Home > Blog > What You Can't Ship Internationally

By George Matthews, Marketing Director

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Most everyday items ship internationally without trouble. What you can't ship falls into three groups: items carriers ban outright (aerosols, flammable liquids, loose lithium batteries, weapons), items your destination country restricts (medications, supplements, food, seeds), and items only some shipping methods accept. Check all three before you buy, and you avoid fees, delays, and lost packages.

So you've selected the items you want to either buy or ship. You may have even used our shipping calculator to see how much you'd have to pay to bring something in from a different country.

If you've done both, you're ready to ship, but then comes a question: "Is it even legal to ship this item?"

The short answer is "yes," at least for many goods. The same can't be said of many others.

Luckily, we get how hard it can be to sift through customs law pages and put shippable items in a spreadsheet.

To reward you for your due diligence, we're giving you the definitive list of what you can and what you can't ship internationally in 2026.

• Can you ship most items internationally?
• What are the three kinds of "no" you'll run into?
• What can and can't you ship, by category?
• Why do your country's rules decide more than ours?
• What happens if you ship a restricted item to us?
• How do you check an item before you buy?
• FAQ
• Check the list before you check out

Can you ship most items internationally?

Yes, in most cases. Ordinary objects won't have much trouble making it through customs. By "ordinary," we mean everything from fragile items to various Apple electronics and even kitchen necessities.

However, for some items, import and customs laws can block your order from coming through. Prohibited items in international shipping include:

• Aerosols and pressurized containers
• Flammable liquids, including many perfumes and nail products
• Loose lithium batteries
• Weapons and parts
• Some supplements and foods

What are the three kinds of "no" you'll run into?

A rejected item doesn't always mean a dead end. Some blocks come from physics, others come from your country's border, and a surprising number come from the shipping method you picked at checkout.

Knowing which one you're facing tells you whether to give up or just change your approach.

• Carrier-prohibited: Banned by airlines and carriers everywhere. No version of the item ships.
• Destination-restricted: Allowed or blocked by your country's border rules. Some items ship with a permit or the right documents.
• Method-restricted: Accepted by one shipping service but refused by another. Usually fixable by choosing a different method.

Carrier-prohibited items

Airlines set these rules, and no carrier will bend them. Pressurized cans, flammable liquids, and loose lithium cells all pose a fire risk at altitude, which is why hazmat (hazardous materials) international shipping rules exist in the first place.

When an item lands in this group, there's no version of it that ships. Buying a different brand won't help.

Destination-country restrictions

Your border decides these, not us. Medications, supplements, seeds, and certain foods clear customs in one country and get seized in the next.

Some of these items ship fine once you have a permit or the right documentation. The rule lives with your government, so that's where you check.

Method-restricted items

Here's the category most people never realize exists, and the one you can usually fix. An item might ship perfectly by one service and get refused by another.

There are two examples worth knowing.

First, if any item in your package is worth over $2,500, the package can only go by DHL. That's because of the export reporting (Electronic Export Information, or EEI) that kicks in at that value. If you want us to prepare the EEI, we charge a $40 flat fee.

Second, anything sent by ECMS / World Direct never comes back to us if delivery fails, meaning the carrier disposes of it on the spot.

Before you buy, compare shipping methods and see which services accept your item.

What can and can't you ship, by category?

Most restrictions trace back to three physical properties: pressure, flammability, and stored energy. Everything else comes down to what your destination lets through its border.

If you want a quick but comprehensive reference, here's what you can and what you can't ship internationally in 2026:

• Perfume and fragrance: Yes, with limits. The alcohol base makes it flammable. Choose a method that accepts limited quantities.
• Aerosols and hairspray: No, never. Pressurized container with a flammable propellant. Buy the pump or non-aerosol version.
• Aerosol sunscreen: No, never. The same pressurized propellant rules apply. Order lotion or stick formats.
• Nail polish: No, never. Classed as a flammable liquid. Buy locally or pick a water-based polish.
• Alcohol: Not from U.S. warehouses. Blocked from California and Oregon. Ship from our Austria or Japan warehouse to select countries.
• Vitamins and supplements: Depends on your country. Health rules cap what crosses the border. Keep them sealed and check your country's limit.
• Prescription and OTC medication: Depends on your country. Most countries require a permit. Fill the prescription locally.
• Food and snacks: Depends on your country. Agricultural inspection happens at the border. Send shelf-stable, commercially sealed items.
• Lithium batteries, loose: Not by air. Fire risk without a device housing. Order the battery already inside the device.
• Lithium batteries, installed: Yes, with limits. Allowed under watt-hour caps. Declare it and pick a method that accepts them.
• E-cigarettes and vape products: No, never. Battery, liquid, and tobacco rules combined. Buy at your destination.
• Weapons and replicas: No, never. Export controls apply, replicas included. There is no workaround for this one.
• Magnets: Yes, with limits. Strong magnetic fields affect aircraft instruments. Use shielded packaging and declare the contents.
• Plants and seeds: Depends on your country. Biosecurity and plant health rules apply. Apply for a permit or buy locally.
• High-value jewelry: Yes, with limits. Insurance limits and duties apply. Declare the full value, and expect DHL only if any item is worth over $2,500.

