What Can I Ship
What Can I Ship from Bali?
Prices and rules checked
Most things ship. The ones that do not are almost always the same short list: liquids, powders, cosmetics, perfume, paint, and anything flammable. Several of those still go, but only with the right paperwork, arranged before the parcel is booked rather than after it is refused. The full carrier list is further down.
Two answers live on this page. The first is what we see at the counter: the items that come in, get opened, and go back out the door, and the ones that go through without anybody thinking twice. The second, further down, is the carrier list itself, because at some point you want the rule and not our impression of it.
The pattern is consistent. Solid, dry, commercially packaged goods travel almost anywhere. Anything that pours, sprays, evaporates or burns is treated as dangerous goods until a document proves otherwise. And anything grown gets looked at by the destination's quarantine service, which is a separate question from whether the courier will carry it.
None of this means your item can't go. It means the work happens before the shipment, not during it. Send us a photo and a destination before you buy the box, and we'll tell you which of the three categories below you're in.
The destination matters as much as the item. The same parcel that clears customs in Europe can be opened and destroyed by biosecurity in Australia, or held over a declared value in the United States.
Who this is for
- Anyone about to buy something in Bali and unsure whether it can leave
- Makers whose products contain oils, balms or powders
- Brands shipping cosmetics or herbal goods who have never been asked for an MSDS
- Anyone sending vanilla, cacao or other agricultural products
- People who have already had a parcel refused somewhere and want to know why
Not a fit: Destination countries have their own rules on top of the carrier's, and they change. Nothing here replaces checking your specific item against your specific destination, which is what we do before quoting.
What goes, and what stops at the counter
We do
- Clothing, textiles and shoes, commercially made or handmade.
- Jewelry, silver and handicrafts, packed and insured.
- Commercially packaged and sealed food: snacks, coffee, instant noodles, sealed sauces.
- Documents, books, artwork and dry souvenirs.
- Furniture, homeware and anything solid, by cargo when it stops fitting a parcel.
We will never
- Liquids of any kind without a safety data sheet. This is the single most common refusal.
- Powders, including cosmetic and food powders, until they're identified on paper.
- Cosmetics, skincare and perfume, which are dangerous goods until an MSDS says otherwise.
- Paint, solvents, aerosols, lighters, batteries loose in a box.
- Anything flammable or explosive. There is no paperwork that makes these ship by air.
The middle three aren't bans, they're paperwork. Cosmetics, herbal products and most liquids ship regularly once a safety data sheet exists, and we can arrange one. The last line is different: no document makes a flammable or explosive item acceptable on an aircraft, and we won't try to find one.
The full list, by what happens to it
This is the carrier list rather than our opinion. We are an authorised agent for DHL, and their prohibited and restricted commodities apply in full to anything we put on a DHL service. Pos Indonesia and FedEx publish their own, which overlap but are not identical, and the destination country adds a third set on top. Where they disagree, the strictest one wins, and that is the one we quote you against.
Never accepted, on any service
Animals, and anything that used to be one
- Anything alive, whether it walks, swims, flies or crawls
- Ivory, shark fin, and hunting trophies
- Animal parts protected under CITES
- Animal remains and non-food animal derivatives
This catches more Bali souvenirs than people expect. Coral, shells, turtle shell, dried seahorses and starfish, and anything mounted or stuffed are refused here even when the shop that sold them said otherwise.
Ashes and human remains
- Ashes, remains, or any part of a human body
Families ask us about this after a death in Bali, and the answer is genuinely no on every courier we use. Repatriation goes through a funeral director and a consulate, not a parcel service, and we will point you to one rather than take the shipment.
Money, and things that behave like money
- Banknotes and coins that are still in circulation, in any currency
- Gold, silver or other precious metal held as bullion
- Unset gemstones, precious or semi-precious, whether rough or finished
Loose stones are the refusal we make most often, on an island built on silver and gemstones. A finished piece with the stone set in it ships insured and documented. The same stone in a paper twist does not, no matter what it is worth.
Weapons and explosives
- Complete firearms and ammunition
- Explosives and explosive devices, including inert examples and test pieces
- Air guns, replica and imitation firearms
- Controlled military items
Replica and imitation count. A decorative piece bought as a souvenir is treated as the real thing until someone senior decides otherwise, which happens long after your flight.
Illegal drugs, and cannabis in every form
- Narcotics, stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens
- Cannabis and everything derived from it, CBD oil included
Indonesian law on this is severe and makes no allowance for what is legal where you bought it. This is the one item on the page where the consequence falls on you personally rather than on the parcel.
Counterfeit goods
- Anything that breaches intellectual property rights
- Replica bags, wallets, watches, shoes, clothing and sunglasses
- Copied CDs, DVDs, software, perfume and electronics
This is the one that catches ordinary holidaymakers rather than traders. The markets here sell replicas openly, and buying one is not the problem: exporting it is. DHL reports suspected counterfeits to customs, the parcel is seized rather than returned, and nobody gets their money back. If the price was a fraction of the real thing, treat it as counterfeit.
