Okay, so I finally got in a UK package today from Scotia, placed the order in early August. Box was beat to hell, and had an orange sticker attached 'Do Not Fly' 'This Item/Bag Contains Goods Which Are Not Permitted to Fly' 'Send Surface Mail Only' 'Royal Mail'. Even though the package has the blue By Air Mail/Par Avion Royal Mail sticker.

Same thing happened late last year with a QRF/LKM package that took forever to arrive. In both cases only metal figures were involved, and I am pretty sure those are okay to fly.

Any ideas what is happening? Nearly requested a refund on this order, hate to think how many packages this may be affecting for UK businesses.

Cold warrior,

First thoughts – check the Customs Declaration on the package. If it says something too 'dangerous' (guns, swords, tanks … as oppossed to the far less threatening term toys), this could be the reason.

I always send them from the UK as metal toys and the Royal Mail person always asks me if there are batteries.

Toys seem ok on a declaration.

I've had an overseas package shipped from the US rejected by the airline because it was declared 'unscannable' and they couldn't tell what was inside.

I've seen a reference or two from others with the same issue so possibly same thing but coming from the UK.

all my order go airmail, i put scale models on the customs form, how odd!

OK, this is part of a problem I have seen before but never been able to find official advice on.

I missed this post when replying to the last one but I'd not class this as an 'error' on RM's part.

International shipping regs get changed regularly these days and often advice on what are indicators of potential problems/risks doesn't get into the public domain. The advice for small shippers is very scant and describing a product in the tiny space you get on a customs form can be difficult.

I have been told that loose figures scan better than those packed closely together and that any sheet metal can be assumed to be shielding to stop scans finding stuff – all bits that may or may not be true, nobody seems to be able to give official advice on how to avoid getting stuff mis-identified.

Luckily I don't send much abroad that isn't fairly obvious but it has happened a couple of times to stuff sent to me.

Your requesting full armed military units and vehicals through the mail? No wonder that isn't going to fly.

A similar thing happened to an order I placed with SHQ in February. It arrived last week with said sticker. That's the first time I've seen such a sticker. In the meantime (August) SHQ replaced the order but sent it 'tracked and signed'. That order arrived within 2 weeks.

This is speculation but it could be due to increased UK security measures. Plus not everyone operating scanners has the same experience. Perhaps someone thought the metal models looked like bits of homemade shrapnel. Who knows?

When I had my package rejected for not being able to be scanned my USPS Postmaster said he'd put it through again and it would most likely make it – and it did.

So you are moist likely correct about the scan operators and lack of experience.

Mail clerks like to do their Christmas shopping from peoples packages at holiday time. they open 'random' packages for inspection and help themselves, sending on the contents they don't want and keep what they want for themselves. Several dozen are caught each year doing this. The standard excuse after scanning is to smash open the package like an accident occurred and send them on after taping up the remnants.

Its seems to be a security issue, they detect metal in a smallish heavy package and they just dont have the manpower to check it so it goes in a surface mail 'bin'. Seems to happen randomly so I assume its they have an itelligence led alert.
I'm assuming they think that a 'device' like that wouldnt do much on a cargo ship whereas on a plane…………..
Annoying ( its cost me two replacement packages in the past) but Id rather be a few quid down and a customer annoyed than the alternative.
L