This article covers what counts as hazardous goods in online retail, what to watch for when shipping perfume, batteries, and similar items, and which shipping regulations you need to follow.
As globalization keeps advancing, you can order virtually any product online with the click of a mouse and have it delivered to your doorstep a few days later. But online retail isn't quite as borderless as it first appears. While some rules only apply to large merchants, others are requirements and laws that every online seller has to follow.
One of the biggest is shipping hazardous goods. Items that are flammable, toxic, or even explosive can't simply be sent without precautions. Because these kinds of products can pose a danger to people or the environment, there are specific regulations for shipping them that have to be followed.
What most online sellers don't realize: cosmetics like perfume or deodorant, as well as batteries and rechargeable cells, also count as hazardous goods. The good news: these products can be shipped if they're labeled correctly and stay within certain quantity limits.
This article sums up what counts as hazardous goods in online retail, what to watch for when shipping perfume, batteries, and similar items, and which shipping regulations you need to follow.
Legally, hazardous goods are anything that poses a risk to people, public safety, and the environment during transport. More specifically, this means substances that are highly flammable, toxic, corrosive, or radioactive. It's even enough for a product to contain flammable or toxic substances — like perfumes, batteries, and so on.
Hazardous goods are divided into nine different classes.
• Class 1: Explosive substances and articles containing explosives
• Class 2: Flammable or toxic gases
• Class 3: Flammable liquids
• Class 4: Flammable solids
• Class 5: Oxidizing substances
• Class 6: Toxic substances
• Class 7: Radioactive substances
• Class 8: Corrosive substances
• Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles
Depending on which hazard class an item falls into, the way the goods are packaged, labeled, and transported is handled differently.
There are laws governing the handling of hazardous goods at national, European, and international levels. The ADR Agreement covers the transport of dangerous goods by road across Europe. Violations carry heavy fines for everyone involved. The RID Agreement covers transport by freight train. For sea freight, the IMDG Code applies, and for air freight, the IATA regulations.
To ship hazardous goods safely despite their nature, online sellers need to keep a few things in mind. There are clear rules for transporting them that have to be followed.
Online sellers are legally required to make it unmistakably clear through classification, packaging, and labeling that the items are hazardous goods. On the one hand, this guarantees safe transport. On the other, it makes sure that everyone involved in the supply chain is aware of the risk the goods pose. On top of that, hazardous-goods shipments must be precisely documented.
Each hazard class has its own packaging requirements. The goods also need to be labeled with their name, UN number, and a hazard label. The hazard label is a square set on its corner. Pictograms, hazard symbols, and number codes show the danger posed by the item.
Depending on the type of product, there are additional special markings. For liquids, for example, two upward-pointing arrows must indicate the correct orientation of the package.
The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure provides comprehensive information on labeling hazardous substances. This info sheet shows and explains the different hazard labels.
Perfumes are highly flammable because of their alcohol content of up to 80%. Other cosmetics like nail polish, nail polish remover, deodorants, or hair spray cans can also catch fire easily and therefore count as hazardous goods when shipped.
There's an exception for shipping hazardous goods that lets the products mentioned above be shipped under simplified conditions. This rule applies to shipments of limited quantities (LQ). Under it, packaged dangerous goods may be shipped if they consist of an inner packaging (for example, a perfume bottle) and an outer packaging (for example, a box).
A few additional conditions also have to be met for the limited-quantity rule. The goods must be packaged with high-quality materials to protect them from stress during shipping. For liquid hazardous substances, there must also be a liquid-free space inside the packaging. As with all other hazardous goods, the appropriate hazard label must be clearly visible on the outer shipping packaging for perfume & co. as well.
For hazardous goods that fall under the limited-quantity rule, the hazard label looks like the one shown below. The symbol is a square set on its corner, marked with a black bar at the top and bottom on a white background. The hazard label should be 10×10 cm. Depending on contrast, the symbol can either be printed directly on the shipping packaging or applied as a sticker.
Labeling for perfume & co.: hazard label for limited quantities & orientation arrows
When the goods are packaged accordingly, they may be transported on road and rail as well as by inland waterway and sea. The exact quantities and types of hazardous substances that may be shipped this way can be found in chapter 3.4 of the ADR Agreement.
Depending on their composition, batteries are classified as hazard class 4, 8, or 9. Each type of battery has its own UN number and must be packaged and labeled accordingly. The classification depends on various factors: material, size, capacity, etc. So when shipping batteries and rechargeable cells, it's worth getting clear on the specific shipping rules for the items in question.
When it comes to specific shipping rules, you always need to look at the carrier's particular requirements. Some carriers exclude certain hazardous goods entirely, while others can ship some items in specific quantities. With other carriers, hazardous substances can only be shipped after extensive consultation. So here too, it's worth doing thorough research on the relevant carrier's shipping rules for the products you want to send.
On top of that, strict national rules can't simply be applied 1:1 to international shipping. The exact details can be found in the carrier's terms and conditions or worked out individually with the carrier on request.
Online sellers don't just need to worry about labeling hazardous goods. There's also the responsibility for recycling their own products and packaging. Electronic devices, for example, not only need to carry labeling for any batteries they contain — they also have to be registered in the destination country's recycling system. The same goes for all packaging materials used. Non-compliance can lead to heavy fines. With ecosistant's digital consulting service, you can fulfill all your recycling obligations online.
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