Can you ship a used phone, laptop or camera with a lithium battery by USPS?
Yes, by Ground Advantage only. Used electronics with lithium batteries can't fly, so they can't go Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, and the box must say "Restricted Electronic Device" and "Surface Transportation Only" on the address side.
You also have to say the package holds hazardous materials when you make the label. Ground Advantage's HAZMAT Handling Fee is $0.00, but hazmat that isn't properly declared on an online label can cost $50.00.
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
“An electronic device containing or packaged with one or more lithium cells or batteries that: Is not new in original packaging; Is not manufacturer-certified new or refurbished; and/or Has some form of damage or defect.”
“Used, damaged, or defective electronic devices (refer to 349.21(e)), must be marked with "Restricted Electronic Device" and "Surface Transportation Only" on the address side of the mailpiece.”
“All mailable hazardous materials sent as Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail must meet the requirements for air transportation, regardless of the transportation method used.”
“Mailers must identify whether a shipment contains hazardous materials when generating the label, including Postal Service-generated labels”
“Each lithium-ion cell must not exceed a watt-hour rating of 20 Wh, and batteries must not exceed a watt-hour rating of 100 Wh. Each mailpiece must contain no more than eight cells or two batteries.”
“Equipment containing lithium batteries must have effective means of preventing it from being inadvertently turned on or activated.”
“Battery Testing Standards: Each cell or battery must meet UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, 38.3”
What it costs, with examples
| What you're shipping | USPS | Marks on the address side |
|---|---|---|
| Used phone, battery installed | Ground Advantage only | Restricted Electronic Device; Surface Transportation Only |
| Used laptop, one battery of 100 Wh or less | Ground Advantage only | the same two marks |
| Used tablet, e-reader, handheld game console, smartwatch or wireless earbuds | Ground Advantage only: the rule covers any electronic device with a lithium cell or battery that isn't new in original packaging or manufacturer-certified | the same two marks |
| Used camera with one spare battery packed with it | Ground Advantage only (2 batteries or 8 cells at most) | the same two marks plus the DOT lithium battery mark (UN3481) |
| Equipment with 3 batteries in one box | not as one piece (over 2 batteries; a single-cell battery counts as a cell, limit 8) | split into two packages |
| New phone in its original packaging, or manufacturer-certified refurbished | not a used device: Priority Mail allowed within the battery limits | lithium mark only where 349 requires it |
| Swollen, damaged or recalled battery | prohibited unless USPS Product Classification approves | n/a |
| Used device to an APO/FPO/DPO or another country | prohibited | n/a |
| Label | Postage | HAZMAT Handling Fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Advantage, online | $9.29 | $0.00 | $9.29 |
| Ground Advantage, counter | $11.70 | $0.00 | $11.70 |
| Priority Mail | not allowed for a used device |
Edge cases
- Small devices with up to two installed batteries (or four cells) skip the DOT lithium battery mark, but used ones still need the two text marks (Publication 52, 349.221).
- Very small batteries (lithium-ion up to 2.7 Wh) installed in equipment have no count limit up to 5.5 lb per package (Publication 52, 349.242).
- Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) in cameras or flashlights: each cell up to 1 g of lithium and each battery up to 2 g; installed, 8 cells or 2 batteries and 11 lb per package for cells over 0.3 g (Publication 52, 349.231-232).
- Extra services: Publication 52, 323.2 bars combining multiple extra services, such as Signature Confirmation plus insurance of $500 or less, on a hazmat package.
- Packaging: rigid outer packaging, each device cushioned so it can't move, and the power switch protected (Publication 52, 349.221). USPS-produced Priority Mail packaging can't be used (Priority Mail box rule).
- Air-only ZIP Codes: for places with no ground transport, Publication 52, 327.12 allows a multimodal route for used devices (Appendix F lists the ZIP Codes).
- The $0.00 fee may not last: USPS's Governors set the Ground Advantage HAZMAT Handling Fee at $0 "initially, with the option for the fee to increase in the future" (Governors' Decision 26-2); Priority Mail's $7.50 covers "manual handling required when HazMat items fly".
- Tested batteries only: every lithium cell or battery you mail, installed or not, must meet the UN 38.3 test standard (Publication 52, 349.221). If you can't confirm that for a no-name replacement battery, don't mail it.
- Several devices to one buyer: packages in a lithium battery consignment (one mailing to one address) of more than two items need the DOT lithium battery mark, even when each device alone would be exempt (Publication 52, 349.221).
What to do
- Choose Ground Advantage and tick the hazmat or lithium battery option in your label tool.
- Print or write "Restricted Electronic Device" and "Surface Transportation Only" on the address side.
- Turn the device off, tape over or guard the power button, cushion it in a rigid box, and remove any old marks from a reused box (reusing boxes).
- Buying labels in bulk? Set the hazmat or lithium option on each label: Publication 52, 323.1 makes you declare hazmat when each label is generated.
Questions
Can I ship a used phone by Priority Mail?
No. A used device with a lithium battery can't go by air, and Priority Mail hazmat must meet air rules whatever route it takes (Publication 52, 327.12). Use Ground Advantage.
Is there an extra fee to ship a used laptop by Ground Advantage?
The Ground Advantage HAZMAT Handling Fee is $0.00 (Notice 123), so only postage, as long as you declare it. Undeclared hazmat on a commercial label can draw the $50.00 HAZMAT Noncompliance Fee.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Publication 52, 323: mailer responsibility for hazardous materials
- USPS Publication 52, 327: transportation requirements (air and surface)
- USPS Publication 52, 349: lithium batteries and other Class 9 materials
- USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 9D: lithium batteries, domestic
- USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 9E: lithium batteries, international and APO/FPO/DPO
- USPS: Domestic Shipping Prohibitions, Restrictions & HAZMAT
- USPS: How to Send a Package (domestic)
- USPS Governors' Decision 26-2 (Federal Register, May 14, 2026): July 12, 2026 competitive price and classification changes
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