Can you mail an emu to your sister in Ohio? Yep.
You want to send your brother-in-law’s ashes to his son in Taiwan. Not a problem.
Sending a durian fruit to someone who loves it? That would be a big NO.
It turns out that modern U.S. Postal Services go way beyond letters, postcards, bills, junk mail, and the occasional birthday bracelet.
A Brief History of the Post Office
On July 26, 1775, at the beginning of the American Revolution, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia founded the United States Post Office. They appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general (he had plenty of experience as the postmaster of Philadelphia since 1737). The passage of the Postal Service Act in 1792 officially created the Post Office Department.
The appointment of local postmasters was a major venue for delivering patronage jobs to the party that controlled the White House. For this reason, newspaper editors often got the job.
The Post Office became a cabinet-level department in 1872.
It wasn’t until 1970 that the U.S. Postal Service became an independent agency. The signing of the Postal Reorganization Act by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970, replaced the cabinet-level Post Office Department with a new federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service, effective as of July 1, 1971.
The Cost of Mail
Much as we bemoan every increase in the cost of stamps, the U.S.P.S. has the most affordable domestic letter price of 31 countries studied. In June 2023, foreign currencies, converted to U.S. dollars, revealed that a U.S. stamp was approximately one-third of the average price of domestic stamps. The next most affordable postal systems, Australia and Japan, are nearly 25% less affordable than U.S.P.S.
Why is a first class letter so inexpensive? Federal law allows the price of first class stamps to increase only at the rate of inflation. The use of first class stamps has declined during the current era of email, Instagram, text messages, and social media. And, as of April 12, 2007, savvy buyers can load up on Forever Stamps at the old rate before new rates go into effect.
Package rates do not follow the same constraints as letters. Shipping rates are determined by a package’s weight, dimensions, rate tier, and the distance between the ship-from and ship-to location (referred to as a zone). Although the package rates of U.S.P.S. are competitive, they aren’t particularly low.
For most packages, the shipper has alternatives: UPS, FedEx, etc. However, be aware: the United States Postal Service offers the only legal method of shipping cremated remains domestically or internationally.
I did not explore what other shippers will handle, but the Post Office can probably accommodate almost all of one’s shipping needs. In fact, commercial shipping companies often have “last-mile” agreements with the Post Office, under which the shipping company will take a package to the Post Office closest to the final destination, and U.S.P.S. letter carriers then take the package that last bit to final delivery.
Mailable Live Animals
Many live animals are mailable under proper conditions.
Bees
Honeybees and queen honeybees must be free of disease, as required under federal and state regulations. The following additional conditions apply:
- Honeybees
- Honeybees are acceptable to mail only via surface transportation.
- Mailpieces must be plainly marked on the address side with “Live Bees” and “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only.”
- Queen Honeybees
- Queen honeybees may be shipped via air or surface transportation.
- Each mailpiece shipped via air transportation is limited to one queen and eight or less attendant honeybees.
Baby Birds
The following live, day–old fowl are acceptable for mailing when properly packaged:
- Chickens
- Ducks
- Emus
- Geese
- Guinea birds
- Partridges
- Pheasants (only during April through August)
- Quail
- Turkeys
However, day–old poultry vaccinated with Newcastle disease (live virus) is not legal to mail.
Adult Birds
With proper packaging, you can ship disease-free adult birds domestically IF you are in compliance with all applicable governmental laws and regulations, including the Lacey Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Animal Welfare Act, regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and any state, municipal, or local ordinances.
Mailings must also be compliant with the requirements provided in USPS Publication 14, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Mailing Animals, Plants, and Related Matter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also requires that you mark each package according to the rules in 50 CFR 14.
Besides having proper packaging, adult birds must be able to sustain shipment without food or water because liquids, moisture, and loose foodstuffs can cause damage to the shipping container, other mail, and Postal Service equipment during transport.
Scorpions
Restrictions in 18 U.S.C 1716 limit the mailing of scorpions. Under this limitation, scorpions are mailable only when sent for the purposes of medical research or the manufacture of antivenin. Please do not try to mail scorpions under any other circumstances!
Cold-Blooded Animals
“Snail mail” will actually mail snails!
