Can you ship a cordless drill with a Ni-Cd battery in a USPS Priority Flat Rate Box?

[sycamore1743]

I can't seem to find a definitive answer. And, if you can ship it, does it require special packaging? I bought a new cordless drill with two Lithium batteries recently from Fry's and it was shipped USPS with no special packaging.

[selmon_97]

https://www.usps.com/ship/shipping-restrictions.htm

[disneyshopper]

From that link posted in the first reply:

Lithium BatteriesCollapseFAQ question

For domestic mailings only, small consumer-type primary lithium cells or batteries (lithium metal or lithium alloy) like those used to power cameras and flashlights are mailable domestically under certain conditions.

At one time, these could only be shipped via a GROUND method, so no Priority, as they go by air.  I would check with your local post office.

[a_c_green]

If I recall right, the restrictions generally involve Lithium batteries being shipped in bulk. One or two batteries already installed in the device that they will be powering are not a shipping hazard.

[sycamore1743]

Thanks for the link. It's strange that there are no domestic restrictions for any batteries other than Lithium, but they ask you if there are ANY batteries in your package at the Post Office.

[sycamore1743]

So, what happens at the Post Office if you answer yes to the question regarding ANY batteries. No Priority? Ground only?

[a_c_green]

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@sycamore1743 wrote:
So, what happens at the Post Office if you answer yes to the question regarding ANY batteries. No Priority? Ground only?

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First, the clerk will look startled because no one's ever said "Yes" to the Lithium battery question before.  Once the deer-in-the-headlights expression passes, they may have some followup questions on exactly what batteries are in the package and how they're configured (e.g. installed in the device, packed separately, etc.)

The nitty gritty details can be found here: https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_027.htm?q=349.11&t=H&s=R&p=1&c=Pub52

Basically, as I said, as long as you're just shipping the batteries normally used to power the device along with or in the device itself, you should be okay. Reading the link above so that you know what to refer them to, if necessary, would be helpful. Me, I would probably just answer No to the original question, as my shipment would conform and I don't feel like arguing details with the clerk, and then I can move on to other things.

[remote_controls_and_more]

Nickel–cadmium batteries don't explode like lithium ion. I'm not saying they can't under certain conditions but way more stable then lithium ion.