How to Mail Unconventional Items with No Packaging

Can you attach postage to a rose and send it with no packaging? How about a feather duster? Or a golf club? The answer is: the USPS would strongly recommend boxing or at least wrapping all of these items to prevent denting or scratching during transit. Regulations regarding certain items do apply, such as perishable Items—learn more here http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_toc.htm.

USPS – Does every item need to be placed in a box to be shipped?

To test the limits of what one can mail with the USPS with no packaging, the Improbable Research Team (they’re the team who hold the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremonies) once conducted an experiment involving unwieldy, potentially suspicious, and disgusting items.

Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the items were delivered successfully, as they had the correct amount of postage attached to them. However, for many of these items, USPS clerks did recommend wrapping them. An unboxed football arrived successfully after six days in transit. Strange items, such as a deer tibia, a large wheel of cheese, and a dead fish, did arrive but had to be picked up at the mail station. An attempt to mail a helium balloon failed at the originating Post Office, perhaps unsurprisingly.

Want to mail a coconut? The Post-a-Nut Program offered by the Hoolehua Post Office on the island of Molokaʻi in Hawaii allows you to mail a coconut to any location in the world. Just pay for the postage and the Hoolehua staff will provide you with a free coconut, art supplies with which to decorate your unique mailpiece, and an agricultural inspection stamp.

Using Stamps.com to mail unconventional items

If you need to mail a brick, a ship’s wheel, a Frisbee, an orange, or a pillow, we can help! As a fun gift, many people choose to paint flat stones and mail them with the correct amount of postage.

With Stamps.com, you can print stamps at various denominations with our flexible and handy NetStamps feature.

Need a shipping label with tracking? As a Stamps.com customer, you’ll receive the discounted online postage (Commercial Base) rate, so you’ll save money when you print postage with us! With Stamps.com, you can send First-Class Package Service with barcoded shipping labels as long as your package does not exceed 15.99 ounces (the maximum weight at the Post Office is 13 ounces if you pay retail prices). If you do decide to box your item up, we also allow you to easily order free USPS supplies like boxes and envelopes from the Stamps.com Store. Have fun!