Question about Amazon and Shipping Items with TRITIUM

S

ss119

Inactive
I tried to order a Trijicon ACOG scope (with tritium illuminated reticle) through Amazon. (It was one of those "Ships and Sells by Amazon" items, so it wasn't shipping through OpticsPlanet or anything like that.) So a few days later, Amazon contacts me and says the order has been cancelled for the following reason:

Due to delivery restrictions on your order #*****, we won’t be able to send you Trijicon ACOG ***** Scope with Dual Illuminated ***** Ballistic Reticle, TA75 Mount and M1913 Rail.

This is because this item contains regulated materials classified as dangerous goods and can not be delivered by Amazon. Although the amount of these substances in these products is usually quite limited, these products need to be transported in a certain way to ensure that they are handled with care.
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I read up on hazardous shipping regulations, and Tritium is technically a Class 7 hazardous item. Under 1.1 Curie worth of solid tritium can be shipped as "Limited Quantity". I believe it's Ground shipping, only.

But seriously, glow-in-the-dark watches and key chains have more tritium than night sights and scopes. (Amazon has no problem selling and shipping these.) Countless online retailers ship tritium night sights and scopes, not to mention all the private sales on eBay, etc. I think the only restriction is no shipping by air (and of course no international).

Even the Marine Corps instructs trainees that the ACOG gives off "0.1 Curies of radiation, less than a Rolex!"

So can someone enlighten me? I have spoken to Amazon Customer Service twice and they are giving me the runaround and telling me to just drop the issue and order again from a different (non-Amazon) seller if I want the scope so bad. That's not the point, though. I am curious why Amazon claims they can't legally ship these out from their own warehouses, even though they claimed to have them in stock at the time.

I call B.S.!!

Thanks for your help, y'all.

~ SS in TX

Refs:
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/servic....cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageID=2109809
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/06/f1/DOE-HDBK-1129-2008.pdf
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/hazardous-materials.html#policy
 
If they aren't going to ship it, they aren't going to ship it. I wouldn't waste my time or energy with them, order from someone else and call it good. Thats what I would do anyway. Looks like Ebay has them with free shipping, might give it a try.
 
The classification has changed. It was UN2910 Class 7 and is now UN2911 Class 7.

It is hazardous material and is considered radioactive by classification. Due to this and the change, many carriers, 3pl's and so on are wary about the material. You and I know it is not a large concern in its current form, however, many do not and generally just steer clear.

I am actually currently working with a company that ships products with tritium in it and they have had issues previously with others. They are not too pleased about the classification.

Edit: They probably have not set up or refuse to classify the shipment as hazmat due to the additional fees associated with them.
 
Thanks for the responses

Now I'm curious, what physical form *is* the tritium in our gun sights? I figured it was in some solid coating. I can see how pistol/shotgun night sights could be a gas-filled tube, though. But how does an ACOG reticle work, then? :confused: I don't see how a gas could form such a fine crosshair.
 
Its hydrogen with extra neutrons(3) inside a little tube with phosphor layer
 
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But how does an ACOG reticle work, then? I don't see how a gas could form such a fine crosshair.
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It's not the tube forming the crosshair any more than it's an LED forming the crosshair in an LED illuminated crosshair scope.

The LED and the tritium only provide the illumination.
 
Amazon not shipping night sights

I just had the same thing happen. I ordered night sights a few mo. ago from Amazon for my Glock 19. No problem, shipped right out. Tried to order another set a week ago for my Glock 26 and got the note saying the order is canceled. So after they canceled the order, I noticed that they are still listing them for sale so I tried again in case it was a fluke. Same note and cancellation notice again. I live in NH so it's not due to any local restrictions but they obviously don't have their act together on this.

Joe
 
Something's wrong here. I just bought two tritium XS handgun sights and they shipped right through the USPS. No restrictions at all. Lots of companies making tritium sights and shipping them every day. I'm not sure why Amazon would send that message since they seem to be selling them from a lot of suppliers. Just order it somewhere else. You can usually find anything Amazon sells for the same price if you look around on the net.
 
Send slide to Glock

Best deal on nite sights for a Glock is Glock. Under 60 bucks for front and rear, and they will install.
Cheaper than buying a site pusher.
 
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