Book a courier restricted items

The following items are banned or prohibited from being shipped via a courier. Many of these items are also not able to be sold on Trade Me. You can see a list of these from our Banned & restricted list.

• Dangerous goods
  Can't be sent via Book a Courier – specialist dangerous goods freight is required.
• Prohibited items
  Can't be sent without written agreement between the sender and courier.
• Valuable items
  Generally not accepted for carriage, or likely exceed the parcel value limit.
• Perishable items
  Items that are perishable in nature can't be sent via Book a Courier.

Dangerous goods

• Acid (of any type).
• Adhesive products (containing flammable liquid, e.g. quick drying glue).
• Aerosol cans (e.g. hairspray, deodorant).
• Air bag (car).
• Alarm devices (gas or battery powered).
• Alcohol (more than 5 litres or 70% alc/vol).
• Alkaline.
• Ammonia-based products.
• Animals (except correctly packaged bees, leeches, silkworms and harmless insects).
• Anti-freeze.
• Appliances (containing batteries).
• Asbestos.
• Bank and credit cards.
• Barometers.
• Batteries (non-lithium, contained in any appliance – batteries must be removed and packaged separately).
• Batteries (lithium-metal or lithium-ion (incl. lithium-ion polymer).
• Batteries (car or wet cell).
• Battery or brake fluid.
• Blasting caps (including caps for starting or toy guns).
• Bleach (including hair bleaches).
• Bullets.
• Camphor.
• Carbon paper.
• Caustic soda.
• Charcoal.
• Chemicals (incl. for swimming pool).
• Chlorates and chlorine.
• Christmas crackers.
• Cleaning materials (liquid or powder) (inc. disinfectants and laundry detergents)
• Coins, currency, traveller’s cheques, bonds and shares.
• Collectibles, antiques, paintings, sculpture or other work of art.
• Compressed air.
• Drugs or narcotics (unless in prescription quantities and packaged correctly). Additional restrictions apply for international services – for details refer to the conditions of carriage of Prohibited items below.
• Dry ice (or liquid nitrogen).
• Dyes (including hair and textile dyes).
• Essential oils (e.g. eucalyptus, tea tree).
• Fertilisers.
• Fibre glass repair kits.
• Fire extinguishers.
• Fire and flint lighters.
• Firearms (incl. parts and ammunition). A firearm part can be defined as:
  • Firearm parts or any piece of a firearm that is designed or intended to be an integral part of a firearm, or
  • Any part or item that can be affixed to a firearm where its intended purpose is to make the firearm more efficient or effective.
  • Firearm parts are any piece of a firearm that is designed or intended to be an integral part of a firearm, regardless of whether it is in working condition. Firearm parts include, but are not limited to, the breech/chamber, stock/butt, magazine, silencer, barrel, bolt and trigger assembly.
• Fireworks (e.g. skyrockets, sparklers, crackers).
• First aid kits.
• Flares (incl. theatrical, distress and smoke signals).
• Furs and skins (untreated).
• Gas (e.g. propane, butanc, hydrogen, helium).
• Gas cylinders (e.g. camping – full or empty).
• Generators (fuel powered).
• Grenades (incl. imitation ones).
• Human or animal remains (incl. ashes).
• Igniters.
• Indecent goods.
• Insecticides.
• Kerosene.
• Lighter fluid.
• Magnets or magnetic material.
• Matches and cigarette lighters.
• Mercury (and therefore, thermometers containing mercury).
• Motor fuels and petrol.
• Negotiable instruments (incl. bearer securities, bills of exchange or uncrossed cheques).
• Noxious substances or things.
• Oven cleaners (containing caustic soda).
• Oxygen cylinders including compressed air.
• Paint (oil based).
• Party poppers.
• Perfume (incl. aftershave, cologne).
• Peroxides.
• Phosphorus.
• Poisons (e.g. cyanide, lead, arsenic).
• Polish (incl. nail polish and nail polish remover).
• Polyester resin kits.
• Shock absorbers (gas or compressed air).
• Sodium.
• Solvents (any).
• Stamps (unused).
• Stun guns, tasers and stun batons.
• Toner (e.g. photocopier; inc. cartridges).
• Turpentine.
• Varnish (incl. removers, thinners).
• Vouchers, cards loaded with monetary value (e.g. gift cards), tickets for games of chance, event tickets.
• Weapons, including bows, crossbows and arrows, harpoons, guns, spear guns, sling shots, catapults, paint and air guns.
• Weed killers.
• Zinc powder.

Prohibited items

These items, while not necessarily dangerous, are prohibited and may only be carried if agreed in writing between the seller and courier:

• Live animals except for correctly packaged bees, leeches, silkworms and harmless insects.
• All drugs unless in prescription quantities and packaged correctly.
• Illegal narcotic substances.
• Human remains (including ashes).
• Furs and skins (untreated).
• Indecent goods.
• Any noxious substance or thing or any dead animal.
• Any unsolicited, indecent item or representation of any kind.
• Any item containing anything that is capable, as packed, of causing injury to any person or damage to property.
• Any inadequately packaged item.

Valuable items

These items are generally not accepted by couriers for carriage. If you do courier valuable items, it’s likely you do so at your own risk. We recommend you read the courier’s terms of carriage, and contact the courier directly. You may need to arrange your own insurance or an exemption before couriering these items.

• Bullion.
• Cash or currency.
• Jewellery, precious metals or stones, bullion, watches.
• Items of a fragile nature (including without limitation, glassware and lighting).
• Traveller’s cheques.
• Stamp or voucher.
• Deed.
• Negotiable instrument (including any bearer security, bill of exchange or uncrossed cheque).
• Bond or share.
• Credit, debit or other bank card.
• Precious metal or stone.
• Any collectible, antique, painting or work of art.

Perishable items

You may not send any items that are perishable in nature – i.e. items that are likely to decay or go bad quickly, including:

• Live plants (bulbs and seeds are fine).
• Flowers.
• Produce (foodstuffs that can decay).
• Frozen chilled food (freeze dried foods are fine).
• Chilled medical supplies.
• Live bait.