Lithium Battery Shipment

I know there was a topic about this a couple of weeks ago regarding air shipment but I've come across some information regarding UK Royal Mail posting that I thought some might find useful - especially when selling and posting equipment.
My company is moving from physical SecureID tokens to soft tokens and I've been collecting the old tokens to ship back to HQ for disposal. According to the website these are powered by a single Lithium Ion cell. I've checked with Royal Mail and here is part of the restrictions for anyone interested :-

Each package must contain no more than four cells or two batteries installed in equipment.

Lithium ion/polymer batteries sent in isolation are prohibited. Please see www.royalmail.com/prohibitedgoods

Lithium ion/polymer/metal/alloy batteries when not sent with, or contained in/connected to an electronic device, are prohibited.

Lithium ion/polymer/metal/alloy batteries are allowed when sent with or contained in/connected to an electronic device, but are subject to packaging, volume and quantity restrictions.

Since a Pentax camera battery contains 2 cells then I reckon that the maximum that can be shipped in one parcel containing a sold camera is 2 batteries and you cannot send batteries on their own. I don't know how this is overcome in distance selling - eBay and the like.

These batteries are now largely supposed to be sent by more expensive courier..presumably if you pay £5 for a courier the batteries themselves are less likely to spontaneously combust than if you'd only paid second class parcel post

It's funny how this has only just become an issue immediately before the Royal Mail was privatised.

What has happened is that honest online traders who abide by the rules have had to accept a massive cost increase when posting lithium batteries by being forced to use Parcelforce or another courier as you can't send them in the regular post, while dodgy unscrupulous traders keep posting them via Royal Mail who don't seem bothered.

A few weeks ago I sent RM an email complaining that exactly this was happening...loads of traders on Ebay openly quoting low postage costs using ordinary post instead of higher courier charges...Royal Mail weren't interested...they said that they were getting round to contacting their customers but that it would take a while..they didn't seem bothered to stamp out this unfair practice at all.

The woman at my local post office has started asking what's in the package. I find this big brother approach offensive to be honest.

I think next time I'm going to tell her it's a sex toy and one of the type that your average prude would find most embarrassing.

This scaremongering over batteries has got absurd

surely these devices would have lithium button cells of the non-rechargeable variety, not LI?

RM wash their hands of them because lithium ion batteries must be correctly labelled for carriage by air, by issuance of a Dangerous Goods certificate, as well as applying hazard warning labels to each consignment. Couriers and airfreight forwarders generally have more time to deal with them since they are usually shipped in bulk. Providing they are correctly packed and certified to IATA/ICAO standards, and risk has been reduced, they are "safe" to travel - but (it's been a wee while since I checked the handbook) they can only be uplifted on cargo aircraft. The reason why couriers/airfreight forwarders are more expensive is that they have to pay for UN-certified containers (tri-wall cartons), shipping labels that identifies the Dangerous Goods, as well as issuance of a Dangerous Goods certificate, where the person packaging the goods to these standards accepts responsibility for the cargo at the point it has been lodged with the airline. Also note that Dangerous Goods cannot be bulked with non-hazardous goods, so that they are readily recognisable. Finally, even though packed and certified to the correct standards, ultimately it is down to the First Officer whether or not he/she permits the cargo to be loaded onto the plane.