The Craziest Things People Have Ever Shipped

Slide 1Overview
There are many strange and unusual things that are sent by mail every day.
Many people send gifts or order “out of the ordinary” objects.
Magnolia Moving is an expert at sending things to their destination, even weird
ones. Here is a few of the strangest things that have ever been sent in history.
Miniature
Donkeys
Two red baby miniature donkeys made uShip„s Hall of Fame list in 2017. They were
shipped from North Carolina to Connecticut in November—and we think this
definitely qualifies as the cutest shipment.
Kids
Believe it or not, it used to be legal to ship babies through the U.S. Postal Service. In
the early 20th century, anything under 11 pounds could be sent via Parcel Post. One
couple took that a little too seriously and sent their eight-month-old baby through
the mail for only 15 cents to his grandparents house.
Thrones
uShip reported that there were not one but two big throne shipments in 2017.
One was a “55-pound golden kings throne” that was delivered to a customer in
Miami. The other was a set of his and her thrones that was shipped from Texas to
Ocala, Florida. We guess people live like royalty down in the sunshine state!
Three
antique
player
pianos
The award for the most musical shipment goes to these three antique player
pianos. This crazy shipment traveled from Belleview, Florida to Williamsburg,
Michigan
Pets
Sometimes Fido cant make the trip by plane so he has to be shipped through the
mail. Household pets are shipped more than farm animals such as sheep and cattle.
In 2017, dogs came in first place, with over 4,300 of them being shipped around
the U.S.
Diseases
In 1895, an article in the New York Times revealed that one New York Post Office
worker sometimes saw diseases come through the mail. Smallpox, diphtheria, and
scarlet fever germs were all “sent by physicians to the Health Board” and were
always carefully packaged and clearly labeled. People can tell a lot about you by
your mail.
Antique
bathtub
The most antique item they shipped in 2017 was a “rare antique galvanized tin
cowboy bathtub” that traveled from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. They suspect it
might have been used on a movie set.
22-foot boat
A massive SeaSwirl Striper boat was shipped from Miami to Anchorage, Alaska.
Thats quite a journey—5,024 miles to be exact! It took 12 days for the boat to get
to its final destination.
high
A package of considerable size, a wooden statue of an elephant about 2.10 meters
high. Certainly not a package that goes unnoticed!
Live bees
One of the strangest shipping in the world was a honeycomb hosting a large number
of living bees. It might seem crazy, but it happened! Someone sent 10,000 live bees
by mail. Imagine being the one to unpack them…
An
antivampire
kit
This is something strange, but it is sent much more often than one might believe.
Many still think that vampires exist! Someone once sent a complete kit against
vampires containing ivory stakes, garlic, a Bible and holy water.
A very
special
camera
A noteworthy event happened in England. Even though it is very common to send a
camera, this one was special. The recipient of the camera, when he began using it,
found several photos of suspected terrorists. The previous owner was an MI6 agent
who had forgotten to delete the photos of his work!
Potatoes
Sometimes, sending a regular old greeting card just doesnt do the trick. No need to
worry, as you can send a personalized potato through the mail. Potato Parcel lets you
send a spud to your friend with a handwritten message or image on it.
A pet
chameleon
While you cant send a cat, dog, or child through the mail anymore, there are a few
live animals that actually can be sent. In 1954, an Ohio man known only as “David”
decided that his pet chameleon would be much happier in Florida. A few weeks
after sending it on its way, he received the following note from Orlandos then-
Postmaster.
Endangered
turtle eggs
In 2010, FedEx joined forces with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
protect endangered sea turtle nests and eggs after they were threatened by a mass
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The conservation effort meant donating resources to
transport hundreds of nests containing thousands of eggs to Floridas Atlantic
Coast.
White tigers
Back in 2002, FedEx was honored with the duty of transporting not one but six
white tigers from Nashville and Oklahoma, U.S. to the capital of Thailand. Under the
Species Survival program, special efforts are in place to ensure the longevity of these
incredible animals and protect them from the fate of illegal inbreeding.
A robot
You probably remember Terminator, the killer robot played by Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the 1980s. Thirty years later, it seems that what was just fiction
is taking shape. Believe it or not, a human-shaped robot was recently sent to
Germany from Belgium.
Gold bars
What would you do with €20k? Go travelling? Make investments? Devote yourself
fully to your projects, your dreams, your passions? Last February, there was actually
a Dutch delivery containing gold bars worth €20k. If you decide to ship something
this extraordinary, make sure you ask for the right kind of transportation.
Live snails
Though they arent considered domestic animals, Eurosender is against animal
cruelty, and so the transport of live snails and animal products isnt in accordance
with their policy. Who would want to spend a week in a cardboard box, without
contact with the outside world?!
Tree Stumps
In the past, Ripleys Believe It or Not! put on something they called “The Strange
Mail Challenge,” where they would urge contestants to send them the weirdest
things via the Postal Service in order to compete for a prize (10 years worth of
Ripleys books). One years winner was a guy who sent a tree stump with a
horseshoe lodged in the middle of it. True story.
Human
Teeth
Apparently the Tooth Fairy is in the business of delivering mail now. People have
tried shipping human teeth through the mail on several occasions, even though USPS
categorizes teeth as human remains and prohibits them from being shipped. If you
have a child, think twice before you put his or her baby teeth in an envelope to send
to grandma for sentimental reasons!
The Hope
Diamond
In 1958, world-renowned jeweler Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond—the
largest-known deep blue diamond in the world—to the Smithsonian Institute.
Interestingly enough, Harry decided the best way to get the diamond there was by
mail. He only paid a mere $2.44 for the postage, although he did take out a $1
million insurance policy. While that was considered a lot of money back then, its a
mere drop in the bucket considering that today the diamond is valued at between
$200-$300 million dollars!
Mannequin
Limbs
Every so often, a mannequin limb (or several) will make its way into USPS delivery
network, and postal workers wont think twice about it. While its no doubt pretty
creepy, shipping mannequins in separate parts is quite common within the fashion
and garment industry. Clothes dont model themselves in retail stores, after all, and
those mannequins have to get there somehow!
Mailboxes
Yes—there have been instances where a person sent their mailbox through the US
mail. Think about that sentence for a second: somebody sent their
mailbox…through the mail. If thats not straight out of the 2010 movie Inception,
were not sure what is. Somewhere at this very moment, Alanis Morissettes song
“Ironic” is playing.
Conclusion
Youd be surprised what youre able to send through the US Postal Service. As long
as its not on their list of shipping restrictions. The post - office is pretty lenient
about what you can send through the mail…and we have proof! Heres our list of
ten weird things people have shipped, above.