How Do I Mail Soap? USPS Says No.

[Cylistarr]

I'm not accustomed to lying so when I tried to mail some of my soap to a friend I was honest and I was told hazardous materials are not allowed to be mailed through the Post Office.

I've hunted Google and the forum here and haven't found any answers. With as many soapmaking businesses there are out there I'm quite sure someone has sent lye soap through the mail so if anyone has some ideas I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[toxikon]

I just had a quick glance on the USPS website and couldn't find anything about soap being unmailable. It had some restrictions on "odour-producing liquids, pastes and powders" but nothing about bar soap.

What exactly did you tell them?

No lye remains in the finished product, so there's no need to mention lye.

 

[jcandleattic]

I'm not accustomed to lying so when I tried to mail some of my soap to a friend I was honest and I was told hazardous materials are not allowed to be mailed through the Post Office.

I've hunted Google and the forum here and haven't found any answers. With as many soapmaking businesses there are out there I'm quite sure someone has sent lye soap through the mail so if anyone has some ideas I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks.

The only way your soap would be considered hazardous materials is if there is still active lye in the soaps, which shouldn't be used/mailed anyway.

I mail my soaps all the time, never ever had a problem doing that. I use a flat rate bubble mailer and can fit up to 8 soaps in it. Or I use the small to medium sized flat rate boxes.

I also never claim hazardous materials because it's soap. There is no lye in the soap after saponification.

 

[Obsidian]

I've never had trouble mailing soap either. I don't usually tell them whats in the package, only answer the standard questions they ask.

I don't see how soap would be considered a hazard. Try again and if they ask, just say soap, not home made or lye.

 

[dixiedragon]

I have mailed soaps many times. Not sure why you weren't allowed. Maybe call and ask an expert?

 

[Cellador]

Yup, I've mailed soap a couple of times as well and told the employee helping me there was soap in the box. I've never had any issues. I don't think you're required to provide them with the actual ingredients of the soap.

 

[Cylistarr]

I told them it was homemade lye soap that was 6 months old and no longer had any lye left and that I use it to bathe with. Again, I don't know enough to withhold information and apparently that's where I went wrong. Now I'll never be able to mail soap anywhere for any reason..lol! Good thing it's not a business.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have mailed soaps many times. Not sure why you weren't allowed. Maybe call and ask an expert?

I think she was denied because when they asked about hazardous materials she said lye soap. Not sure but that's how I understood from the original post.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think they just stopped listening at the word "lye". I bet if you'd said "homemade soap" you'd have been okay.

 

[jcandleattic]

I told them it was homemade lye soap that was 6 months old and no longer had any lye left and that I use it to bathe with. Again, I don't know enough to withhold information and apparently that's where I went wrong. Now I'll never be able to mail soap anywhere for any reason..lol! Good thing it's not a business.

Thanks for the replies.

But it's not lye soap. It's just oils and lye combined, and after saponification became soap. No lye present. ALL soap is "lye" soap, or it wouldn't be soap.

 

[Cylistarr]

But it's not lye soap. It's just oils and lye combined, and after saponification became soap. No lye present. ALL soap is "lye" soap, or it wouldn't be soap.

Again, I made a mistake. I simply make soap for my family, I didn't know. Now I do.

Thanks to everyone for the information.

 

[cmzaha]

We have mailed thousands of bars of soap with no problems. When asked if the package includes hazardous material I tell them no, just soap..We have shipped international filling out all the paperwork and to APO addresses with no problems. I agree they heard lye and went no further. Just tell them soap. Now fragrance oils become another problem...

 

[toxikon]

It's definitely not "lying" or "withholding information" to tell them it's just soap. No need to feel guilty or the need to over-explain. Properly-made bar soap has no active lye left in it (as we've all said here) so there's no problem with mailing it. Now you know for next time!

 

[jcandleattic]

Again, I made a mistake. I simply make soap for my family, I didn't know. Now I do.

Thanks to everyone for the information.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to sound snippy. I apologize.

