15 Items That You’re Absolutely Banned From Mailing in California

It’s been a while since we last stepped foot inside an actual post office to snail mail something. But back when we were young, carefree and actually had time to bake? We were there at least once a month to drop off freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to send off to our friends back east. 

Walk into any United States Postal Service in Idaho or California and they’ll be more than happy to send your chocolate chip care package to anywhere in the country. However, that’s not the case with every package that walks through their front door.

Items You Should Reconsider Mailing in Idaho or California

In a world of Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay and Cash App, you may find it hard to believe that there are still people who use paper checks but they’re still common gifts for occasions like holidays, birthdays, weddings and graduations.

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Unfortunately, that’s something that criminals are keenly aware of and the United States Postal Service says they’ve seen a disturbing uptick in the number of mailboxes and mailer carriers targeted by criminals trying to get the hand on those checks to commit fraud. That’s why if you don’t have to mail a check, you should reconsider doing so. We broke down how mail check fraud scams work here.  

Items That Are Illegal to Mail in Idaho or California

You can still legally mail checks, but there is a long list of items that you shouldn’t even bother taking to a post office. The USPS lists six domestically prohibited items on their Shipping Restrictions page. In addition to those six items, there are other items that have strict restrictions on them. That means that if you’re just a run-of-the-mill Idahoan or Californian, you can’t legally send them through the mail. 

Here’s a look at those items. Some of these items MAY be shipped with private carriers like UPS or FedEx, but you should always check with your courier first.