May29

p.s. do not try to send from home.

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Coconut in mailbox

You can mail potatoes and coconuts without a box through the U.S. Postal Service 

While almost all other objects are required to be boxed up before being mailed, the U.S. Postal Service makes a specific exception for potatoes and coconuts. Both foods can be mailed unwrapped, as long as you write the destination and return address either directly on the product or on a label affixed to the skin or husk. Simply take the item to the post office, where it’ll be weighed to determine appropriate postage, stamped, and sent off to be delivered just like any other package.

The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t explicitly say why this is permitted, but there is some precedent for sending strange items through the mail, as long as they’re paid for and don’t endanger the carrier. In an experiment conducted for a 2000 edition of Annals of Improbable Research, researchers successfully mailed a ski, a deer tibia, a rose with a card tied to the stem, and other unusual objects.

Mailing coconuts is especially popular on the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi, where the Hoʻolehua post office established the Post A Nut service in 1991, allowing people to mail coconuts to the mainland U.S. and around the world – no box required. Post-a-Nut ships roughly 3,000 coconuts annually (around 700 of which are sent to international locations), generating 40% of that post office’s total revenue. Dedicated businesses for mailing potatoes also exist, including Mail A Spud – a service that ships out russet potatoes adorned with personalized messages.

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‘the most effective way to do it, is to do it”

-amelia earhart 

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source credit: food and wine magazine, Bennett Kleinman photo: Valerie Loieseleuz

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80 responses »

  4. Oh, what a wonderful surprise to receive a coconut in the letterbox … It’s not topical enough in Geelong to grow coconuts down here … but my letterbox is a “coconut friendly” box! So send your “nuts” downunder, Beth

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  7. This made me want to rush out and post a coconut to someone! So I checked if I can do that in the UK, and found this. 😊Best wishes, Pete.

    ‘Yes, food can be posted in the UK without a box, but certain conditions must be met, especially for perishable items. Royal Mail requires that food be suitably sealed to prevent leaks, packed in a strong box or polystyrene pack, clearly labeled “PERISHABLE”, and have the sender’s name and return address visible. Non-perishable items can be posted in various forms, but strong packaging is recommended for protection’.

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  19. So interesting. Melanie used to send all kinds of things to me unboxed. She sent an entire not on one flip-flop, with the address stuck aroung the strap. She sent a paper lei and so many funny things and that all made it. :)

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  26. Oh can you imagine it the potato started to turn? There would be a whole lot of pissed off people in the post office! :) Chris
    I would just go home and be a couch potatoe for the rest of the day! :))

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  27. It’s funny what memories a photo can drag up from decades ago. We used to live across the street from a real adult prankster. At Halloween, he always had a few tricks up his sleeve. One year, he gave out baked potatoes just to see kids’ reactions. While I loved/love candy, he earned style points from me for his creativity.

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