Policy overview

For health and safety reasons, most hazardous materials (such as fire extinguishers, radioactive materials, flammable gases and solids and toxic substances) can't be advertised for on WantAd.

The law generally prohibits transporting hazardous materials or 'dangerous goods' per transport regulations. However, there are a few
types of 'dangerous goods' that may be legally transported provided they are properly packaged and labelled, and only under certain
conditions. 

These items may be advertised for on WantAd, as long as the advert and subsequent offer:
•    Clearly describe the hazardous nature of the product
•    Specifiy a compliant transport or delivery method that meets transport regulations and postal/courier requirements

Further information on the classification and transport of 'dangerous goods'
•    The transport of dangerous goods by road, rail, sea or air is regulated by International and European regulations.
•    To check if your product is classified as dangerous goods, please check Section 14 of the REACH Safety Data Sheet (SDS) from themanufacturer. A UN number (a four digit code preceded by the letters ‘UN’) indicates the product has been classified as dangerous goods for transport and requires additional measures for transportation.
•    For UK advertisers/sellers, please read the information on the Gov.uk website about sending dangerous goods.
•    For Republic of Ireland ('Ireland') sellers, please visit the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's website.
It’s important to choose a carrier that permits the transport of the item you are advertising for/selling. Although carriers may have
different prohibitions and restrictions in place, visit these websites to see examples of prohibited and restricted items, and their
packaging advice:
•    Royal Mail - information on prohibited goods for business customers
•    Royal Mail - information on prohibited goods for personal customers
•    Parcelforce information on prohibited goods for account customers
•    Parcelforce information on prohibited goods for retail customers
•    An Post - terms and conditions
Make sure your advertisment follows these guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed and your advertising privileges could be
restricted. Your package may also be disposed of by the carrier.

Chemicals

Restricted:
•    Legally permitted chemicals (e.g. acetone, paints, inks, cleaning products, glues, oils) can be advertised for as long as:
•    The product will be transported safely according to chemical legislation and the carrier’s policies (i.e. compliant packaging and
labelling with EU standards)
•    Appropriate information is provided from the seller to the buyer regarding the safe use of the product
•    The following explosives precursors can be offered for sale as long as the substance is only present at or below the concentration
limit where given:
•    Acetone
•    Hydrogen peroxide at or below 12% weight by weight
•    Hexamine
 
Not allowed:
    •Items that contravene any provision of the CLP regulation(Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemicals and mixtures). For
more information, please visit the HSE website.
•    Items that contravene any provisions of the REACH regulation(Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals)
•    Prohibited substances include, but are not limited to:
•    Asbestos and items containing asbestos such as collectable gas masks
•    Azocolourants or azodyes
•    Benzene
•    Lead-based paints
•    Jewellery containing nickel
•    Items containing mercury such as thermometers, manometers, barometers and sphygmomanometers (blood pressure measuring devices)
•    Any carcinogenic, mutagenic or repro-toxic substance (category 1 or 2) in substances or mixtures advertised for to the general public
•    The following explosives precursors:
•    Aluminium powder
•    Ammonium nitrate
•    Calcium ammonium nitrate
•    Calcium nitrate
•    Hydrogen peroxide above 12% weight by weight
•    Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate
•    Magnesium powder
•    Nitric acid
•    Nitromethane
•    Potassium chlorate
•    Potassium nitrate
•    Potassium perchlorate
•    Sodium chlorate
•    Sodium nitrate
•    Sodium perchlorate
•    Sulphuric acid

Fireworks and combustible items
  
Restricted:
•    Firework labels that are no longer attached to a firework
•    Model rockets that have no engines
•    Pyrotechnic devices that have no combustible materials (such as control devices, launchers, or tubes)
 
Not allowed:

