Amazon fined £65000 for shipping lithium batteries

[Kudoscycles]

We have highlighted this offence on this forum before but now the CAA is tightening up on lithium battery shipment by air. The batteries involved are small mobile phone batteries not the big Ah that we use in our e-bikes.
These batteries were spotted by Royal Mail,sent through the normal postal service from the UK to Northern Ireland and UK to Jersey.
I am advised that the shipper,often makes a choice between road freight or airfreight,it is important to ensure that the package is correctly labelled to place the shipper under notice to avoid airfreight.
Be very careful when shipping batteries through couriers or Royal Mail.
KudosDave

 

[Fordulike]

My local post office doesn't even ask what's in the parcel any more. They've even taken down those little posters that inform you about the shipping restrictions.

If you're a person who doesn't post stuff regularly, then you wouldn't have a clue that shipping restrictions exist.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I have been warning people buying batteries from China about this for ages. Don't forget you as the importer are responsible for the battery and the way it had been transported as soon as the battery enters European waters or Airspace.

As Dave says this fine was served on Amazon for batteries that can be shipped by air. Anything over 100Wh cannot be shipped. Some Chinese battery sellers miss-declare all batteries as 100Wh. They don't care because thier customers will end up with the problem.

Be careful.

 

[RobF]

I bought a pattern Bosch Classic battery from Germany earlier this year.

For convenience, I had it delivered to my local bike shop.

The owner of the shop who has some experience in this regard reckoned it was not correctly labelled.

The battery arrived within a couple of days, although the website suggested it might take two weeks.

My guess is it was air-freighted, but the seller advertises the longer delivery time to give the impression he is using surface transport.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Its massively important that anyone buying ebike batteries and suspects them from being airfreighted insists they are sent by sea.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Even us so called 'experts'are struggling to keep up with the regulations,a new reg came out in April 2016.
Reading the rules is very complex and really needs a shipping expert to advise on packaging and labelling.
We sell a lot of cordless power tools and these in the past were exempt from class 9 (dangerous goods) but the Amazon fine has made me relook at the whole battery shipping situation.
Amazon were also fined over 300,000 dollars in the US,so the fines are very high.
At the moment I have stopped all battery shipments that are remote from the product,this includes road/sea or air.
The problem is that couriers can suddenly change from road to air,this happened in the Amazon case,they thought they were shipping by road but the courier changed to air,no correct labelling-Amazon were liable.
KudosDave

 

[KeithMac]

My local post office doesn't even ask what's in the parcel any more. They've even taken down those little posters that inform you about the shipping restrictions.

If you're a person who doesn't post stuff regularly, then you wouldn't have a clue that shipping restrictions exist.

I get asked every time at my normal Post Office what is in the parcel.

 

[the_killjoy]

I get asked every time at my normal Post Office what is in the parcel.

But if the shipper lies ...

 

[KeithMac]

Yes but if you read the second part of the post I quoted then if they did ask what was in the

But if the shipper lies ...

It would be the second part of my quote I was referring too.

"If you're a person who doesn't post stuff regularly, then you wouldn't have a clue that shipping restrictions exist."

I wouldn't have that issue if I were trying to post a battery and answered honestly.

I'm sure plenty lie about what they are shipping to get around restrictions, it's the way of the world..

 

[Fordulike]

I get asked every time at my normal Post Office what is in the parcel.

Mine is one of those little post office kiosks attached to a shop, so the shop assistants run both. Don't blame them for making things a little easier/less awkward for themselves.