Can you ship perfume, nail polish or aerosol cans by USPS?
Yes inside the US, by ground: alcohol-based perfume, flammable nail polish and flammable aerosols such as spray paint are barred from air transport, so they go Ground Advantage, not Priority Mail, with the DOT Limited Quantity mark on the address side. The only way around that is a written USPS authorization for ethanol-based products such as perfume.
None of them can go to another country, and flammable liquids packed under Packaging Instruction 3A are barred to APO/FPO/DPO addresses too. Bottles and cans have size caps per package, set by the product's flashpoint or, for aerosols, by the can.
Rates verified on
Postage in the examples is from Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026, which includes USPS's temporary holiday prices for Ground Advantage and Priority Mail until 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027. The fees quoted here are the same as in the July 12, 2026 edition, before the holiday prices began.
The rule, in USPS's words
“Perfume containing alcohol may not be shipped internationally or mailed domestically using air transportation.”
“Flammable nail polishes may be mailed domestically if they are a consumer commodity. Some nail polishes may only be sent by ground transportation.”
“Domestic Mail via Air Transportation: Flammable liquids are prohibited.”
“Aerosol paint products that are defined as flammable compressed gases are acceptable in the domestic mail via surface transportation only if they can qualify as a Limited Quantity ground material”
“Mailable hazardous materials that are prohibited from air transportation may not be sent as Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail.”
“A metal primary receptacle must not exceed 1 quart. A nonmetal primary receptacle must not exceed 1 pint.”
“Multiple primary receptacles are permitted, provided the aggregate quantity of flammable material per mailpiece does not exceed 1 quart for metal primary containers or 1 pint for nonmetal primary containers.”
“All are nonmailable unless diluted with less flammable or nonflammable materials sufficient to raise the flashpoint to 20° F or higher.”
What it costs, with examples
| Flashpoint | USPS | Glass or plastic bottles, total per package | Metal containers, total per package |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20°F or below | not mailable | n/a | n/a |
| Above 20°F to 73°F | Ground Advantage only | 1 pint | 1 quart |
| Above 73°F, under 100°F | Ground Advantage only | 1 quart | 1 gallon |
| 100°F to 140°F | Ground Advantage only (Packaging Instruction 3B) | 1 quart | 1 gallon |
| Over 140°F to 200°F (combustible) | air or ground if it qualifies (Packaging Instruction 3B; by air it needs the Limited Quantity air mark with a Y, the Class 9 label, ID8000, the name Consumer Commodity and a Shipper's Declaration) | 1 gallon | 1 gallon |
| Over 200°F | not regulated as hazmat; normal liquid packaging (DMM 601.3.4) | no hazmat limit | no hazmat limit |
| Shipment | Flashpoint (from the SDS) | Total liquid | One package? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three 3.4 fl oz glass perfume bottles | above 20°F, up to 73°F | 10.2 fl oz | yes (1 pint cap) |
| Five 3.4 fl oz glass perfume bottles | above 20°F, up to 73°F | 17 fl oz | no: over 1 pint, so split into two packages |
| Five 3.4 fl oz glass perfume bottles | above 73°F, under 100°F | 17 fl oz | yes (1 quart cap) |
| Twelve 0.5 fl oz nail polish bottles | above 20°F, up to 73°F | 6 fl oz | yes (1 pint cap) |
| Acetone, such as an acetone nail polish remover | Publication 52 says acetone is normally 0°F | any | no: nonmailable unless diluted to raise the flashpoint, and any flammable liquid at 20°F or below is barred |
| Aerosol | USPS | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Spray paint or another flammable aerosol, metal can | Ground Advantage only | 1 liter (33.8 fl oz) per can, and 1 liter of flammable gas per package |
| Flammable aerosol, plastic or glass container | Ground Advantage only | 4 fl oz |
| Any can over 180 psig at 130°F | not mailable | n/a |
| Label | Postage | HAZMAT Handling Fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Advantage, online | $9.29 | $0.00 | $9.29 |
| Priority Mail | not allowed (without a Publication 52, 343.25 authorization) |
Edge cases
- Packaging, any bottle size: Packaging Instruction 3A requires a screw cap of at least one and a half turns, soldering clips or another secure closure (friction tops are not acceptable), cushioning that can absorb a leak and sealed secondary packaging inside a strong outer box; a package with more than 4 oz of liquid also needs up arrows (Packaging Instruction 3A; Publication 52, 223; shipping liquids).
