Shipping Dangerous Goods
It is very important to understand dangerous goods and what products fall under that category. By understanding how this aspect of the shipping process functions you can avoid any unforeseen delays and costs that accumulate at customs.
What are Dangerous Goods?
Dangerous Goods are items that may endanger the safety of an aircraft or persons on board the aircraft. Many common items can be considered dangerous goods. The air transportation of them can either be forbidden or restricted. As shown in the table below, they are classified into nine classes according to the type of danger materials or items present and there are only several types of Dangerous Goods we can ship. Each country has its own laws and regulations for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Some items are prohibited and cannot be imported into some countries. Please click here for details.
Before placing orders for wipes containing alcohol, please provide us with an MSDS (material safety data sheet) to confirm that we can ship.
| Class | Classification | Dangerous Goods Examples | |
| Items OPAS Cannot Ship | Items OPAS Can Ship | ||
| 1 | Explosives | Fireworks, Firecrackers, Ammunition | |
| 2 | Gases | Butane Lighter Fuel, Diving Tanks, Camping Gas, Butane Gas, Spray, Fire Extinguishers | |
| 3 | Flammable Liquids | Misc Hair Products (Hair growth treatment solution, Hair Color products), Paint, Lighter Fluid, Alcoholic Beverages | |
| 4 | Flammable Solids | Matches, Charcoal | |
| 5 | Oxidizing Substances | Oxygen Generating Chemicals, Peroxide/Bleaching Powder | |
| 6 | Toxic & Infectious Substances | Insecticide, Pesticides, Agricultural Chemicals | |
| 7 | Radioactive Material | Enriched Uranium, Radioactive ores, Isotopes and some Medical Equipment or Parts, Smoke Detectors, etc. | |
| 8 | Corrosives | Liquid Batteries, Mercury | |
| 9 | Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods | Electronic Cigarettes, Engines, Other Materials, such as Dry Ice, Asbestos, and Substances that have Anesthetizing or Toxic Effects on the Human Body and that may irritate or annoy. | All items must be less than 500ml per container bottle: Lithium Batteries (*3), Power Banks/Portable Battery Charger, Perfume/Cologne (*1), Nail Polish, Hand Sanitizers, Essential Oils (*2), Fragrance Mists |
*1) We can ship perfumes internationally to some countries but most will have a limit of the quantity and carrier options allowed to ship. Typically, small amounts of these items for personal use is allowed, but for shipments with larger quantities please contact customer service for more details.
(*2) MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet, a document containing information about the potential hazards of a product) is required for some essential oils, hair Products (Hair growth treatment solution, Hair Color products).
(*3) Lithium batteries installed inside equipment (limited to those meeting certain criteria) can be shipped.
How OPAS can help
OPAS is a licensed shipper of Dangerous Goods and we are very familiar with the process of shipping dangerous goods. A few ways that we assist our customers in this area are:
- Preparing in accordance with ADR Regulations for ground shipments
- Preparing in accordance with IATA Regulations for air shipments
- Properly identifying, classifying, marking, and packaging the shipment
- Filling out the proper documentation according to international regulations
We wanted to make things as easy as possible for our customers which is why we do most of the legwork. When submitting your shipping request add a note under “Special Instructions” stating that you are aware that you are shipping a Dangerous Good item. Depending on your location and selected carrier shipping fees may be higher as some carriers do not allow is to combine Dangerous Goods items with regular shipments. Please refer to Step 5 on Special Instruction field here: https://opas.com/how-it-works-2/
Are there additional fees when shipping dangerous goods?
OPAS does not charge additional fees associated with Dangerous Goods but couriers do. It is dependent upon the item and destination country but fees from the courier usually range between $107.5 – $145 USD which will be passed on to the customer. The courier fees that occur will be charged to your OPAS account along with the shipping fees. If you are using a credit or debit card on file we will charge the card. If you are using your PayPal account, we will send a notification through PayPal to complete the payment.
Important:
- As shipping Dangerous Goods requires special packing and labeling, we might need to use a bigger box to pack the item. The shipping fee might be a little bit higher because the actual weight (scale weight) or the dimensional weight (measurement of the space the package occupies), whichever is greater is used to calculate the shipping fee. (The smallest shipping box for Dangerous Goods is 13 lbs dimensional weight. Roughly the total of the shipping fees + the dangerous goods fees averages to about $250.00 – $400.00 or more per shipment. For questions contact our Customer Service team at service@opas.com.)
- DG and non DG were required to be packed and shipped separately, so the shipping requests need to be sent separately.
- Please allow us a few extra days for declaring, packaging and labeling Dangerous Goods after submitting a shipment request.
- We may ask you to contact the supplier to provide an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). An MSDS is a document containing information about the potential hazards of a product, and how to safely handle it. It is required for all potentially dangerous products.
Please email us at service@opas.com before placing an order that might be considered a dangerous good to verify the possibility of shipping the item and to understand the regulations and fees involved. Please include your shipping address city name, zip code, the quantity you are planning to send and product URL in the email.
Lithium batteries that are NOT pre-installed in the item they are meant to power, such as power bank, hand sanitizers, nail enamels, perfumes, essential oils, and fragrance mists.
- Lithium ion battery (DG) can be shipped without DG special handling fee if it’s packed with the equipment that is meant to power. For example, if you ship laptop and 2 spare lithium batteries for that laptop, there is no DG fee. Up to 2 spare batteries can be packed with the equipment and each spare batteries have to be under 100Wh (wattage hours) and can not exceed 5kg total battery weight per package(shipping box).
If cell phone battery is packed with laptop, that battery is not meant to power laptop, so battery is considered DG and DG fee and conditions apply. The key is if it is meant to power that equipment that is packed in the same shipment. The battery needs to be new and has to be from manufactures that issue MSDS (Material Safety Data sheet). Used battery are unacceptable. - Carriers charge Dangerous Goods Handling fee $107.5 – $145 in addition to shipping fee.
- If purchasing perfumes from individual seller instead of store, please make sure the contents are packed in original retail box with enough packing material to avoid leak and damage.
- DG items need to be packed in a special box. The box is large enough to have all the stickers for special handling. Carriers charges shipping fee based on scale weight and cargo space it takes, so the shipping fee is calculated by dimensional weight, 13 lbs. Even for small bottle of perfume, the overall shipping fees will be estimated for roughly $200 or more, depending on the destination.
- DG and non DG are required to be packed and shipped separately, so shipping requests must be sent separately.
- Regular repacking process is 48 hours after receiving a shipping request, but for DG, please allow extra business day.
- For essential oil, please check with the store/supplier to see if they could provide MSDS (Material Safety Data sheet) before you purchase as depending on the ingredient, they may be considered flammable and dangerous goods for shipping.
- When sending us a shipping request, please add DG fees acceptable in Special instruction field, please refer to step 5. https://opas.com/how-it-works-2/
