Selling aerosols and flammable products online: hazmat review and shipping limits

A bottle of perfume, a can of dry shampoo and a nail polish set have one thing in common: in shipping, each one can be a hazardous material. Aerosols are pressurised, and many cosmetics and cleaners are flammable. That affects how they can be posted, and on Amazon it adds a review step before the listing can sell. Sellers who list these products for the first time are often surprised by the wait, not by the rule.

This page covers shipping limits, Amazon's dangerous goods review, and what Walmart, eBay, Etsy and the EU ask.

What this page covers: aerosol sprays, perfume and nail polish, spray paint, fuels and lighter fluid, and other flammable or pressurised products.

The short version

• Aerosols and flammable liquids are hazardous materials in shipping, with mailing limits.
• On Amazon, spray paints, household cleaners, cosmetics and other everyday products can be dangerous goods, reviewed with a safety data sheet or exemption sheet.
• Walmart prohibits fireworks, sky lanterns and products with banned chemicals.
• eBay asks you to follow carrier rules and state shipping restrictions in the description.
• From 1 January 2028, EU online offers of hazardous mixtures will need hazard information.

Can you post aerosols and flammable liquids?

Only within limits. Aerosols and flammable liquids are hazardous materials in shipping, and the US Postal Service limits how and where they can be mailed. Before you list, decide how you will ship: which carrier, by ground or air, in what packaging.

What is Amazon's dangerous goods review?

Amazon's dangerous goods review is the check a hazmat listing goes through before it can sell, and Amazon asks for a safety data sheet or an exemption sheet. Amazon's dangerous goods guide names spray paints, household cleaners and cosmetics among the everyday products that may be hazmat.

Have the safety data sheet from your maker ready before you upload. A listing waits in review until the document is accepted.

What do Walmart, eBay and Etsy ask of flammable products?

Walmart, eBay and Etsy each restrict hazardous products:

What should aerosol and flammable product listings say and show?

Listings for aerosols and flammable products should state shipping limits and show hazard symbols as printed:

• State shipping limits plainly in the description, where eBay asks for them.
• Show the product's hazard symbols and warnings as printed, not hidden by styling.
• Leave out images of a product near a flame or heat source, even as decoration.

When will EU online offers need hazard information?

From 1 January 2028. The EU's chemical labelling rules (CLP) cover advertising of hazardous mixtures, and a revised rule will put hazard information into online offers, with its start moved to that date.

How Commicorn helps

• Your labels, as printed. On the Untouched product route your photo's pixels are never redrawn, so the hazard symbols and warnings on your product stay exactly as printed.
• Related products. Perfume, nail polish and cosmetics also have rules about claims: see our page on cosmetics rules.

Questions sellers ask

Is perfume a hazardous material for shipping?

It can be. Many cosmetics are flammable and aerosols are pressurised, so perfume, dry shampoo and nail polish can each be a hazardous material in shipping.

What document does Amazon need for a hazmat listing?

A safety data sheet or an exemption sheet. The listing waits in review until the document is accepted.

Can I sell fireworks on Walmart?

No. Walmart prohibits fireworks, sky lanterns and products with banned chemicals.

Do I have to state shipping restrictions on eBay?

Yes. eBay asks you to follow carrier guidelines and to state any shipping restriction in the description, for example ground only.

Does Etsy allow flammable products?

Etsy keeps flammable items, gases and toxic substances on its hazardous materials list.

Before you list

Have the safety data sheet or exemption sheet from your maker, a shipping plan (carrier, ground or air, packaging) and a description that states any shipping restriction ready before the listing goes live. On an edge case, the carrier's rules decide whether and how the product ships, starting with USPS Publication 52, and on Amazon the dangerous goods review decides whether it sells. For EU buyers, the CLP regulation sets the hazard information online offers carry from 1 January 2028.