•    Black powder
•    Caps for toy guns
•    Explosive fuses
•    Fireworks, including but not limited to:
•    Aerial bombs
•    Booby traps
•    Bottle rockets
•    Chasers
•    Dayglo bombs
•    Dummy fireworks
•    Firecrackers
•    Firework kits
•    Fountains
•    Nitro poppers
•    Party poppers
•    Roman candles
•    Skyrockets
•    Smokeballs
•    Smoke bombs
•    Snap caps
•    Snappers
•    Sparklers
•    Sparks
•    Torpedoes
•    Flares (both projectile and road flares)
•    Flash paper
•    Gas cylinders containing any of the following compressed gases are also prohibited for safety reasons: acetylene, carbon monoxide,
ammonia, chlorine, hydrogen and sulphur dioxide. Empty or part-empty bottles are also prohibited as they may contain residual gas
•    Gasoline
•    Red phosphorous
•    Thermite

 Fire extinguishers
 
Allowed:
•    Empty fire extinguishers or empty fire extinguisher grenades
•    Fire extinguishers that don't contain carbon tetrachloride
•    Information on how to use a fire extinguisher
 
Restricted:
•    An advert for antique fire extinguishers or fire extinguisher grenades needs to clearly state what substance they are
filled with
. 
Not allowed:
•    Fire extinguishers or fire extinguisher grenades (including glass bulb fire extinguishers and brass fire extinguishers with a T-
shaped handle) that contain carbon tetrachloride. (See the Fire Service's website for tips on safe disposal.) Freon and other refrigerants
The sale of refrigerants, including CFCs, HCFCs and products commonly known as Freon, is regulated in the UK and Ireland. Most of these products may not be lawfully sold in the UK or Ireland or even used to maintain existing equipment and therefore may not be advertised for on WantAd.
 
Allowed:
•    Refrigerants contained within a household appliance or a vehicle
 
Not allowed:
•    Brand name or items described as Freon
•    For UK advertisers/sellers, any banned refrigerant identified by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills
•    For Ireland advertisers/sellers, any banned refrigerant identified by the Environmental Protection Agency Pesticides and poisons
Pesticides (plant protection products and biocides) are regulated in the UK by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Medicinal pesticides
are regulated separately by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

In the Republic of Ireland, the Pesticide Control Service (PCS) of the Department of Agriculture and Food is responsible for implementing the regulatory system for plant protection products and biocidal products.
Independent of this WantAd policy, sellers have to comply with all given legal requirements in the area of hazardous materials and
pesticides. This particularly includes but may not be limited to the following laws:
•    The EU Regulation 1107/2009
•    The Plant Protection Products Regulations 2011
•    The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012
•    The EU Regulation 528/2012
•    The Biocidal Products and Chemicals (Appointment of Authorities and Enforcement) Regulations 2013
•    The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009
For more guidance on the safe use and storage of pesticides, please visit:
•    The Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products
•    The Code of Practice for Suppliers of Pesticides to Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry
•    The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

 
Allowed:
•    Information on the use of pesticides
•    Pesticides authorised by the Health and Safety Executive Information on authorised products can be found at:
•    Health and Safety Executive > Resources
•    Annual report of the pesticide residues committee
•    Health and Safety Executive > Pesticides 

Restricted:
In response to a WantAd advertisement, business sellers selling professional pesticides are allowed to offer products only if they comply with all legal requirements. This includes ensuring that all plant protection products and biocides are authorised for use and labelled in accordance with that authorisation before being offered to advertisers on WantAd. 

In addition, in response to a WantAd advertisement, sellers of plant protection products must:
•    Own a specified sale and supply certificate.
•    Have a sufficient numbers of staff with that certificate (the BASIS Certificate for Sale and Supply) to inform the buyer on
pesticide use, health and environmental risks and safety instructions at the time of sale.
•    Comply with all legal requirements for storage, handling, disposal, packaging of products and cleaning of equipment in order to
not endanger human health or the environment (please visit the HSE Guidance on storing pesticides for farmers and other professional
users).
•    Remind the buyer of his obligation to ensure that the end user has the proper certificate to use professional plant protection
products and receive acknowledgment from the buyer that they have read and understood the user certification requirements.
Business sellers selling only plant protection products authorised for non-professional use must employ sufficient certificated staff in
order to provide adequate information on the risks for human health and the environment of pesticides use.

In response to a WantAd advertiser, all sellers must state in their item description that they will comply with all applicable laws and
regulations as well as ensuring that the buyer satisfies all applicable regulations.
Before purchase, buyers of plant protection products and biocides should verify that any products purchased are authorised for sale and for the use intended in the UK and that, if purchasing a product authorised for professional use only, meet the legal requirements in
respect of user certification. 
 
