Royal Mail to prohibit all bladed items from April

On and from Monday 22 April 2024 Bladed Items will be prohibited by Royal Mail for all UK destinations. This is going to have an impact on many businesses as the list (below) of prohibited items is quite extensive.

Surprising on the list are items such as ‘Sporting equipment with a blade’, we’re guessing that this would even extend to items such as ice skates. It’ll certainly impact me next time I want to buy new knives for my woodwork planer!

Those selling such items will have to seek alternate carriers and it makes sense to plan in advance and start switching your shipments well in advance to give time to update you carrier and cost profiles on both your website, marketplaces and and social channels you trade on.

Including in the updated advice from Royal Mail are links to changes to the Offensive Weapons Act which set out ‘the offences of delivering bladed products to residential premises, or to persons under 18’.

Royal Mail say that you must not send any item that has a blade, in particular, ‘Bladed Articles’ as defined by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 or ‘Bladed Products’ as defined by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Such items include, but are not limited to:

• Any knife blade
• Any kitchen knife (regardless of size or design), bread knives
• Knives that can be used for hobbies and trades (regardless of whether they are marketed as knives, for instance, utility knives and snap-off cutters)
• Gardening and farming tools that have a blade
• Any trade tool that could commonly be described as a knife, butcher’s knives (including meat cleavers)
• Cutlery knives
• Scissors with sharp edges
• Sporting equipment with a blade
• Replica and antique knives (including those used for re-enactment purposes)
• Handmade and bespoke knives
• Open razors (where the blade is exposed)
• Any axe
• Any sword
• Survival knives
• Machete