How long will this postal x-ray thing be going on for?

[vapalicious1100]

I can't afford to get my batteries locally, I order everything but e-liquid and atty heads (plus the occasional delivery system) from fasttech and have no problem with it since the electronic cigarette was, after all, invented in China. But now I hear that they are lining up packages and scanning them one by one to make sure that they are free of lithium batteries!

Anyway, I wanted to know how long this willl be going on for, and what are the odds of my batteries being shipped right back to fasttech, or worse, being confiscated and me losing my money and never getting my vapemail?

 

[suspectK]

If they find it, and they don't want lithium batteries shipped, they'll take it. I don't know of a battery you would want to use that isn't lithium. Li-ion batteries are just lithium.

 

[vapalicious1100]

Exactly. Just about every eGo, 18350, 18650, etc... battery we use is lithium ion. Before this, they would ship straight through...

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

If they find it, and they don't want lithium batteries shipped, they'll take it. I don't know of a battery you would want to use that isn't lithium. Li-ion batteries are just lithium.

Lithium-based Batteries Information

I have no idea WHY they are stopping batteries...uggh

I guess someone forgot to pay off the Chinese "inspector"

 

[Vaslovik]

It's not just the screening stuff delaying shipments from China, there's a big honkin typhoon over there right now closing in on Hong Kong, so I doubt they are all that eager to send ships out into that. I sure wouldn't want to sail into that.

 

[WattWick]

Lithium-based Batteries Information

I have no idea WHY they are stopping batteries...uggh

I guess someone forgot to pay off the Chinese "inspector"

Lithium Batteries Cause Plane Crash | WebProNews

Aircraft Fires Tied to Lithium-Battery Cargo Prompt New UN Rule - Bloomberg

And from USPS:

Only lithium cells and batteries under 135.62 and 135.63 that are properly installed in the equipment they are intended to operate may be sent internationally or to APO, FPO, or DPO locations when not restricted or prohibited by the destination country or APO, FPO, or DPO location.

IMM Revision: Outbound Mailing of Lithium Batteries

Pay off Chinese "inspector" ?!?! Really?!

 

[Steamix]

Lithium-based Batteries Information

I have no idea WHY they are stopping batteries...uggh

I guess someone forgot to pay off the Chinese "inspector"

Yeah well, officials need to 'eat' too...

Most of these small shipments ( at least by size & weight ) leave China by air, and regulating bodies have a hard time keeping pace with the rapid advances in battery technology and how to ship them safely. Remember cellphones a decade ago : size and weight of a brick and battery life measured in hours, not days. Cramming ever more umphh in an ever smaller space does leave less margin for errors in the manufacturing process - there's a good number of clips on youtube showing lithium batteries cooking off...

Consdering the sheer number of battery-powered devices nowadays, the percentage of incidents like that is probably negligible - but tell that to the guy/gal in sitting in a plane halfway between China and the US with nothing but lots of ocean under it and batteries doing the frizzle fireworks in the cargo hold...

So every now and then, authorities go ape...t on the exporters and often get carried away, making no difference between nicely ancepsulated eGo batteries and loosely packed cells...till someone from the manufacturer passes by and explains the difference between 'good' batteries and 'bad' batteries...that these explanatory notes are delivered in envelopes and seem to have the same fromat as common currency bills is sheer coincidence...

 

[Maggiemw]

From France you can buy batteries at reasonable prices from Germany and Greece, using Ebay Fr. Not as inexpensive as FT, but you'll be able to get them fairly inexpensively.

 

[GypsySyx]

Understanding Your Liability: Shipping Lithium Battery Powered Devices


Safety concerns.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

Lithium Batteries Cause Plane Crash | WebProNews

Aircraft Fires Tied to Lithium-Battery Cargo Prompt New UN Rule - Bloomberg

And from USPS:



IMM Revision: Outbound Mailing of Lithium Batteries

Pay off Chinese "inspector" ?!?! Really?!

DOH

Thanks
I stand corrected

Battery prices are going up! Bet on it!

 

[Barbara21]

It's my understanding that only 'loose' batteries are prohibited. Things such as ego batteries (since those are batteries installed in a device) are fine.

I do know that I wanted to ship some ego batteries and brought them to my post office (here in the US) and showed/explained what they were. The nice man looked something up in a book and said they were ok since they "weren't loose".

Also, I ordered five ego batteries from fasttech that got caught in the holdup in Hong Kong. But they did eventually pass through (after ten days) and are now in San Francisco.

Again, this is the way I understand it - I make no guarantees.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

All the batteries I have ordered have arrived double packed...wrapped in bubble wrap INSIDE a bubble wrapped envelope

Maybe because I order mine in onesies and twosies and not by the metric ton

 

[retired1]

Moved to FastTech Social Group

 

[Ref Minor]

Moved to FastTech Social Group

It's isn't really a FT thread, it involves ALL shipments from China containing batteries.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

This affects EVERYTHING going through Hong Kong Post. The X-Ray process has everything in a queue.

 

[vapalicious1100]

From France you can buy batteries at reasonable prices from Germany and Greece, using Ebay Fr. Not as inexpensive as FT, but you'll be able to get them fairly inexpensively.

Thanks! I'll definitely try that! I have a local B&M that sells them, but €9 for one 18350 is a little steep if you ask me...

 

[Kulsius]

IDK about you, but I just got my shipment today with 2 batteries in it. (Ego-Twist and 2in1 ecig(battery+CE4 clearo)) Seems like i was lucky xD It was sent 09.04, so it should have been returned (i think)

 

[Jadesrayne]

Maybe land/sea is what next shipping meythod for ft to try

 

[szot]

all shipments have been delayed, with and without batteries..ego batteries are fine to ship since the battery is part of a "device" and not a separate battery like a D cell lithium..but even clearos and other things are backlogged still...but most orders have been getting through, just not as fast as they use to