Not allowed:
•    Private sellers are not allowed to sell pesticides in response to a WantAd advertiser.
•    Examples of prohibited pesticides:
•    Pesticides that are not authorised by the authorities for sale in the UK.
•    Pesticides that are not advertised for in their original packaging with the original label.
•    Poisonous or toxic substances that Royal Mail (or An Post) has prohibited for posting. Radioactive materials
 
Allowed:
•    Geiger counters
•    Information about atomic or nuclear testing or energy
•    Warning badges or warning signs for radioactive material
 
Restricted:
•    Watches or gun sights that contain only a trace amount of radioactive material
•    Natural ore samples that have trace amounts of radioactivity
 
Not allowed:
•    Atomic or nuclear blast items (such as hot rocks, items from a blast or testing zone and Trinitite)
•    Items considered problematic by the HSE's Nuclear Directorateand that the Nuclear Directorate has asked to be removed from WantAd
•    Items described in a advertise foring as radioactive
•    Nuclear materials
•    Radioactive waste or contaminated materials
•    Radium
•    Raw depleted uranium
•    Tritium in large amounts (such as certain types of glow sticks and exit signs)

Other hazardous materials
  
Allowed:
•    Disco or show lasers
•    Class 1 and Class 2 Handheld lasers 1 milliwatt (mW ) or less of power
  
Restricted:
•    Undeployed airbags contained within the body of the steering wheel or removable seats of passenger cars or mini-buses. Please
note: Sellers need to be aware these items may not be legal for sale or dispatch to some countries
•    (Permitted) lighters may be advertised for only if they are equipped with a child-resistant mechanism. 
•    In response to WantAd advertisers, business sellers are permitted to sell new hoverboards or self-balancing scooters that comply
with applicable regulatory requirements and safety standards. Sellers need to include a clearly legible scan of the CE certificate that
proves that the hoverboard complies with the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) in the item description.
  
Not allowed:
•    Chloroform products
•    Cyanide products
•    Handheld lasers with over 1 milliwatts (mW). For further information on laser safety, please visit the Health Protection Agency
website
•    Private sellers are not allowed to offer hoverboards therefore these cannot be advertised for on WantAd. In addition, used hoverboards are not permitted.
•    Deployed airbags, airbags not contained within the steering wheel or removable seats of passenger cars or mini-buses, and safety
belt pretensioners designed to activate as part of an airbag safety system
•    The following batteries including but not limited to:
•    Alkaline-manganese batteries
•    Mercuric oxide button batteries (button-shaped batteries typically used in vintage camera equipment)
•    Zinc-carbon batteries
•    Lighters which breach EU or International regulations, including:
•    Giant Lighters
•    Child appealing or novelty lighters. For a definition of novelty lighters please see Additional Information below.
•    Items that pose a health or safety hazard as specified by government agencies. We will remove advertisements at the request of
government agencies

Additional Information:

For more information about the ban of novelty lighters in the EU, visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/archive/cons_safe/prod_safe/gpsd/lighters/guidelines.pdf
Novelty lighters are defined as:
“A flame-producing product commonly used by consumers to ignite cigarettes, cigars and pipes, including any holder which can be
incorporated later or any attachment which can be fixed later, that resembles by any means to another object commonly recognised as
appealing to or intended for use by children younger than 51 months, or has entertaining audio effects or animated effects. A novelty
lighter can operate on any fuel, including butane or liquid fuel. This includes, but is not limited to, lighters or holders that are
clearly intended to hold lighters, the shape of which resembles cartoon characters, toys, guns, watches, telephones, musical instruments,vehicles, human body or parts of the human body, animals, food or beverages, or that play musical notes, or have flashing lights or moving objects or other entertaining features. This excludes lighters that are printed or decorated with logos, labels, decals, artwork or heat shrinkable sleeves.”

We're also doing our part to comply with government regulations and to ensure that WantAd users follow all postal and transport guidelines from Royal Mail and Gov.uk (UK), and An Post and Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Ireland).