What Items Cannot Be Shipped? List of Prohibited Products

Before making your next shipment, there's something worth checking: not everything you can fit in a box can travel by courier. Logistics companies have clear policies about which items they accept and which they don't, and not knowing them can cost you anything from a canceled shipment to serious legal consequences.

Understanding the difference between a prohibited item and a restricted item is the first step to shipping safely and without setbacks.

What are prohibited items?

Prohibited items are those that no carrier can transport under any circumstances, whether for legal, safety, or internal policy reasons.

According to AMVO, these restrictions exist because logistics companies must guarantee the safety of shipments, comply with national and international laws and regulations, protect the contents of packages, and also take care of the environment and overall operations.

A prohibited item can't be shipped even if you declare it correctly, even if you package it well, and even if the recipient needs it urgently. The prohibition is absolute.

What are restricted items?

Restricted items are those that can be shipped, but under special conditions: specific packaging, additional documentation, mandatory declaration of contents, or acceptance that, in the event of damage or loss, no claim or compensation applies.

The key difference is that restricted items aren't completely banned, but they carry a level of risk that the sender assumes by shipping them. Many carriers accept them with reservations and under the user's own responsibility.

Tip: Before generating any label, check the list of prohibited and restricted items for the carrier you're going to use. Each operator has its own policy, and there can be differences between DHL, FedEx, UPS, Estafeta, or other options.

What is the difference between prohibited and restricted?

List of prohibited items by category

Before making a shipment, keep in mind that restrictions can vary depending on the carrier, the destination, and the service selected. The following list is a general reference; we recommend checking the specific conditions of the carrier before shipping any product.

These are the categories that most carriers in Mexico —including FedEx, UPS, and DHL— consider prohibited:

• Drugs and illicit substances. Narcotics, psychotropics, CBD, and any substance with restricted or illegal circulation.
• Hazardous materials. Toxic, corrosive, oxidizing, or infectious substances, hazardous waste, and radioactive materials.
• Explosives and gases. Dynamite, compressed gases, active or inert explosive devices.
• Animals and their derivatives. Live or dead animals, organs, body parts, human or animal embryos, unprocessed hides and skins.
• Plants and perishable products without authorization. Live plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and wildlife products requiring export authorization.
• Human remains. Corpses, cremated or exhumed remains, organs, or body parts.
• Weapons. Firearms (loaded or unloaded), bladed weapons, ammunition, air guns, and military equipment.
• Controlled medications. Medicines with restricted circulation and laboratory samples without the corresponding biosafety conditions.
• Securities and negotiable documents. Cash (bills and coins), high-value jewelry, precious metals, securities, and bullion.
• Counterfeit merchandise. Pirated or imitation products of any category.
• Tobacco and e-cigarettes. Cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, vapes, and any vaping device.
• Obscene material. Pornography in any format.
• Cleaning products with hazardous components. Such as bleach or other corrosive chemicals without certified packaging.

List of restricted items by category

The following items can be shipped by some carriers, but under the full responsibility of the sender and without the right to file a claim in the event of damage or loss:

• Glass and ceramics. Fragile items that require specialized packaging and double boxing to be accepted.
• Alcoholic beverages. Wine, beer, spirits, and any liquid with alcohol content. Some carriers accept them under specific packaging and documentation conditions.
• Liquids in general. Any liquid that, in case of a spill, could generate additional charges or damage to other packages.
• Perishable products. Foods that spoil easily and don't require refrigeration, but do need special packaging conditions.
• Valuable items. Jewelry, coins, currency, precious metals, antiques, and works of art. They're accepted under express declaration, but with no coverage in case of an incident.
• Lithium batteries and electronics with built-in batteries. This is one of the most relevant categories for ecommerce. Phones, laptops, tablets, power banks, wireless headphones, and any device with a built-in or loose lithium battery are subject to specific transport regulations, especially for air shipments.

Tip: If you sell electronics with lithium batteries, always check the carrier's policy before quoting. A shipment rejected in transit or held at customs can cost you far more than the value of the product.

What happens if you try to ship a prohibited item?

The consequences range from operational inconveniences to serious legal problems:

• The package is held or destroyed. The carrier can intercept the shipment, hold it in a warehouse, or destroy it without prior notice or compensation.
• There's no refund on the label. Once a label with prohibited content has been generated, no type of refund or compensation applies.
• Legal consequences for the sender. Shipping illegal substances, explosives, or other items regulated by law can result in criminal penalties for whoever generated the shipment.
• Damage to third parties. In the worst-case scenario, a poorly packaged dangerous item can cause damage to other packages, to carrier staff, or to the recipients of nearby shipments.

Tip: If you're unsure whether your product can be shipped, it's always best to check directly with the carrier before generating the label. A 5-minute check beforehand can save you from a much bigger problem.

How to check whether your product has restrictions before shipping

Each carrier publishes its list of prohibited and restricted items on its official website. If you use a multicarrier platform to generate your labels, you can also check the centralized policy on not-allowed items before confirming any shipment.

That's why, before generating any label, we recommend reviewing the conditions of the carrier you're going to use: restrictions depend on the carrier, the destination, and the type of service, and can vary significantly between operators.

In this article from our Help Center, you can check the full list of prohibited and restricted items that applies to all the carriers available on the platform, and verify whether your product falls under any of these categories before quoting or generating your label.