- The one air exception: Publication 52, 343.25 lets ethanol-based flammable liquids such as perfume go by Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express only for a mailer holding a prior written authorization from USPS Product Classification, first granted for 1 year. For products of no more than 70% ethanol the limits are 8 oz per glass bottle, 16 oz per other bottle, and 96 oz and 25 lb per package; over 70% ethanol, 8 oz bottles, 48 oz and 16 lb. Without that letter, ground only (Publication 52, 343.25).
- Hand sanitizer: USPS says Ground Advantage or Parcel Select only, never international or APO/FPO/DPO (USPS).
- Empty aerosol cans: empty used compressed-gas containers are mailable under the same restrictions as full ones; empty unused (new) containers are mailable without restriction (Publication 52, 342.22).
- Marking: surface shipments need only the DOT Limited Quantity mark, no shipping name, ID number or shipping paper (Publication 52, 342.4, 343.3).
- Packaging: no USPS-produced Priority Mail boxes for hazmat (Priority Mail box rule), and a reused box must not carry another product's hazmat marks (reusing boxes).
- Declare it: mark the shipment as hazmat when you make the label (Publication 52, 323.1).
- Other flammable resale items: Publication 52, 343.23 treats paint, lacquer and varnish, adhesives and cements, inks, waxes and polishes, cleaning solvents and lighter fluid the same way: each is mailable if it qualifies as a Limited Quantity surface material, packed under Packaging Instruction 3A or 3B by flashpoint, and lighter fluid only by surface. Latex and water-based paint that isn't flammable or combustible is not regulated as hazmat (Publication 52, 343.23).
- Never mailable: any flammable liquid with a flashpoint of 20°F or below, and gasoline under any circumstances (Publication 52, 343.31).
What to do
- Look up the flashpoint on the product's Safety Data Sheet before listing it.
- Ship by Ground Advantage with the Limited Quantity mark, declared as hazmat, not by Priority Mail.
- Don't offer these to buyers outside the US or at APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
Questions
Can you ship perfume through USPS?
Within the US by ground only, if it contains alcohol: "Perfume containing alcohol, however, may be shipped within the United States by ground transportation" (USPS). Not internationally, and not by air unless USPS has authorized the mailer in writing (Publication 52, 343.25).
Can I send nail polish Priority Mail?
Not if it is flammable: flammable liquids are prohibited on domestic air transport, and Priority Mail hazmat must meet air rules (Publication 52, 343.21; 327.11).
How much perfume can I ship in one USPS package?
By Ground Advantage, the cap is the total flammable liquid per package: 1 pint (16 fl oz) in glass or plastic bottles when the flashpoint is above 20°F and up to 73°F, or 1 quart when it is above 73°F and under 100°F (Packaging Instruction 3A). Five 3.4 fl oz bottles (17 fl oz) in the lower band need two packages.
Can I mail nail polish remover?
Not if it is acetone that hasn't been diluted: Publication 52 says acetone normally has a flashpoint of 0°F and is nonmailable unless diluted to raise the flashpoint, and any flammable liquid with a flashpoint of 20°F or below is barred. Check the product's Safety Data Sheet; a remover with a flashpoint above 20°F follows the same ground-only rules as nail polish (Publication 52, 343.21, 343.31).
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Publication 52, 223: orientation markings for packages containing liquids
- USPS Publication 52, 323: mailer responsibility for hazardous materials
- USPS Publication 52, 327: transportation requirements (air and surface)
- USPS Publication 52, 342: gases and aerosols (Hazard Class 2)
- USPS Publication 52, 343: flammable and combustible liquids (Hazard Class 3)
- USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 2A: flammable gases
- USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 3A: flammable liquids
- USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 3B: Combustible Liquids
- USPS: Domestic Shipping Prohibitions, Restrictions & HAZMAT
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