Believe it or not, the United States Postal Service (USPS) allows ordinary citizens to ship a coconut with no additional packaging required. It’s just as easy to ship by post as it is to ship a standard package or crate. The USPS views a coconut as a self-contained unit, which cannot be easily tampered with by criminals or readily inspected by postal inspectors. As long as the coconut contains both a proper address label and enough postage, the USPS will literally ship it for you.
We have the Hawaiian tourism industry to thank for the ability to ship a coconut. Visitors to Hawaii can often purchase a keepsake coconut instead of a traditional paper postcard. These gift coconuts can be elaborately decorated with local scenes or other traditional Hawaiian art. All you need to send this keepsake ‘postcard’ is an address and proof of postage. The Hawaiian branches of the USPS are used to helping tourists who want to ship a coconut to the mainland.
While Hawaii or other tropical locations may be the most common places to ship a coconut from, there are really no restrictions on the practice in the United States. Anyone can literally grab a coconut from a local grocery store and put a mailing label on it. Local postmen might not be entirely keen on lugging a coconut around all day, but it’s perfectly legal to mail it in lieu of an envelope.
Of course, there may be a few flies in the ointment should you decide to mail a coconut instead of a first class letter for all of your correspondence. The novelty of having a coconut shipped to you is bound to wear off quickly, and not everything can be delivered safely via a system directly from Gilligan’s Island. While it might be considered a nice gesture for your frozen relatives while you vacation in Hawaii, try not to get too carried away with the rest of the year. Even postal loopholes have limits.
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