# Pooping in a bag and mailing it to someone, legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997 "2010-06-13T10:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/21 "2010-06-14T01:58:42Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > That is why I always waterboard mine. You bet. Those claiming not to are on a smear campaign. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/22 "2010-06-14T02:00:26Z")
BTW, **Captain Midnight** - legal or not, your idea sure is feral. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/23 "2010-06-14T02:17:12Z")
To get around the DNA issue, you could maybe pay some homeless guy to poop in a bag for you… ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/24 "2010-06-14T03:56:09Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > To get around the DNA issue, you could maybe pay some homeless guy to poop in a bag for you… Just be sure to ask the homeless man’s name first. Otherwise, if the homeless name’s name is Sherlock, you will have no luck and out of cash. That’s because Sherlock is perpetually constipated. Whut? You’ve never heard of No Shit Sherlock? ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/25 "2010-06-14T04:12:15Z")
I note that Captain Midnight hasn’t made comment at all since posting the topic. Guess he doesn’t give a shit. No, wait…!.. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/26 "2010-06-14T07:38:46Z")
Didn’t they actually do this for the movie Pink Flamingos? ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/27 "2010-06-14T08:09:17Z")
Does anyone else remember a company whose sole business was mailing dog poop to people? They had a website with a page telling all about their business but they seem to be no longer in business, which makes me think mailing poop is probably _not_ legal…at least not if you’re doing it for gag/harassment purposes. I know you can order chicken poop from gardening sites, though. These guys owned a doggie doo cleanup service IIRC, got paid to pick up poop, then got paid _again_ to mail it to the mark of your choice. But to your original question, I’d bet the answer is likely _no._ I’d love to listen in on that phone call to the post office. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![charlie145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@charlie145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charlie145)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/28 "2010-06-14T08:23:28Z")
Ask and ye shall receive: [www.mailpoop.com](http://www.mailpoop.com) Quoted from their legal page: > [@](#): > > The only other thing we really ask of you is a non-violent message, if you choose to include a message. Our policy is not to send any package with a questionable message such as threats to a person’s life, or anything that the airport would frown on you saying as you walk through the metal detector such as " You sure the bomb is safe". We will e-mail you if we have any questions and give you one chance to revise your message. Ok, enough said. > > Customers ordering mailpoop packages agree to release [mailpoop.com](http://mailpoop.com) and its agents from all liability associated with use of our services. You may NOT use our services to violate a legal restraint or an event constitute harassment. This is a novelty service for the purpose of entertainment. Additionally, [mailpoop.com](http://mailpoop.com)’s liability to our customer is limited to the price of the package in question. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/29 "2010-06-14T08:55:26Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > Didn’t they actually do this for the movie Pink Flamingos? Sure BigBertha; if the dog was the sender, its poo was human and Divine was the mailbox…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/30 "2010-06-14T09:19:38Z")
> [@charlie145](#): > > Ask and ye shall receive: [www.mailpoop.com](http://www.mailpoop.com) > > Quoted from their legal page: Thank you! I was telling someone about this and they told me I made it up! 😃 I bow to your google fu. ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/31 "2010-06-14T15:21:02Z")
As soon as I started reading this thread I thought about the “gag” company. Guess you guys beat me to it on finding them. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/32 "2010-06-14T16:31:27Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > Also, if you had the notion of mailing it without a return address, think again. The post office won’t accept it at the walk-in office and they should segregate it, and possibly just destroy it, if deployed in a drop box. This might be a legal barrier, but it’s certainly not a practical one. You can just make up a return address. Is it illegal to provide a fake return address (assuming you’re not trying to get free delivery by using the return address as the destination)? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/33 "2010-06-14T17:08:29Z")
After a bit of perusing the US Code, I came across this: > [@](#): > > Every obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance… Is declared to be nonmailable matter and shall not be conveyed in the mails or delivered from any post office or by any letter carrier. Find that at 18 USC 1461. I would say that excrement would absolutely qualify as being “filthy.” You could be put in prison for up to five years on the first offense, and ten years on subsequent offenses. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/34 "2010-06-14T21:32:59Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > Didn’t they actually do this for the movie Pink Flamingos? NO, special effects. It was actually chocolate pudding. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/35 "2010-06-14T21:59:33Z")
Here in Canada it is illegal. You know those stool test kits that test for occult (hidden) blood. You spread small samples on a card and it used to be legal to mail it to your doctor, but now you must hand deliver it. So even though it is totally harmless and not meant as an assault, it is still illegal. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/36 "2010-06-14T23:16:09Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > NO, special effects. It was actually chocolate pudding. In _Pink Flamingos_? Did you see it? That was the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/37 "2010-06-15T20:54:29Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > 18 U.S. § 1716. [Injurious articles as nonmailable](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001716----000-.html) I like that there’s an entire paragraph in there exempting the mailing of live scorpions. ---
**Author:** ![DogRatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e8cbc/32.png) [@DogRatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogRatCat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/38 "2010-06-15T21:27:03Z")
Legal or not, it’s a crappy thing to do. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/39 "2010-06-15T21:39:21Z")
Criminal considerations aside, it occurs to me that mailing poop to someone might be considered [civil battery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_%28tort%29), subjecting the sender to a lawsuit for damages. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997/40 "2010-06-15T23:24:51Z")
Dont mail poop, the secretary will look in the box and toss in half a second. Send them glitter wrapped up in a piece of paper and it will be all over their office, and them, for weeks. Theres also a company that mails glitter for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pooping-in-a-bag-and-mailing-it-to-someone-legal/542997.md?page=3)