Can someone clear this up for me?.....

M.FREEZE

M.FREEZE

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The other day I was at the post office and was shipping a knife. Or at least that was the plan. The only boxes they had in stock were the medium and large flat rate boxes. I had a small box in the truck, so I took the box I had and a padded envelope that the post office had, and went to the counter so I could see if there was any difference in shipping cost.
The lady a the counter said "that's a small box. What are you shipping?" This was not the is it liquid, hazardous, perishable, fragile etc... question. She asked directly what I was shipping. So I replied "a small pocket knife." Which it was, it was a slip joint that measured only 3" closed. Then she said " you can't ship weapons, no guns or knives" I halfway thought she was joking and told her if she thought that a pocket knife if this size was a weapon that she was crazy. She didn't laugh. So I asked how should I go about shipping it and she said that it is not allowed. One thing lead to another, and she then told me for insurance on a package you have to furnish a receipt stating the value of the item to be shipped.

Frustrated, I left and went to a different post office and was able to get a small flat rate box and shipped with no problems.

1) was this employee correct in anything she told me?
2) do you have to supply a receipt in order to prove insurance value on an item?
 
Not sure about #1, but definitely for #2. They have to have proof of how much your item costs otherwise there would be a plethora of people claiming X item got damaged and it was worth X dollars when it actually isn't. I've also been told it only applies to new items. If the item is used, they're probably not going to pay out on any insurance. I don't believe you must show the receipt when purchasing the insurance or shipping the item, but if you were to have to use the insurance I'm sure they'd need it.

This is just what I've been told be several USPS employees. If someone has conflicting or supporting information, please post your findings.
 
She was wrong in both instances. You just got unlucky sorry, but pocket knives ARE legal to ship. You should contact the manager.

P.S I got asked a couple times out of like 100 times shipping and they nobody gave a bats eye, and I'm here in California where everything is considered a weapon lol
 
LLPOF!

She's sadly misinformed but getting past her may be a challenge. There are several threads on here about the legality of shipping knives and how to do it. Some have the page, chapter, and verse of the manual showing it can be done. As long as the knife is shipped in a way that renders it safe, you are ok. You also don't have to provide a receipt to insure it. Probably to claim the insurance but not to purchase it.

Almost all the slipjoints I've gotten in the mail had been wrapped in a plastic bag of some sort, wrapped in tape, and secured in a box. Extra points if the box doesn't rattle. But as long as the knife is packaged in such a way that it can't open in transit you should be good to go. If you are going to use the envelope you might want to tape the seams for peace of mind's sake.

Good luck. Is it possible that tomorrow a different clerk might be on duty - or a supervisor to ask?
 
Pocket knives are legal to send in the mail or else a lot of internet knife sellers would be out of business. In any case, when asked what is in the box, the correct answer is "camping tool".
 
Thanks for all of the answers. I figured it was best to just leave the situation. I wasn't going to argue or be too persistent. I found it pretty shocking that she actually asked what it was I was shipping. To be fair, I've shipped 20+ "camping tool" from the same post office, and half of the time it's been this employee that I'm talking about.
 
She was wrong in everything she said. I know a few things have changed from the days I was a USPS manager, but we do occasionally run into postal clerks who don't know their jobs, and she is a classic.

They aren't supposed to ask what it is, only if it is hazardous.
People ship Busses all the time, and Himalayan Imports khukuris, a pocket knife is good to go.
Insurance does not require proof of anything when mailing.

Restrain, insert brain, retrain!
 
Of course Esav is right .I often ship knives and the only comment I have ever gotten that was once the friendly older lady that seems to always be there said while lifting the small box "pocket knife?" to that I replied "Yep" and she said "I thought so ,they weigh a lot for the size" and finished the transaction with a smile.
 
The fine ladies at my PO always know that when I show up, I am either shipping or receiving a knife. If they aren't busy they will even ask to see it.
I guess some people are just set in their ways.
 
