If you’re considering selling nail polish, you may be wondering if it’s allowed to send nail polish through the mail, and if so, what are the rules for shipping it? “You can’t send nail polish through the mail,” many well-meaning people have told you, because it’s a flammable liquid. While nail polish is highly flammable, the fact is that you can ship nail polish through the United States Postal Service. You simply need to know the USPS shipping restrictions and regulations to properly mail nail polish.
The Department of Transportation regulates if and how hazardous materials can be shipped, and USPS follows point regulations. The USPS website lists items that are prohibited, meaning they can never be mailed. Examples of such categories for domestic USPS shipments include airbags, ammunition, explosives, gasoline, and marijuana (whether for medical or any other purpose).
Anything that is prohibited domestically is also prohibited internationally, and many times there are additional prohibitions, including some that depend on the country you are shipping to.
nail polish is prohibited in international shipments; may not ship from the usa uu. to other countries. restricted items can be mailed if requirements are met, or sometimes only under certain conditions. Many items are subject to USPS shipping restrictions, including aerosol sprays, alcohol, paint, perfume, perishable foods, and, yes, nail polish.
Not that USPS cares about shipping liquids; USPS is concerned about the hazardous nature of the liquid being shipped. nail polish is classified as a hazard due to its flammability. Requirements and restrictions for mailing flammable items depend on the item’s flash point, or the temperature at which it could catch fire. regulations for flash point levels of flammable and combustible liquids are:
- Flammable, cannot be mailed: Below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees Celsius)
- Flammable, can only be mailed surface/airless mail: 20 degrees fahrenheit (-7 degrees celsius) up to 100 degrees fahrenheit (38 degrees celsius)
- flammable but may be reclassified as combustible: 100 degrees fahrenheit (38 degrees celsius) ) to 140 degrees fahrenheit (60 degrees celsius)
- combustible, can be mailed to surface and possibly air: 140 degrees fahrenheit to 200 degrees fahrenheit (93 degrees celsius)
- not regulated, no restrictions: above 200 degrees fahrenheit (93 degrees celsius)
Nail polish from different manufacturers may have slightly different flash points, but they all have flash points of around 25 degrees Fahrenheit and are therefore highly flammable. however, keep in mind that nail polish does not turn on by itself; it must be exposed to a flame, spark or other ignition element to catch fire. In addition to nail polish liquid, its vapors are also highly flammable, so it’s important to ensure nail polish bottle caps are secure and free of cracks or chips that could allow liquid or vapors to escape. leak or allow lids to break.
The main receptacle that holds the nail polish bottles may not exceed the capacity of 1 quart if metal and 1 pint if non-metal. this receptacle must have a screw cap of at least one and a half turns or a cap for soldering or other secure attachment; friction caps are not acceptable. multiple smaller receptacles are permitted as long as the total quantity per piece of mail does not exceed the restriction of 1 quart for metal and 1 pint for non-metal.
This primary container should be placed in a secondary receptacle with sufficient cushioning material to prevent breakage and sufficient absorption material to absorb any liquid that may be spilled. the secondary packaging must be securely sealed and placed in an outer packaging that is strong enough to securely hold the primary receptacle and protective materials.
On the package, on the address side, write “surface only” or “surface mail only” in indelible ink. also, write “orm -d” on the package. this stands for “Other Regulated Material – Domestic,” indicating that the package contains a hazardous material consumer product. that means it can be sold at retail to consumers who will use limited amounts of the product for their own use. alternatively, a postal employee can mark the package with the official dot stamp signifying that it contains an orm-d.