If you're looking to pick up a hoverboard for the holiday season, you might not want to use the United States Postal Service to ship it to a friend or loved one. Though you'll still be able to send them through the mail, your options are going to be a bit more limited as a result of some models' tendency to…burst into flames when charging or being ridden.
"Out of an abundance of caution and in line with major retailers and the airline industry, the Postal Service is limiting the domestic shipping of mailable motorized balance boards, or hover boards, that contain lithium batteries," reads a statement from the USPS.
"Effective immediately and until further notice, USPS will ship hover boards using only Standard Post/Parcel Select. This product travels on ground transportation, due to the potential safety hazards of lithium batteries. Also effective immediately, mailable motorized balance boards, or hover boards, will not be sent in international mail shipments, and are also prohibited in shipments to or from APO, FPO, and DPO destinations."
In other words, hoverboards are banned from airplanes (as far as the postal service is concerned.) If you want to ship them super-quickly, you'll have to turn to a private carrier like FedEx, which has no restrictions on hoverboards shipments (so far).
That said, if you already have a hoverboard and are looking it to bring back home to show off to your family and friends for the holidays, you might want to rethink your plans there, too. According to CNN, a number of major air carriers have banned hoverboards in your checked luggage and as a carry-on item due to their potential issues.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is currently testing new and damaged boards "in search of an answer for why some models caught fire during the charging stage and others caught fire while in use. Our expert staff is looking particularly closely at the configuration of the battery packs and compatibility with the chargers," agency chairman Elliot Kaye said yesterday.
And even if you own one and it's working relatively fine, you shouldn't just be worried about your hoverboard's circuitry.
"While the fire hazard has generated significant attention, I do not want to downplay the fall hazard. CPSC has received dozens of reports of injuries from hospital ERs that we have contracts with and they continue to feed us real-time data," Kaye added. "Some of these injuries have been serious, including concussions, fractures, contusions/abrasions, and internal organ injuries. Always wear a proper helmet and padding while using this product."