If you properly package your small (no more than 20 inches!) cold–blooded animals, you can mail them through the U.S. Postal service. However, snakes, turtles, and turtle eggs are exceptions – wildlife rules prohibit shipping those through the mail.
- Baby alligators and caimans
- Chameleons
- Frogs
- Lizards
- Newts
- Reptiles and amphibians
- Salamanders
- Tadpoles and toads
- Goldfish and tropical fish
- Worms
- Bloodworms
- Mealworms
- Hellgrammites
- Leeches
- Snails
- Nonpoisonous insects
Dead Animals in the Mail
Mailing dead animals or animal parts is a bit tricker. You can only mail dead bodies, or parts, of wild animals, wild birds, or eggs if they meet specific conditions:
- They are lawfully killed or taken.
- The law of the United States or of the state, territory, district, or foreign country or subdivision in which killed or taken or offered for shipment does not prohibit their shipment.
- You’ve packaged them in such a way that they will not pose a health or contamination risk.
Prohibited or Restricted Mail
The Post Office outright prohibits mailing many things that are potentially hazardous.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Handguns (although unloaded rifles and shotguns are allowed)
- Cigarettes (since 2010, unless you’re in Alaska or Hawaii and shipping within the state)
- Drugs in any form*
- Switchblades (unless the person you’re sending them to works for law enforcement)
- Animal-fighting materials, accessories, and paraphernalia
*But what about prescription drugs? Under Federal law, it is illegal for most people to mail prescription drugs or pills. Only eligible entities approved by the DEA are allowed to send prescription medications through the mail.
You can only mail liquids and powders if they are are nonhazardous (i.e., not regulated as hazardous materials) and you have properly labeled them and packed everything in sealed containers. To send more than 4 oz, you need to triple-pack the container with insulating materials in leakproof, sealed containers. Surprisingly (to me), you can mail small amounts of poison, including cyanide, arsenic, and tear gas.
Any matter that emits an obnoxious odor (think durian) is nonmailable.
Miscellaneous Other Items Prohibited or Restricted
- Air Bags
- Ammunition
- Automobiles
- Biological Materials
- Ceramic Tableware
- Cultural Artifacts and Cultural Property
- Defense Articles or Items with Military or Proliferation Applications
- Dog and Cat Fur
- Drug Paraphernalia
- Explosives
- Prior Notice for Food Importation
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Game and Hunting Trophies
- Gasoline
- Gold
- Haitian Animal Hide Drums
- Liquid mercury
- Marijuana (although hemp/CBD is allowed)
- Medication
- Merchandise from Embargoed Countries
- Pets
- Photographic Film
- Plants and Seeds
- Soil
Note: the lists above are illustrative, not comprehensive.
Other People’s Mail
Section 1708, Title 18, of the United States Code addresses the question of opening someone else’s mail. According to this code, opening, destroying, or hiding mail addressed to another person is a federal crime. The only exception would be where another party has a Power of Attorney or similar legal power (for example, if you are declared incompetent, etc.). Under the law, even opening mail addressed to your spouse or ex-spouse is a Federal crime.
Similarly, even intentionally taking a letter addressed to someone else, from someplace other than your mailbox, is a federal crime that could potentially land you in prison for up to five years.
But don’t panic! Provided there is no malicious intent, the legal system typically does not treat the accidental opening of another person’s mail as a criminal act. However, intentionally misusing mail belonging to someone else may fall under obstruction of correspondence, mail tampering, or mail fraud.
If you have a problem with someone taking or opening your mail, it is a postal crime. You should file a complaint with the Postal Service, and they will handle the matter.
If you get mail with your address but a different name, mark it “Return to Sender” and send it back with your outgoing mail.
How do you stop junk mail from being delivered to your house? To opt out permanently: Go to optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to start the process. But to complete your request, you’ll need to sign and return the Permanent Opt-Out Election form you’ll get after you’ve started the process.
Bottom Line: USPS regulations are extensive and complicated. You can browse regulations at usps.com, or you can get relevant information quickly and easily with an online search. For example, search online for “Can I mail XXX by USPS?” and you will get the correct info quickly and easily.
