Germany to ban postal lithium battery shipments?
#1

Information has been posted on the US Postal Service website that Germany will refuse inbound shipments containing lithium batteries.

http://pe.usps.com/Lithium_Battery_Update.asp

Would anyone care to confirm this with Deutsche Post? I had a look on their website but mein Deutsche ist nicht so gut...

#2

As far as I understand it, such batteries are regarded being "dangerous goods" in Germany for long (quite reasonable). Since Deutsche Post operates an overnight-flight-service (again) even national mailings of such batteries are under the rules and regulations of IATA (also quite reasonable). Again as far as I understand it, Li batteries must not be air mailed according to a "Weltpostvertrag" (~ global mail treaty) agreed on in Geneva in 2008! So nothing new - just not being aware of.

d:-)

#3

The most recent information I could find was from 2009. Lithium batteries are flagged as dangerous goods, not only with DHL but also in Australia. I assume this is a general problem but not a recent one.

#4

With any luck their regulations are similar to the USPS here. USPS restricts lithium batteries over a certain size. When I checked into it, this did not prevent shipment of coin cells since they were well below the limit. USPS does say that the batteries must be packaged appropriately or something to that effect.


-- Richard

#5

Quote:
With any luck their regulations are similar to the USPS here. USPS restricts lithium batteries over a certain size. When I checked into it, this did not prevent shipment of coin cells since they were well below the limit. USPS does say that the batteries must be packaged appropriately or something to that effect.

Our luck has run out... per the USPS link I provided:

"Specific quantities of lithium batteries are now allowed to be mailed when installed in the equipment they are intended to operate. However, some countries have decided to prohibit the acceptance of mail shipments containing any lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries."

Germany is now the first (of the "some countries") that prohibits lithium batteries of all types within the mail stream. That's the way I read the news.

#6

Royal Mail in the UK also lists Lithium batteries as prohibited items for air services. I found this out as I recently sold a calculator to a chap in Austria but was unable to send the batteries as they are not permitted on the Airsure service.

#7

I posted a HP71B to Germany last year and left the regular AA batteries in it (not lithium). It was returned to me because it contained "dangerous items" with the Lithium battery box ticked on the returned form!! I showed the post office staff here in Australia and they were surprised.
I then resent the 71B without batteries and it arrived safely in Germany. Fortunately for me the buyer was understanding about the delay. I never send any calculators with any form of battery anymore. Cheers, Keith

#8

I have a collection of Bosch power drill, stud detector and measuring tools which use Lithium ion batteries. Bosch is a German company with manufacturing facility in Malaysia where the tools are made.

so no problem about lithium batteries going through Deutschpost.

hpnut in Malaysia

#9

It seems that it is an international ruling - no lithium batteries are allowed in packages carried by airplanes.

However the German Post rules are not that strict, there are exceptions. Allowed:

- button cells integrated in PCB / installed into "goods"

- a maximum of 4 cells installed into equipment

- a maximum of 2 batteries installed into equipment

The shipment requires a large CAUTION sticker (conforming to some rulings).

I assume "batteries" will allow for multiple cells, as long as they are combined into one part, so shipping a laptop with installed battery is OK (as long as the "CAUTION" sticker is there).

#10

Just checked the translation: "Weltpostvertrag" = Universal Postal Agreement (a bit superstitious since not being applicable in the universe, but that's that language). Anyway, it's a global regulation, and it's of 2008. How does "Homeland Security" deal with such objects? Holy logic!

d:-/



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