how do people post mobile phones to UK these days?

Andy From Sligo

I see An Post will not accept mobile phones or anything with a battery in it now these days so for people who want to sell a Mobile Phone on ebay these days and have to send it by air mail to the winning bidder in the UK , how do people get it delivered to them these days?

Whats the reasoning, is it because they think the battery will explode/catch fire on the flight? - if thats it why are they not banning people full stop from getting on planes with mobile phones and anything else that have batteries in them?

ED E

Its because of a plane crash in 2010.

UPS Airlines Flight 6 was a cargo flight operated by UPS Airlines. On September 3, 2010, a Boeing 747-400 flying the route between Dubai International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport developed an in-flight fire, with the fumes and subsequent crash resulting in the death of the two crewmembers.[2][3] The aircraft had departed Dubai International earlier, but returned after reporting smoke in the cockpit. It was the first fatal air crash for UPS Airlines.[4] The crash caused an examination of safety procedures protecting airliners from cockpit smoke.

On July 24, 2013,[25] the GCAA released the final investigation report. The report indicated that the fire was caused by the autoignition of the contents of a cargo pallet, which contained "a significant number" of lithium type batteries and "other combustible materials"

You're allowed to take up to three laptops worth of batteries (from memory) onto a plane as they're on your person and not packed in a pallet. If one starts getting warm and smoking you'll probably notice and the cabin crew can handle it. In a shipping pallet conditions are different.


Often packages from china get "bounced" when they notice they contain batteries and get sent via surface mail. An post still receive them regularly, but as a receiver its not their problem as the sending carrier and the logistics company are the ones with a conflict.

If you pay enough some of the other couriers will accept them IIRC.

eamonnq

'The man' doesn't want you getting cheap mobiles from China and places like that, so they come up with this stuff to allow the powers that be to stop them being sent cheaply. Tinfoil hats for everyone!!

BattleReady

You can send them with ParcelDirect ie no problem only about 13e to the UK with collection

VincePP

eamonnq wrote: »

'The man' doesn't want you getting cheap mobiles from China and places like that, so they come up with this stuff to allow the powers that be to stop them being sent cheaply. Tinfoil hats for everyone!!

complete and utter BULL

Andy From Sligo

Courier at between 13 to 20 Euro make it awful expensive now then for delivery charge to post phones over the UK on eBay then , more than likely be better off just selling my used mobile phones in Ireland then from now on

L1011

eamonnq wrote: »

'The man' doesn't want you getting cheap mobiles from China and places like that, so they come up with this stuff to allow the powers that be to stop them being sent cheaply. Tinfoil hats for everyone!!

No, they 'came up' with this after the UPS flight that crashed, killing all crew, due to a lithium battery fire.

Andy From Sligo

so it seems to be if I want to order something like a mobile phone or some gadget with a battery inside it will come air mail no problem from UK to Ireland ... but it doesnt look like it will be accepted from other way round i.e. post from Ireland to UK. Strange that ... and inconsistent. Maybe batteries only short out and catch fire in one direction!

Victor

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

so it seems to be if I want to order something like a mobile phone or some gadget with a battery inside it will come air mail no problem from UK to Ireland ... but it doesnt look like it will be accepted from other way round i.e. post from Ireland to UK. Strange that ... and inconsistent. Maybe batteries only short out and catch fire in one direction!

It will be down to the policies of the particular carrier, not the postal operator. If the carriers used by An Post is different to the one used by Royal Mail, then differences in policy will arise. I've seen Parcel Force (Royal Mail parcel company) trucks in Dublin, so at least some post from Britain arrives by land / sea.

Passenger carriers (hundreds of passengers and crew) will be much more wary of such issues than dedicated air cargo carriers (crew of 2-10).