Help - Royal Mail package prohibited item

[Fridge4211]

Bought 3 pistols privately. Guy sent them Royal Mail signed for. Check tracking one is being tested for being a prohibited item. Only thing sender can think is may be the gas magazine. Are the going to destroy the whole parcel or what. Will it be at the local sorting office for testing or what. I’ll be raging if it’s destroyed. 

Cheers

 

[L3wisD]

If royal mail confiscate it or destroy it or whatever.. if it doesn't reach you because royal mail have  intervened in some way then that is the sellers problem.

If that does happen and the tracking shows that, then he needs to refund you without hesitation.

 

[LightningCh]

So I don't know how it works if the parcel is tested.
But I do know that Firearms are Prohibited, and obviously, airsoft guns are considered "firearms" (IF, or RIF) at first look (hence why the tests)

Noone should ever send any RIF or IF through Royal Mail. (ParcelForce48 are the best option for this apparently, as much as I hate them)
And gas mags should also be empty of all gas (annoying as you end up with leaky mags until the seals expand again/are replaced)

Seller should have done that kind of research before hand really...

Sorry to say though that RM have the freedom to do what they see fit with it if it's deemed "prohibited", which includes destruction of the parcel in whole or just the offending part.

Hopefully it will pass the tests but I personally know I wouldn't hold my breath. And as Lewis said, get a refund in immediately if it gets confiscated/destroyed

 

[Tommikka]

They may return it to the sender, but the likely outcome is destruction

The restricted & prohibited lists should always be checked, even if a carrier allows an item  one method it can be restricted on others 

Unless you requested the specific carriage then it’s the senders responsibility 

They only have comeback on Royal Mail if they correctly declared and were given explicit wrong advice by RM staff ... and can prove that wrong advice was with them giving the right info

Any insurance is invalid, start your claim for a refund now with PayPal (hopefully you used PayPal, and didn’t evade fees etc) otherwise ask for you money back 

 

[Fridge4211]

It says sporting guns and components are allowed. 

1 is being held at stanstead airport. The other isnt coming up on any list. 

But got one delivered this morning. 

Bizarre.

 

[proffrink]

I know you've already mentioned it, but the magazine is your biggest concern. They should be fully disassembled otherwise they count as a 'pressured container' and will be destroyed.

 

[AshOnSnow]

Magazine is the issue here, but the manager at the post office said that it shouldn’t be an issue if they’re depressurised - and have a label attached stating “depressurised/empty vessel”. But I also read online in the additional fine print that they are prohibited EVEN when empty.

Airsoft Ammo is specifically listed as allowed

NiMH batteries are allowed, if new and unopened.

Li-Po batteries are allowed, but only if sent with the equipment they work with.

Gas Cartridges are prohibited, even when empty.

You have to use ParcelForce 48 to send airsoft guns (which can fall into the low-powered air weapons category). One would have trouble arguing that the magazine is a component part, since official home office guidance states “magazines, sights and furniture are not considered component parts.

It falls to the sender to comply with the regulations.

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[Tommikka]

Things changed recently with the latest iteration on UN regulations on ‘Carriage of Dangerous Goods’, and accordingly put into transportation legislation, TPED, ADR etc

Prevously (depending on transportation method) pressure vessels’ could just be depressurized and transported, now wherever legislation covers pressure vessels it is irrelevant as to whether they are pressurised or not, and therefore would need some form of disassembly so that they are only the parts

 

[Fridge4211]

Sporting guns and components allowed to be sent magazine is a component but I guess we will need to wait and see.

shower of bastards

 

[LightningCh]

really we should all just use parcelforce48 and keep it standardised IMO... Although i do really hate Parcelfarce48... Always goes wrong somehow...

 

[Fridge4211]

hindsight for me. Unfortunately I didn’t know, and was a private sale so.. fingers crossed if it does get destroyed it was the cheap one as there’s also still one missing!!!

 

[CES_williamson]

Ive had this happen before, was a GBB pistol, was confiscated and destroyed, this was about 4 years ago and still never received compensation or an answer! In future parcel force *48*hr will take airsoft guns off private sellers, just make sure to declare them!

 

[proffrink]

Actually they'll only accept it on Parcelforce 48. Don't use 24.

 

[CES_williamson]

Actually they'll only accept it on Parcelforce 48. Don't use 24.

My apologies, trade accounts are accepted on 24hr! corrected now, been a while since I sent something as a private seller XD

 

[AshOnSnow]

Sporting guns and components allowed to be sent magazine is a component but I guess we will need to wait and see.

shower of bastards

Actually, the Royal Mail reference home office guidelines for many of their definitions. Read that and you’ll find:

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