If you're a service member overseas planning to order the latest smartphone or laptop from the United States, take a second look at your options.
Effective May 16, new U.S. Postal Service restrictions will ban air shipping of any electronics containing lithium batteries - such as iPads, smart phones and digital cameras - between the United States and overseas locations. ------ rest:
"Primary lithium metal or lithium alloy (non rechargeable) cells and batteries, or secondary lithium-ion cells and batteries (rechargeable), regardless of quantity, size, or watt hours, and regardless of whether the cells or batteries are packed in the equipment they are intended to operate, with the equipment they are intended to operate, or without equipment (individual batteries). This standard applies to all APO, FPO, or DP locations."
- and looks like this also applies to Canada/Mexico. Don't know about Hawaii. (The service rep at my local Post Office just got the notice Fri., May 11th, and it left the question of Hawaii up in the air, so to speak).
- There are _plenty_ of consumer items that have these batteries, sometimes obviously (such as a laptop), but frequently hidden away and/or built in.
So if your brother-in-law leaves his cellphone in the US and asks you to mail it out to him in Switzerland, or if your kid's laptop needs a new battery... good luck. And that Mac Mini? Don't forget it contains a CR2032 3v lithium button cell.
hmm, wonder what's in my ultrasonic tapeless tape measure?
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