Three categories trip up more customers than the rest combined:

• Perfume: The alcohol base causes the problem, not the fragrance itself.
• Vape devices: Battery rules, liquid rules, and tobacco rules stack on top of each other, so no compliant version exists.
• Batteries: The same cell that ships fine inside your laptop gets refused when it's loose in the box.

For the full picture, check our prohibited and limited items guide before you place an order.

Why do your country's rules decide more than ours?

Carrier rules stay fairly consistent worldwide. Your country's import rules change without warning and vary enormously between markets, which makes them the harder half of the equation.

Japan is one example.

For shipments to Japan, beauty and personal care products cap out at 24 units of each type, so 24 lipsticks clear but 30 don't. And when you ship liquid, gel, or cream cosmetics by DHL from our Japan warehouse, you need a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), a document that describes the product's ingredients and hazards.

Are you ordering alcohol into the EU? Hold your horses.

Importing alcohol into the EU may require an EORI number (an ID number the EU uses for customs). Some destinations want a power of attorney on top of that.

Our prohibited items page includes a country selector, so pick yours and see what applies. For the official version, USPS publishes individual country listings covering destination-specific rules.

One thing to keep in mind about restricted items and package forwarding: our export restrictions run stricter than some countries' import laws. We follow U.S. shipping regulations, so an item legal at home can still be blocked on our end.

What happens if you ship a restricted item to us?

We'd rather tell you the process upfront than surprise you after the fact.

How we spot it

Packages are checked against carrier restrictions, and your customs declaration gets reviewed too. Carriers also run their own screening before anything leaves the warehouse.

What happens next

A restricted item can hold up your whole shipment. Under our terms, prohibited items may be confiscated, your account may be placed on hold, and other packages in your suite may be inspected.

What your options cost

Returning an item to the seller carries a fee, and disposal is the fallback when a return isn't possible. Your storage clock keeps running the whole time, which is where this gets expensive.

Free accounts get seven days of storage, while Premium memberships get 45, 60, or 90 days depending on level. You can buy up to 28 extra days, 7 days at a time, for $7 plus $1 for each day the package has been expired. Skip that purchase, and the package becomes abandoned and gets disposed of.

Worth knowing: shipping insurance doesn't cover packages returned, delayed, or disposed of over customs non-compliance.

How do you check an item before you buy?

Running these three checks takes about five minutes and saves you the fees, the delay, and the argument with customs.

Start with carrier rules

Look up the item on our prohibited and limited list first. If it's blocked outright, nothing downstream will save it, so stop here and find an alternative.

Check your destination country

Pull up your country in the selector or on the USPS listings. Pay attention to quantity caps and documentation requirements, since those catch people who assumed a green light meant unlimited.

Compare your shipping methods

For anything marked limited, the method decides the outcome. Check which services accept your item and what each one does when delivery fails.

Still unsure? Message our support team before you buy. Sorting it out beforehand costs you a few minutes, while sorting it out afterward costs you the package.

FAQ

Can you ship perfume internationally?

Yes, with limits. Perfume counts as a flammable liquid because of its alcohol base, so quantity caps and method restrictions apply. Some shipping services refuse it completely, while others accept limited quantities. Check which services accept fragrance before ordering, and expect documentation requirements, such as a Safety Data Sheet, on liquid cosmetics with some carriers.

Can I ship vitamins internationally?

That depends on your country. Carriers rarely object to supplements, but destination health authorities often cap quantities or require them sealed in original packaging. Some countries also treat certain supplements like medication. Look up your country's limit before buying in bulk, and keep every bottle sealed in its original packaging so customs can see exactly what it is.

Can I ship a laptop with a lithium battery?

Yes. Batteries installed inside a device ship under watt-hour limits, while loose cells and spare power banks are refused on aircraft. When shipping batteries internationally, order the battery already in the device and declare it accurately. The same cell that ships fine inside your laptop gets refused when it's loose in the box.

Can I ship food from the U.S.?

Sometimes. Commercially sealed, shelf-stable items have the best odds, and fresh produce has almost none. Agricultural inspection at your border makes the final call, and some countries hold food shipments for weeks. Check your destination's food rules first, and choose packaged snacks and pantry items over anything fresh, homemade, or unlabeled.

Why was my package rejected by the warehouse?

The contents almost certainly hit a carrier prohibition or an export restriction. Shipito follows U.S. shipping regulations, so an item that is legal in your country can still be blocked on our end. Check your account for the specific reason, and act quickly, since your storage clock keeps running while you decide what to do.

Can you ship aerosols internationally?

No. Aerosols combine pressure with a flammable propellant, which airlines prohibit outright. That includes hairspray, spray deodorant, and aerosol sunscreen. Buy the pump spray, roll-on, lotion, or stick version instead, since those ship without trouble. There is no aerosol version that is safe to fly, so a different brand won't help.

Check the list before you check out

It pays to know what you can and what you can't ship if you want your orders to arrive on your doorstep, or on your customer's if you're an ecommerce brand reading this. Businesses shipping inventory abroad can learn more about Shipito for Business.

Most of the things you'd find in a cart can ship with little to no issues. However, know that for every item that makes it through customs smoothly, there's always a handful of items that don't.

Are you ready to order (or ship) with confidence?

Check out our prohibited and limited items list, then run your package through the shipping calculator to see your options and costs before you buy.