Scary Haz-Mat

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Bought some primers on Gun broker and won the bid, paid the Haz-Mat on top of the bid and then received this package via UPS. Poor UPS guy had no idea he was driving around with a 5000 primers packed in nothing but 1/4 inch cardboard.. As he was walking up he laughingly said someone got a fun package..What is it BB's? I thought to myself, poor guy...

Contacted the company and the guy first said you just paid for shipping!! I informed him that primers must be shipped declared Haz-Mat for the protection of everyone involved. He then emailed me back and said his clerk made a mistake..Yeah right I told him..I explained the box that arrived had white stickers all over it covering the word primer..Jezzz...

He wrote me one more time and ask what I would have him do to his clerk? I said nothing because it's obvious who ever sent this package did it on purpose so at least refund me my Haz-Mat shipping cost and don't do it again.. Trust me...I hate having to pay Haz-Mat but as my name implies, I am an RN and I would not forgive myself if someone got hurt in any transaction I was involved in..I think it was unfair to me to not ship these legally to me because you wanted to make a few bucks more on your auction...

Never heard back..

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Looks like a "law suit-lookin' for a chance to happen" to me. I don't like haz-mat fees either...but there ARE reasons. I'd hate to see an injury just for a few bucks.

Mark
 
Loaded ammunition and primed brass is not hazmat. The 5000 primers alone are as is just powder by itself.
 
Whenever I buy primers in large quantities they are invariably shipped in the factory flats. That would be from four of the largest reloading mail order outfits in the US. I have received CCI, WIN, Tula, and S&B primers this way.
 
@rmmarsh---You did not get a non Haz-Mat package from ANY of the largest vendors..

@jmorris....And? Dont know what your point is...Still would be Haz-Mat..
 
Loaded ammo is ORM-D So is a can of spray paint!

Primers and Powder separate or together need to be Haz Mat. Yes, they guy shipping just made an extra $27 or whatever he charged you. Report it on feedback to Gunbroker.
 
Hazmat & Non-Hazmat

It's been my experience;

Hazmat = powder, primers

Non-Hazmat = bullets, loaded rounds, de-primed cases, cases with primers installed, (either inert or active).

I fail to see the confusion in jmorris' statement. PM me if you would like more information.

Be Well,
Joe's
 
Oh yeah...There are a number of Gunbroker sellers that charge ridiculously low shipping fees (i.e. w/o hazmat) for powder & primer. Dumb dumb dumb. Not worth getting someone hurt, lawsuits, or prison time.

Hmmm...THIS IS WACKY...why isn't primed brass charged the hazmat fee???
 
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I hate getting ripped off on shipping, if you pay for a service it should be provided. I would call UPS CS and see what they have to say about it, I bet they get in trouble if they are hauling Haz-Mat and don't know it. DOT regulates how much they can have on a specific shipment. I would also leave comments about it in his feed back. Nothing like paying for something like that and then not getting it because it got confiscated.
 
It's not a hazardous situation. If so the factory wouldn't package them in cardboard. Nothing could happen and nobody was in any danger. Drop the box, toss the box, pile other boxes on top, and can't think of anything that would cause a problem other than fire. It has the Ord-D sticker and I'm sure the UPS man and anyone else handling the package knew what was inside and had no worries. What else should have been done to ship them? Powder Valley can ship 48 pounds of powder and primers for one hazmat charge. I've received powder and primers a few times shipped together. Primers are ok to be shipped by air while powder has to go ground shipping. Don't want anyone to ship me primers though without following hazmat rules though but I can't see UPS accepting the package for shipping and I would think by the package they would know what's inside even though the word "primers" was taped over. Plus wouldn't want to pay a hazmat fee to a shipper who pockets your money without following rules. Makes me upset we reloaders have to pay a fee anyway to ship primers and powder. Government red tape.
 
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Onward Allusion said:
Hmmm...THIS IS WACKY...why isn't primed brass charged the hazmat fee???
Click to expand...

Because primers in the case can not set off a chain fire explosion. Ask the guys with progressive press's if they ever had a primer tube ignite and shoot a hole in the ceiling? Ever wonder why Federal Brand primers come in such large boxes? As they are more sensitive than others they require more space between them.

Haz Mat shipping puts the Haz products in a heavier cardboard box and a bunch of forms. Nobody likes to pay it but it does serve a purpose (I think)

Boxes are bounced around all over plus it keeps it off of air transportation, It has to go ground shipping.
 
