These items can often go, but each needs care. How to send devices, toiletries, food and medicines, and when to keep them with you.
Usually yes, with care. A laptop, tablet or phone can go if it is fully switched off, well padded and listed on your packing list. Toiletries can go if they are not flammable, not in an aerosol, and sealed in bags. Food is controlled at many borders, especially Australia, New Zealand and the EU, so declare it clearly or leave it out. Medicines you rely on should travel with you, not in the shipment.
These items sit in a grey area, so the booking form does not block them. When you list one, it adds a care note instead. This guide explains what sits behind each note.
A battery sealed inside a device is far safer in transit than a loose one. The device protects it from being crushed, and its terminals cannot touch metal. That is why devices can go with care, while power banks and spare batteries cannot (see dangerous goods you cannot send).
| Item | Can it go? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop, tablet, phone | Usually, with care | Off, padded, listed |
| Camera | Usually, with care | Body in the case, spare batteries with you |
| Drone | With care | Removable flight batteries count as spare batteries, so carry them with you |
| Electric toothbrush, shaver | Yes | Off, in its travel case |
| Headphones, smartwatch | Yes | In their case |
| Power bank, spare battery, vape | No | Carry it with you |
Rules for devices vary between transport partners and destinations. If you are sending more than one or two, ask us before you book so we can check the route. Bear in mind too that the cover included with a booking is worked out by weight, not value, so it rarely comes close to what a laptop is worth. Our guide to insuring belongings you ship explains the options.
What matters is what is in the bottle and whether it is under pressure. A good test is the label. If it shows a red-edged diamond with a flame inside, or one with liquid eating into a hand, or says the container is pressurised, leave it out.
A wash bag for your own use is normal luggage. Several litres of the same product can look like goods for sale at a border, and some services take fewer liquids than others. If you are sending more than a wash bag's worth, ask us first.
Food can carry pests and animal diseases, so many countries control it closely, and it is one of the main things border officers look for. Within the UK there is no customs check, but think about time in transit: send nothing that needs a fridge. For other destinations, here is the picture, checked on 3 October 2026.
| Destination | What the official source says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | All food must be declared, and some is not allowed in. Items found with soil, plant or animal material can be treated or destroyed at your expense (Department of Agriculture). | Leave out fresh food, meat, dairy and anything homemade. Declare everything else by name, or leave it out. |
| New Zealand | Parcels that may hold food can be opened, examined and held (Ministry for Primary Industries). | Check each item with the MPI's online checker before you pack it. |
| EU, including Spain, France and Ireland | Meat and dairy products cannot be brought or sent in from outside the EU, apart from narrow exceptions such as powdered baby milk (European Commission). | Leave out meat, cheese, milk and other dairy products. |
| USA | Some services do not carry food to the USA at all, and US agencies control meat, fruit, plants and other farm products. | See sending belongings to the USA, and ask us before packing food. |
If you do send food, keep it in its sealed shop packaging and list it by name and quantity, such as "4 tins of tomatoes, 400 g each". A line that just says "food" is the kind that gets a parcel opened.
The simple rule: anything you would struggle to be without for a week goes with you, not in the shipment. Shipments can be held at customs, and medicines are one of the things that get stopped.
Destinations set their own limits. Australia's personal import rules allow up to 3 months' supply in one import, in packaging that identifies the medicine, and prescription-only medicines need a valid prescription (Therapeutic Goods Administration). New Zealand Customs also allows up to 3 months' supply as part of your personal effects (New Zealand Customs).
Yes. List it on your packing list with its make and model. For anything going abroad, customs needs a description and value for each item, and our guide to the packing list and customs declaration shows how to word it. Some countries treat new electronics differently from used ones. New Zealand Customs, for example, only lets phones and laptops in duty-free as personal effects if they have already been used.
Usually, in their original sealed packs and listed by name. Some countries treat certain supplements as medicines, so check the destination's rules if you are sending more than a few months' worth.
Often not. Tins and packets are heavy for their size, so you pay for their full real weight. A box of store cupboard food can cost more to send than to buy again at the other end, and it carries the most risk of being held.
They can, but keep them apart. Put liquids at the opposite end of the case in double bags, and the laptop in the middle in its sleeve. One leak can ruin a keyboard.
Write your packing list as you pack, so nothing is left off. When you are ready, the price page compares every option side by side, and the booking form will flag anything on your list that needs a closer look.
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A suitcase, a boxed suitcase or a box: what each costs in chargeable weight, which protects your things better, and when each one makes sense.
Australia and New Zealand check shipped outdoor gear for soil, seeds and plant matter. A step-by-step clean for each item, and what it costs if gear fails.
