Explains limitations with some US-based carriers and shipping vape products from ecommerce merchants.
New shipping policies have a huge impact on businesses that ship vape devices and related products. We are actively working to find different options for you and will provide updates when we have a solution.
ShipStation has partnered with regional carriers that will ship vape products to consumers:
-
GLS (US) Only available in California, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado (requires GLS approval)
ShipStation is currently working on adding local delivery providers for some major US cities and Canada, as well as providers that will allow you to drop off shipments at a business for consumer pickup. Check our Vape Shipping Community group for further updates and advice.
USPS, FedEx, and UPS have all ended shipping for electronic vaping devices and the related component parts to homes in 2021. The vape shipping bans went into effect on the following dates for each carrier:
-
FedEx: March 1st, 2021
-
UPS: April 5th, 2021
-
USPS: April 26th, 2021
These limitations are not only in place for purely USPS services, but also hybrid services such as Mail Innovations or SurePost that use USPS for last-mile delivery.
This restriction is part of the COVID Stimulus bill (see page 5,136) that recently added these substances and devices to the PACT Act of 2009.
For more information on the FedEx policy, read FedEx’s 2021 Service Guide.