My PO guy always likes to talk about knives. If I don't know what something is, he alwyas says "must be a big knife".
 
I'd have asked for the manager so she could get some badly needed on the job training.

On a side note, the best way to loose an expensive small object is to ship it in a really small box.
 
I always pack stuff up at home and then bring it in. Just make sure you have what you need at home, I always take multiple every time I go because I never know when I might need to ship something. But anyways it is legal.
 
I find it much easier and more convenient to go to the USPS online and fill out, pay for, and print a label at home. You can add the tracking number (as they are now called) for free and any amount of insurance you care to pay for. Then you can pack your knife and tape the label to the box and be on your way. I always keep a small supply of the various box sizes at home (no charge from the post office). With a properly packed and labeled box you can walk right in a drop the box at the counter without waiting in line (several post office employees have confirmed this). The only thing to be aware of is making sure you choose the proper date of shipment for the label you're printing (defaults to the present day).

I guess this was a bit off topic but the reason I chimed in was because I'm rarely asked about what's in the box since I'm just handing it over. The few times I have been asked, it was just the hazardous materials/liquids question. And you may already know all of this. Mike
 
For what its worth, today, while shipping pocketknives in a usps box, the clerk just asked casually what was in the box. Not thinking ( I can do that quite well these days ) answered a few pocketknives. Politely she showed me a laminated USPS list showing that knives and razors can only be shipped between authorized dealers. I did not require a better look because she stamped it and said she would overlook the situation. Just sayin'........Herb
 
I've shipped a rifle via USPS. Lady clerk had to consult with her manager, who told her it was perfectly fine. Gotta love the looks of consternation that it causes. :D
 
She was totally wrong about everything in the entire experience. Sounds like a frustrated petty bureaucrat trying to be important.
 
Please be aware that in shipping knives, some handle materials are Restricted for Export from the USA. These are the exotic, and not so exotic, handle materials. Stag, Rosewood, some of the other Exotic Woods, Abalone,MOP, I think. I'm not sure of the entire list. Info available at Dept of Interior?
 
Haven't had this happen with knives but I have had it happen with a gun stock. I was shipping a stock (wood only) to a guy in Texas for some work. The woman at the UPS store asked me what it was, I replied gun stock and then she proceeded to tell me she couldn't ship gun parts. I packed up my stuff and went to fedex, got the same question but this time I replied "it's a piece of wood". From then on I always go to the main UPS hub location in my town. The guy who works the counter there is always really friendly and helpful. He also seems to have an interest in firearms and was real helpful when it came time to ship a shotgun I sold.

When I don't go there, I use USPS which is hit or miss depending on location and who is working. The closest location is one of those tobacco store places and has two employees. The male employee is always nice and always ask when I ship gun parts if I have anything he needs for his guns. The female on the other hand is somewhat rude (she does seem to be warming up to me lately though) and always seems to overcharge me somehow. I've shipped the same item, the same way, to similar locations and it was nearly $2 cheaper with the male employee. Haven't figured out why, but I always try to avoid her when I can. The main branch is completely useless and slowest operation I've seen in my life and probably is the reason USPS is in financial trouble. It takes almost a hour to get in and out of there for anything other than buying stamps.
 
rma100 said:
Please be aware that in shipping knives, some handle materials are Restricted for Export from the USA. These are the exotic, and not so exotic, handle materials. Stag, Rosewood, some of the other Exotic Woods, Abalone,MOP, I think. I'm not sure of the entire list. Info available at Dept of Interior?
Click to expand...

Commerce

From my annual Export Refresher class handbook...

"The government separates its export controls into two principal categories, one for
defense items and one for primarily commercial (nondefense) items. Most commercial
items and some less sensitive military items are covered by the Export Administration
Regulations (EAR), administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the
U.S. Department of Commerce. The EAR is the focus of this handbook. Most defense
items are covered by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The ITAR
is administered by the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls
(DTC)."
 
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