Anyone know their official take on why these aren't allowed? I read their whole "prohibited items" list and didn't see anything that jumped out at me (rocket engines are not fireworks...)

They mention "things that cannot be shipped", but engines obviously can be -- with the proper channels.

I bet one could pick up some good deals on engines on eBay if they allowed it...

Like RocketDr. said in another thread -- it's ridiculous they police this so much, when they allow so much other crap to go unchecked...

-Tim

No average person can ship motors legally. Some retailers can if they go through all the proper procedures to obtain the necessary permits.


One infamous person got a $40,000 fine for shipping motors illegally.

http://www.nar.org/pdf/shipping_rocket_motors.pdf

__________________
-Fred Shecter NAR 20117 (L2)
Southern California Rocket Association, NAR Section 430

Now I'm confused... I was under the impression that Estes motors (A-D, possibly E) could ship as long as they were identified as HAZMAT and used special HAZMAT shipping?

Your link says:
.

And I know I had motors shipped to me as a kid, but things have likely changed in the last 25 years

-Tim

The postal service allows motors to be shipped if you have the proper paperwork to do so. Each rocket company must submit documentation to the USPS inorder to get authorization to ship motors.

Dealer can obtain the proper shipping documentation from the manufacturer of their particular motors.

Ebay just doesn't want anyone shipping motors on their own.

motors must have the proper placards on the outside of the box, must be packaged properly and must be shipped parcel post, no air shipments.

When you get into the higher (larger) propellant engines, that comes under a different classification.

Like I mentioned previously, you can check on ebay right now, and you find all types of chemicals, fuses, firework tubes and booklets on constructing all sorts of materials. And ebay worries about class C toy propellant devices, doesn't make any sense.

Perhaps most ironic is that if you google "ebay rocket engines", the first hit is from ebay, saying "Find estes model rocket, engine estes model rocket and rocket kit items on eBay."

Notice that I never mentioned 'model rocket' or 'estes' in my search -- they 're doing that on their own, yet it's for a product that's illegal to sell on eBay

-Tim

The problem being is there moderators don't have a clue about a model rocket or plastic model.

They don't really read the descriptions, or look at the piuctures, if they get a complaint, valid or not, they shut down the listing.

When I brought up the issue of chemicals, they said all chemicals were being shipped legally, as for fuse etc, they had no comment.

Like I said previously, with chemicals, fuses and booklets, just imagine what you could come up with, far more destuctive than a little class c toy propellant device.

One of the things we got a large kick out of "back in the day" was a tube of rocket engines (the OLD convolute wound 1"+/- heavy card tube) that was returned by the Post Office (postage due, of course) that had gotten stuck in the conveyor machinery. The belt, wheels, or whatever, had ground halfway through one of the engines, (including halfway through the propellant grain) with no ill effects to anything other than the engine.

WMS (Father, Mother, and midwife of the SPEV)

Would you please give the history of the development and production of the SPEV?

Bob

Just amazing what can be done to motors with no problems.
There was a book published by Estes years ago (green cover) that explained all of the testing that went into motors, onlt to prove how safw they are, maybe ebay and the usps should read a copy.

I had a crazy rocket friend one time throw a motor into a campfire once..It didn't do anything,right away...we forgot about it til about 10 minutes later when it finally cooked off! Took 10 minutes in a campfire to burn away the cardboard casing and ignite the BP!

I have bought a couple of starter kits off E-Bay where the seller didn't remove the motors and shipped them to me that way...shhhhh!

__________________
Jon
SAM #0396
BAR 02/07
NAR 86940
KF4GUL
Aim high, fly straight!