USPS has announced it will not be delivering packages containing unauthorized or unregulated items.

The USPS has issued a no-tolerance policy on the shipment of unregulated products.

That means certain distributors won’t see their packages move, and your local post office will refuse to accept them, as reported by Reuters. 

This move is part of the USPS’s strict adherence to federal regulations that prohibit the delivery of unauthorized vaping products. 

Fewer than 40 e-cigarette items are currently FDA-approved, and demand for unregulated alternatives has overwhelmed enforcement agencies.

Demand Vape, a major New York-based supplier, has been caught in the crosshairs of these federal changes.

USPS revoked its mailing privileges after the city’s Law Department provided evidence showing it was shipping vape products without FDA approval. 

The company had been selling fruit and candy-flavored vapes in places where those flavors are banned by local law. 

“Your local Buffalo BME Office will not accept any packages from… Demand Vapes that contain ENDS [Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems] products,” USPS told the company in a letter, per Reuters.

This move from USPS stands to help big tobacco brands like Altria and British American Tobacco, who have dealt for years with unregulated vapes shipped from China.

Altria and BAT’s products are authorized to be delivered by the USPS.

Reuters estimated the unauthorized vape market was worth around $2.4 billion in 2024.

Demand Vape denied the allegations from USPS, saying the company had not broken any laws and noting the vape industry exists in a “regulatory grey zone.”

With so few FDA-approved products, vape companies cannot meet consumer demand, the company said.

“We reject any characterisation that paints Demand Vape as anything other than a transparent, lawful and reputable business,” Demand Vape said in a statement.

The U.S. put restrictions on the sale and shipment of vapes by imposing import tariffs and seizures at ports, according to Yahoo.

The FDA also wrote letters to 24 U.S.-based distributors as part of a crackdown in May.

This has led to empty shelves in vape stores, said Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association, which represents firms including Demand Vape

USPS revocations will further damage U.S. vape businesses, he said.

Demand Vape sells to 5,000 retailers in 49 states, according to lawsuit filings in New York City.

The city provided invoices from the USPS showing Demand Vape’s sales of unauthorized e-cigarettes. 

Demand Vape is challenging USPS’s decision, arguing they’re operating within legal limits. But this policy will be strictly enforced by both the USPS and the FDA. 

USPS MAKING CHANGES

The USPS has rolled out a lot of changes in 2025, in preparation for the holiday season from October 5, 2025, to January 18, 2025.

Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage prices will increase from 40 cents to $16, depending on package details.

There will also be an international fee on items under $800.

These changes are part of the USPS’s long-term “Delivering for America” plan.

The USPS has also put a 5-cent jump for First-Class Mail Forever stamps from 73¢ to 78¢, marking a record increase.

The USPS is also expecting faster delivery for some first-class mail and slower delivery for others, which is achieved by letting carriers travel farther to deliver. 

However, this comes at the cost of longer rural delivery times as afternoon pickups and weekend transit days are being trimmed, too.

There will also be slight delivery delays for about 11% of first-class mail.