UK postal laws for blades are changing

[Mechanic]

Originally Posted by Siwi

Royal Mail already prohibit illegal blades, but this change will also cover anything defined as a blade in the latest legislation, which specifically names hobby blades, gardening tools, scissors, exposed razors, etc. You can't even use an age verification service any more. Pathetic.

Do you have a source or reference for your assertion, a news clip perhaps? As I said before, I am no expert; you are making a very broad claim with no support, that frankly sounds implausible. I'm do not mean to be rude or disrespectful, but we seem to be living in a time where misinformation spreads like wildfire while conversely we literally have access to information at our fingertips.

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[Siwi]

Originally Posted by Mechanic

Do you have a source or reference for your assertion, a news clip perhaps? As I said before, I am no expert; you are making a very broad claim with no support, that frankly sounds implausible. I'm do not mean to be rude or disrespectful, but we seem to be living in a time where misinformation spreads like wildfire while conversely we literally have access to information at our fingertips.

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Not offended by someone asking for a source at all. In this case, the source is Royal Mail's own website - if you look under terms and prohibited items it explains the current rules and what will be changing on 22nd April, including explicitly that you can no longer use their age verification to do so. Prohibited goods - items you can't send through the post Several other sources are also reporting this story. It's not been confirmed yet by other couriers but given the way the law is worded it is highly likely they will also follow this practice - not least because it was using Amazon that one child managed to get a knife sent to them. There may be some way that other couriers use age verification to continue sending legal blades, but we don't know that yet.

[Vermin_King]

Bladed items
‘Knives or Blades’ defined by s141A Criminal Justice Act 1988 or ‘Bladed Products’ as defined by s41 of Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Such items include, but are not limited to, any knife blade, any kitchen knife (regardless of size or design), bread knives, knives that can be used for hobbies and trades (regardless of whether they are marketed as knives, for instance, utility knives and snap-off cutters), gardening and farming tools that have a blade, any trade tool that could commonly be described as a knife, butcher’s knives (including meat cleavers), cutlery knives, scissors with sharp edges, sporting equipment with a blade, replica and antique knives (including those used for re-enactment purposes), handmade and bespoke knives, open razors (where the blade is exposed), any axe, any sword, survival knives, or machete. Also, see Weapons below.
Please Note: It is the senders’ responsibility to ensure compliance with the law.

Damn ... that's just crazy. Remind me not to order a snowplow blade

[airdave]

While it does include "knives for hobbies" and "utility knives and snap-off cutters", Royal Mail list of "prohibited goods" does not include anything "nuclear".

So that fissionable material I ordered should be on its way.


[sarcasm. calm down FBI]

[Dave Pete]

Political insanity appears to be contagious and worldwide.

Just don't let them know about paper cuts, or paper will banned.

[murphyaa]

Originally Posted by Dave Pete

Political insanity appears to be contagious and worldwide.

Just don't let them know about paper cuts, or paper will banned.

Oh sure, just as I start offering preprinted models, they'll ban shipping paper through the mail.

[John Wagenseil]

Here is a list of articles that are banned by the UK postal service:
Letters & Parcels │ Prohibited and restricted items
It seems to be a rather inclusive list.

[SCEtoAUX]

So request that the delivery be made by UPS or FedEx or DHL or some other shipping company if available.
Maybe the online shops and stores that have online shopping will quit shipping by Royal Mail and start using a different delivery service.

[romanmodels]

I had better put in a big order of blades for both Razer and modelling. I think politicians have what little commonsense and sense of proportion removed on being elected.

[Siwi]

Originally Posted by SCEtoAUX

So request that the delivery be made by UPS or FedEx or DHL or some other shipping company if available.
Maybe the online shops and stores that have online shopping will quit shipping by Royal Mail and start using a different delivery service.

Well, I certainly hope that other carriers will still agree to ship legal blades. Currently DPD for example don't state anywhere they will be implimenting any new rules and just list 'knives' as a prohibited item, which might include hobby blades or not. But as mentioned, there is quite some probability other couriers will make similar prohibitions, because the source of all this was a child getting a knife over Amazon by using their parent's credit card and a 'just leave it at the door' note. No courier wants to get labelled as 'the one which is still shipping knives to kids' and we have a vicious tabloid press who run the country by whipping up hysteria based on half-truths and outright lies. Not only that, but you have to take a parcel to a collection centre and declare what's in it to post, and with the panic over this you might well get some ignorant jobsworth refusing to allow it.