I would just take them back, and if they ask the standard questions, just tell them no, (you won't be lying) and then you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Cylistarr]

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to sound snippy. I apologize.

I would just take them back, and if they ask the standard questions, just tell them no, (you won't be lying) and then you shouldn't have a problem.

I appreciate it. My apologies as well, I'm a little frustrated.

So do I lock the thread? That is, if I can figure out how..haha.

 

[jcandleattic]

I appreciate it. My apologies as well, I'm a little frustrated.

So do I lock the thread? That is, if I can figure out how..haha.

If the admins feel it necessary to lock it, they will do it.

It is good information for others in case they have similar problems with mailing out soaps.

 

[Obsidian]

Now I'll never be able to mail soap anywhere for any reason..lol! Good thing it's not a business.

I don't see why not, next time just say soap. If you really need to mail some and don't want the hassle, go to a different PO.

 

[Susie]

I, too, have mailed lots and lots of soap. I make soap yearly to send out to the family (enough for each person a year's worth of soap). I have never had a problem. I usually laugh and tell them "just soap" when they ask if it is hazardous. I think the PO person was the problem

 

[IrishLass]

Ditto what Obsidian said. I would just go to a different post office to avoid any embarrassing encounters with the same employee. Another option is to mail it through the nearest independently-run mailbox store.....or the UPS store. I've used all 3 avenues without a problem to mail my soap, but the cheapest is to go through USPS. Their Flat Rate boxes just can't be beat when it comes to mailing lots of soap at a time...........

Next time, instead of waiting in line at the post office for an employee to print out your labels, etc.., you can do what I normally do when I mail soap: I just go onto the USPS 'Click and Ship' online store from the comfort of my own computer at home to buy and print out the postage label for my package (or sometimes I just use the self-serve kiosk right there at the post office), and when the spiel about hazardous materials pops up on the screen, I click on the appropriate box to confirm that I am not mailing any hazardous material (which I am most definitely not if it is fully cured soap).

Once I have my box packaged up and the label attached, I take it to the post office, but instead of standing in the line that leads to the help counter, I just waltz right on over to the part inside where they have the 'self-serve' mail slots in the wall for mailing envelopes and such. Right next to the regular mail slots, you should see a rather large, curved, pull-down box attached to the wall for mailing boxes and other bulky items (you can see it in this video: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qstfv7em0n8[/ame] If your box fits (and it should definitely do so if it's any of the Flat Rate boxes), just place it inside and lift the pull-down lever back up to dispatch it to the other side, and you're good to go without ever having to encounter a postal worker....or having to wait forever and a day in the long line at the help counter. lol

By the way- on that pull-down box you'll see a sticker attached with the "13-ounce rule". The rule only applies if you are using regular postage stamps to mail your package. It does not apply to boxes mailed with the 'Click & Ship' labels.


IrishLass

 

[Saranac]

"Is there anything inside the package that is liquid, fragile, perishable, and potentially hazardous, such as lithium battery or perfume?”

Keep in mind that "the list" they recite at the USPS window doesn't necessarily mean that you can't ship those items. It simply means that there may be services that are unavailable for those types of items.

Liquids, for example, can be shipped--it's just that there are requirements for how they are packaged that you are "asked" to follow. And, the package must indicate "liquid".

For lithium batteries and perfumes (and low flash-point fragrance oils), it's about flammability and the potential for blowing-up a plane. I talked with my local Post Master and flammable items are NEVER allowed via Priority Mail because there is always a chance that the package might end up on a plane. . . even if you're shipping 1 town over.

Of course, I don't work for the USPS and I'm only passing along what I understand to be true. The USPS is actually a friendly establishment. My local Post Master researched a lot of info and she even mailed it all to me!

As far as "lye" goes, I'm almost certain that I've received it through the Postal Service. In fact, if you check out the following link, it clearly shows that both NaOH and KOH can be shipped through the mail. If I were the OP, I'd contact my Post Master and have them explain why my soaps were denied.
https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52apxa.htm#ep725700