We were traditionally a local printer but now anyone in England can order from us and we can deliver next day, which meant we were able to compete with the Web based printers who took a lot of our Market.
As we got bigger we found the Mission Fulfilment service a great bonus for us, finding some one who could store and send out our work meant we could use our space more efficiently , great when you are paying London rates.
Over the last 12 years we have been using Mission Despatch for all our Sameday and Internationals. They have been very reliable and always there to help out where they can. Although they have an online booking service being old school its always nice to phone up and make the booking. I do like getting the Booking Confirmation, Proof of collection (POC) and Proof of Delivery (POD) as often Client’s phoning up chasing and I have great pleasure telling them exactly who and what time it was signed for without even bothering Mission for the answer. From Office control to the drivers are always very polite. As a Company we have grown and you could say its with the help of Mission to be able to deliver and keep our reputation right at the top.
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