@jmorris....And? Dont know what your point is...Still would be Haz-Mat..
Click to expand...

The loaded ammo not being hazmat was to the post right before mine. The last part affirmed that yours was hazmat.
 
If anyone is saying that primers being shipped without an outer box isn't a hazardous situation, you are very much wrong. 1000-1500 primers equal a 1/3 to 1/2 a stick of dynamite. If they are dropped just right, and get shocked, the box WILL explode. I work for one of the largest ammunition mfg companies and can tell you, there have been people seriously injured and even killed by exploding bulk primers. It is absolutely haz-mat. And if it was delivered by UPS on any means other than ground, should be reported to the ATF. Your not dealing with a slap on the wrist. Multiple peoples lives were put in danger. Some people in the reloading industry think it's so safe. You couldn't be farther from the truth. I work around it daily. And honestly, i fear it just a little. And always will. It makes me respect it, and not get complacent and honestly....... stupid.. You absolutely should report this business. They are not doing anyone any favors, and are putting alot of people's lives in danger.
 
@henry...Exactly!! Posses me off for a company to involve me in such an unsafe transaction. Of course, I THOUGHT I was paying to have it shipped legally but still...
 
A while back, Midsouth had a special on primers and with no hazmat. They came by Fed Ex, and someone had to be present to sign for them. I have no idea how they got away with it. When I explained and asked Fed Ex about it, I was told they could only deliver it with someone signing for it, and I couldnt waive this, I had to be there...or someone...on the other hand UPS just dumps it off by my garage door, primers, powder whatever. And a 28 dollar hazmat fee. :confused:

Russellc
 
Midsouth would have absorbed or paid the Haz Mat fee. Kinda like "free" shipping which of course there is no such thing.

For the OP's situation at least the jerk could have put it in a plain outer box. The labels over what it is shows he knows what he did. As mentioned report it on Gun Broker under feed back
 
Wow, no offense but there's some "Chicken Little" thinking going on here. The primers in the original factory packaging is completely safe, otherwise Winchester would be totally foolish shipping them to their dealers in the factory packing. Primers loose in a jar/can most times are a potential bomb, if dropped and one goes off, there's a good chance that the chain reaction will cause an explosion. Primers on their side or flat in a compartmentalized plastic sleeve are not gonna explode from being dropped, and the primary consideration is how they would act in a fire.

As an ex-Hazmat shipper, the only thing you are paying for is the education of the workers handling the packages. No extra precautions are taken and that box of 5000 primers rode right along with that case of diapers in the back of the truck. Unpackaged liquids, flammable solids, and corrosive materials are a different story altogether...
 
mdj, is absolutely correct, I've been reloading for over 40 years and never had a primer explode inadvertently, both single stage as well as progressive. I believe it is just another way the ATF gets a few extra bucks of our hard earned dollars.
 
The factory packaging passed all sorts of drop and sympathetic detonation tests.
That is why they are so carefully packed in their little trays.

I still have some older CCI primers packaged in much tighter trays.
Rows of 10 primers on edge per row.
The shipping rules have obviously changed over the years.
 
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I hate to burst all the safety minded bubbles in this thread but the Hazmat fee is just that, a fee. Other than doing a little paperwork to justify charging the fee the shippers do nothing special when shipping primers and powder. It's just another way to take money from shooters and reloaders. There are no special handling requirements with ORM-D or Hazmat fee packages.

No one is made safer because you paid $25 or more to ship primers.
Live ammo is more dangerous than primers yet there is no additional fee for shipping ammo.
 
@mdi..No chicken little here..I paid for Haz-Mat and that's not how they shipped. Also, I believe that there is a valid reason for Haz-Mat shipping even if it's just some training the employees go through..If they had done that they might know to put them in a bigger box just for the heck of it. Oh, they also would have marked the box Haz-Mat.

More importantly, It's about information..The UPS guy might have treated the package a little differently if he knew they were not a box of BB's like he thought. I personally am not worried about them. I would throw them in the trunk and drive all around town without worry. No chicken little here...

Minimize it all day long if you like but in reloading I say safety is paramount. This extends to the people who help me continue my hobby. One mishap involving illegal shipping and guess who won't be buying primers/powder online anymore? You and I...
 
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