Help Us Keep the Mail Safe
Keeping the mail safe is a top priority at USPS. Avoid delays in your shipments by following these simple guidelines.
Don’t put mail over 13 oz in a blue collection box, Post Office lobby drop, Automated Postal Center drop, or any other unattended location.
If your mailpiece weighs more than 13 oz and is bearing only stamps as postage, you’ll need to take it to the retail counter of a Post Office™, Contract Postal Unit, or Approved Shipper location. If left in a mailbox, it won’t be picked up; if dropped in a collection box or lobby drop, it will be returned to you.
Don’t send alcohol. And, in most cases, don’t send prescription drugs, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or handguns.
Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) are not considered hazardous but can’t go in the mail. If you’re reusing a box displaying their alcohol brands, all logos and labels need to be covered up.
Prescription medications can only be mailed by registered practitioners or dispensers. Similar laws apply to over-the-counter medications. With few exceptions, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco shipments cannot be mailed.
See tobacco restrictions and guidelines ›
Only licensed manufacturers and dealers can mail handguns. And even though unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable, mailers must comply with all applicable laws.
Don’t send a hazardous material.
From perfume to batteries, you might be surprised by our list of what’s not safe to put in the mail.
Check our list of hazardous materials ›
Not sure if what you’re sending is hazardous or prohibited?
Just call 1-800-ASK-USPS or your local Post Office.
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