UPS Now Requiring 21+ Signature on Tobacco Shipments

UPS will require a person at least 21-years-old to sign for all packages containing cigars and other tobacco products.

A revision to UPS’s “Transportation of Tobacco Products” agreement in December 2019 includes the change. It covers all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, roll-your-own and pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco and vape and e-cigarette products. Cigarettes and little cigars cannot be shipped to consumers due to federal law.

The change will affect both B2B and B2C shipments, meaning both stores receiving cigars from manufacturers and consumers receiving cigars from stores will now be required to sign for the packages.

“UPS policy requires that all Tobacco Product Shipments must be made using UPS Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required service, requiring the signature of an adult 21 years of age or older upon delivery,” said Dawn Wotapka, a spokesperson for UPS, in an email to halfwheel. Wotapka did not immediately respond to when the new policy will go into effect.

UPS and other carriers already require a signature from someone at least 21-years-old for alcohol shipments. The minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the U.S. has already increased to 21 at the federal level, though enforcement of that law has not yet begun.

FedEx, a UPS competitor, banned most tobacco shipments in 2016.