Postmaster

Walt2

Walt2

Well-Known Member
Have any of you ever been told that it is illegal to ship a knife through the postal service?
 
Postal workers are often times ignorant of thier own rules and laws. It is perfectly legal to ship "most" knives within the continental U.S. Do a quick google search for USPS knife shipping laws. You can also do a search here on KD as the topic has been discussed before. I apologize for not being able to post a link to the thread, but I don't have access to a pc right now and it's a pain in the rump from my phone. I believe Mike Carter is the one who previously posted the link.

If I'm not mistaken, the key rule is that you must package the knife so that the blade is properly protected so that it can not puncture the packaging. Also, it is illegal and punishable by law to ship automatic or "switchblade" knives to non-FFL dealers of military/federal law enforcement.

Please double check my thoughts with official regulations.
 
My brother-in-law is postmaster at my local post office. He said as long as the knife is packaged in a manner that the knife can't cut its way out of the box and harm someone, its fine.
 
The reason I asked this question is that one of the local postmasters told one of my customers that it was against federal laws to ship a knife through the postal service. She also stated that if the knife was detected by xray that the knife would be confiscated and the shipper fined. I had never heard that it is illegal to ship them by mail.
 
My local postmaster knows that I ship them also. This was in community about 8-9 miles from where I live.
 
They certainly don't have any sense of humor about things like this...

poke.jpg


But a huge amount of the knife business in the USA, In Canada, and even between them happens through the post office in both countries and many consider them the best option of all. Obviously, nothing illegal (origin or destination) should be shipped through the mail (or any other way).

Rob!
 
I will say this... I worked at the local PO one summer and you would be amazed and disgusted at how packages got thrown around. Most of the folks on the docks were temp workers and simply didn't give a hoot. Marking it "Fragile" sometimes just amuses them and makes them toss it harder to see what happens.

There is basically no such thing as too much protection around a knife in a box. A block of wood to prevent the point from poking through like in Rob's pic is not a bad idea. I forget who exactly, but I saw one maker post how he encased his knives in pink insulation board, then built a wooden box around them to be sure they couldn't get damaged or damage anything else.
 
Walt2 said:
The reason I asked this question is that one of the local postmasters told one of my customers that it was against federal laws to ship a knife through the postal service. She also stated that if the knife was detected by xray that the knife would be confiscated and the shipper fined. I had never heard that it is illegal to ship them by mail.
Click to expand...

I would have to see that in writing before I believed it!
Sounds to me like someone could possibly be infusing their own opinion or viewpoint and calling it law.
 
The only thing I have been told, by my Postmaster, that was illegal in shipping knives, was when I ask about shipping one to Switzerland, she said it was illegal, because it was a weapon. After contacting the Swiss Embassy, They said it was ok to ship it, just claim it as it is on the customs slip. We will find out in about nine months, when I go to ship it to the customer. In all fairness to the Postmaster, she did ask someone higher up before giving me her answer, so they don't even know everything.
 
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