Can I ship batteries or devices with batteries?
Usually yes for a device with a built-in battery, such as a phone or a watch: by air with UPS or FedEx, up to two devices per shipment. Loose batteries and power banks can't fly. The rules per warehouse, how to see which services take batteries, and what happens if we suspect one.
Usually yes, if the battery is built into the device, such as a phone, a watch or a camera. By air, UPS and FedEx take it under the IATA rules for batteries contained in a device (Packing Instruction 967, Section II), up to two such devices per shipment. Stand-alone batteries (spare, loose or shipped without their device) and power banks can't go by air from any warehouse. By ground, it depends on the warehouse. The rules differ by warehouse and carrier, and the shipping options for your package show which services accept batteries.
Carriers treat lithium batteries as dangerous goods and change their rules often, sometimes without notice. If you're not sure, ask us before the package reaches the warehouse.
The rules at a glance
| Battery | By air | By ground in Europe |
|---|---|---|
| Built into a device (phone, watch, camera) | Yes, with UPS or FedEx, up to 2 devices per shipment | Yes, without the 2-device limit |
| Stand-alone (spare, loose, or without its device) | No | Only from the Czech and German warehouses within the EU with DPD, and from the UK warehouse by ground, for example to the EU |
| Power bank | No | Same as stand-alone batteries. Ask us first. |
- More than two devices with batteries in one shipment by air are possible only if the shipment meets these rules and you contact us before you send it. Fewer carriers can take them and a surcharge may apply.
- Power banks can't be shipped by air from any warehouse. For ground shipping, send us the brand, power rating, capacity and a photo before you buy.
- Ground shipping is possible only within Europe, for example from the Czech or German warehouse to another EU country, or from the UK warehouse to the EU.
Rules by warehouse
| Warehouse | Devices with built-in batteries | Stand-alone batteries |
|---|---|---|
| China (Shenzhen) | UPS and FedEx. SF Express and the postal services don't take them. Standard rates don't apply. Apple and Samsung phones are prohibited. | Not accepted |
| Hong Kong | UPS and FedEx only. Hong Kong Post and SF Express have strict rules against lithium and alkaline batteries. | Not accepted |
| Czech Republic, Germany | UPS and FedEx take them worldwide. Within the EU, DPD and PPL also take them. Czech Post, Deutsche Post, DHL Germany and EMS take no batteries at all, not even within the EU. | Not by air. Within the EU with DPD only. |
| United Kingdom | UPS and FedEx | Not by air. By ground only, for example to the EU. |
- Phones count as devices with built-in batteries. For branded phones from China, see Prohibited and restricted items.
- Laptops can be shipped from every warehouse, including Hong Kong and the UK, with UPS or FedEx.
How to see which services take batteries
On the Shipping method tab of your package, and in the shipping cost calculator, every service shows a No: and a Yes: list:
- Built-in battery under Yes: the service takes devices with built-in batteries.
- Stand-alone battery under Yes: the service also takes loose batteries.
Choose a service that lists your battery type under Yes. Check the calculator before you buy, so you know which carriers you can use and what they cost.
Declare batteries correctly
- Declare every device with a battery in the content description of your package. See How to declare package contents.
- Carriers scan almost all packages and are very likely to find undeclared batteries. If a carrier finds batteries it doesn't accept, it refuses the shipment. The package is usually returned to the warehouse, and you don't get the shipping cost or fees back.
- When staff find a battery in your package, they record it. The Shipping method tab then shows an Important box with the shipping options that can take it, which are often more expensive. To ship the rest of the package at standard rates, move the battery item into a package of its own with a Split package request. See Can I split a package into several shipments?
If we suspect batteries, we cancel the dispatch request
If staff think your package contains lithium batteries that the chosen carrier doesn't accept, they cancel the dispatch request before it ships. This is a warning, not a refusal: it saves you from losing the shipping cost when the carrier finds the batteries.
- If the package has no batteries, request dispatch again and tell us through Contact us that it contains no batteries.
- If it has batteries, choose a service that lists them under Yes.
For what you get back after a cancellation and the steps, see Why was my shipment request canceled?
Ask us before you buy
Contact us through Contact us before the package reaches the warehouse, and include:
- what you want to ship and the destination country
- whether each battery is built in or stand-alone
- the battery type (for example lithium-ion), the number of batteries and their capacity
- for power banks, the brand, power rating, capacity and a photo
- the manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet (SDS or MSDS), if you have it