Can You Really Mail a Coconut?

Believe it or not, the United States Postal Service (USPS) does allow ordinary citizens to mail a coconut without any additional packaging required. It is just as easy to mail as it is to ship a standard package or crate. The USPS views a coconut as a self-contained unit, one which cannot be easily tampered with by criminals or readily examined by postal inspectors. As long as the coconut contains both a proper address label and sufficient postage, the USPS will literally mail it for you.

We have the Hawaiian tourist trade to thank for the ability to mail a coconut. Visitors to Hawaii can often purchase a souvenir coconut instead of a traditional paper postcard. These gift coconuts may be elaborately decorated with local scenes or other traditional Hawaiian art. All that is required to mail this souvenir "postcard" is an address and proof of postage. Hawaiian branches of the USPS are accustomed to helping tourists who wish to mail a coconut back to the mainland.

Although Hawaii or other tropical locales may be the most common places from which to mail a coconut, there really are no restrictions on the practice within the United States. Anyone can literally pick up a coconut from a local grocery store and affix a mailing label to it. The local mail carriers may not be entirely thrilled to lug a coconut around all day, but it is perfectly legal to send it instead of an envelope.

Of course, there may be a few flies in the ointment if you should decide to mail a coconut instead of a first-class letter for all of your correspondence. The novelty of receiving a mailed coconut is bound to wear off quickly, and not everything can be safely delivered via a system straight out of Gilligan's Island. While it might be considered a nice gesture to your frozen relatives while vacationing in Hawaii, try not to get too carried away the rest of the year. Even postal loopholes have limits.