Asbestos
- Asbestos in any form or quantity
Accepted once the paperwork exists
Dangerous goods, which need a safety data sheet first
- Perfume, aftershave and anything with alcohol in it
- Aerosols and pressurised containers
- Flammable liquids and solids, paint, solvents, lighters
- Dry ice, biological substances
- Anything with a UN number under IATA, ADR or IMDG rules
- Lithium batteries, loose or packed with equipment
Almost everything in this group ships perfectly well once the document exists. The refusal at the counter is a paperwork problem, not a verdict on your product, and we can arrange the MSDS.
Nicotine and vaping products
- E-cigarettes, vapes and pods
- Cigarettes, cigars and tobacco products
Approval is needed before booking, and a long list of destination countries bans them outright regardless. Ask before you buy stock to send.
Firearm parts and accessories
- Toy guns, firearm parts and ammunition components
- Tasers
- Sights, scopes, night vision units, stocks, suppressors and mounts
- Magazines and clips, flash suppressors, signature reduction devices
Jewellery and watches above about 10,000 euro
- Any single shipment of jewellery or watches over that value
Plated and costume jewellery ships routinely, packed discreetly and covered within the limits of the carrying service. Solid silver and gold is restricted well below this figure: the couriers cap what they will be liable for, and above a per-item value some will not carry it at all. Tell us the material and the value early rather than on the day.
Cards, tickets and stored value
- Activated SIM cards
- Gift cards, prepaid cards and vouchers
- Event tickets, lottery tickets, money orders, stamps
Antiques, fine art and collectibles
- Antiques and fine art
- Commemorative coins and medals
- First-edition books, trading cards, stamps and memorabilia
Collectibles and memorabilia carry a ceiling of roughly 2,000 euro per shipment. Antiques leaving Indonesia can also need a cultural property clearance, which is a separate question from whether the courier will carry it.
Pharmaceuticals and cold chain
- Vaccines and blood samples
- Cold chain pharmaceuticals
- Microprocessor components
Very high value consignments
- Antiques and fine art over 500,000 euro per item
- Tobacco, tax stickers, and stored value items over 500,000 euro
- Personal electronics and fashion goods over 1,000,000 euro
- Pharmaceuticals and microprocessors over 3,000,000 euro
These ceilings sit far above anything that has crossed our counter, and they are here for completeness rather than because we expect you to meet one.
Lists like this change, and the destination country can be stricter than every carrier on it. Send us a photo of the item and its label along with the country it is going to, and we will check it against the actual service before you pack anything.
What's included
Cosmetics and herbal products need an MSDS
Skincare, balms, oils, natural herbal preparations. A safety data sheet identifies what's inside and is what lets the courier accept it. We arrange these: see export documents.
Vanilla and cacao need plant quarantine
Agricultural goods need a phytosanitary certificate for the destination's quarantine service. Different authority, different timeline, arranged before booking.
Perfume is the awkward one
High alcohol content makes it dangerous goods by air. Sometimes possible, often not, and it depends on concentration and destination. Ask before you buy it.
When in doubt, send a photo
A picture of the label answers most of these in under a minute, and it costs nothing to ask before the item is in a box.
How it works
- 01Chat us your shipment details
- 02Get courier options & estimated cost
- 03Drop off or request pickup
- 04We help with packing & documents
- 05Shipment processed, tracking shared
Frequently asked questions
- Can I ship cosmetics or skincare from Bali?
- Usually yes, with a safety data sheet. Cosmetics count as potential dangerous goods until an MSDS identifies the contents, and DHL will refuse the shipment at pickup without one. We arrange the document, but it has to exist before the parcel is booked, so tell us early.
- Can I send vanilla or cacao powder overseas?
- Both are agricultural, so both need a phytosanitary certificate from plant quarantine before they leave, and the destination may have its own import conditions on top. It's routine, it just isn't quick, so start the paperwork before you book the shipment.
- Why was my perfume refused?
- Alcohol content. Perfume is a flammable liquid by air freight, and whether it can travel at all depends on the concentration, the service and the destination. Bring it in or send us a photo of the label and we'll tell you honestly whether there is a route.
- Can I ship essential oils or balms?
- Often yes, with an MSDS, because the sheet is what tells the carrier the flash point. Without it they're simply an unidentified liquid, and unidentified liquids don't fly.
- What can never be shipped?
- Anything flammable or explosive by air: lighters, aerosols, solvents, fuel, fireworks. Loose lithium batteries are their own category with strict rules. If the answer is no, we'll say no rather than find a way to get it on a plane.
- How do I check before I buy something?
- Message us a photo of the item or its label and tell us the destination country. That is faster than reading any list, including this one, and it is free.
Ready to ship from Bali?
Tell us what you have and we'll come back with courier options and a cost estimate. No commitment.
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