Prohibited & restricted items

1. Overview

These rules apply to everything on Hatarii: mall and Global listings, wholesale offers, classified ads, parcels sent to your Tokyo suite address, and freight bookings. They combine Hatarii's own policy with the main customs, safety and aviation rules of Ghana and Japan.

Laws change and this list cannot cover every case. If you are unsure about an item, ask us before you buy or ship it — you remain responsible for following the law of the countries involved.

2. Never allowed on Hatarii

These items must never be listed, bought, sold or shipped:

Drugs & paraphernalia	Narcotics, psychotropic substances, cannabis products, and equipment for making or using them.
Weapons	Firearms, ammunition, replicas that can be converted, explosives, fireworks, tasers, and knives or swords whose possession is restricted (including Japanese swords without registration).
Counterfeit & pirated goods	Fake branded items, copied software, music or films, and goods that infringe trademarks or copyrights.
Stolen goods	Anything you do not lawfully own, including phones that are blacklisted or locked to another user.
Currency & documents	Counterfeit money, passports, ID cards, driving licences, Ghana Card or My Number cards, and blank official forms.
Protected wildlife	Ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn, turtle shell, bushmeat, and any species listed under CITES without permits. No live animals.
Human remains	Human organs, body parts, blood and bodily fluids.
Adult & harmful content	Pornographic material, and anything that promotes violence, hatred or the exploitation of children.
Hazardous materials	Radioactive, toxic, corrosive or infectious substances, mercury, asbestos and banned pesticides.
Financial & data products	Bank accounts, mobile-money accounts, SIM cards registered to other people, personal data, and gambling or pyramid schemes.
Recalled & unsafe products	Items under a safety recall in Ghana or Japan, and electrical goods without required safety marks.

3. Allowed with conditions

These items are allowed only if the conditions below are met. Sellers may need to provide licences or certificates before listing.

Food & drinks	Must be commercially packed, labelled and within date. Products sold in Ghana need Ghana FDA registration; imports into Japan follow the Food Sanitation Act. Homemade food (e.g. shito, kenkey) may only be sold locally through classifieds and cannot be forwarded.
Cosmetics & skincare	Must show full ingredients and be registered with the Ghana FDA for resale in Ghana. Skin-lightening products containing mercury or hydroquinone above legal limits are prohibited.
Medicines & supplements	Prescription medicines are not allowed. Over-the-counter medicines and supplements are limited to personal-use quantities and must comply with Ghana FDA and Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs rules.
Alcohol & tobacco	Sellers must be licensed. Not sold to anyone under 18 (under 20 in Japan). Nicotine e-liquids are regulated as medicines in Japan, so Hatarii does not forward them.
Phones, radios & electronics	Wireless devices sold in Japan need a Japanese technical conformity (Giteki) mark; in Ghana, radio equipment must be type-approved by the National Communications Authority.
Plants, seeds & soil	Need a phytosanitary certificate. Soil and live plants with soil are not accepted.
Cocoa, gold & minerals	Cocoa beans for export must come from COCOBOD-licensed buyers. Gold and precious minerals need export licences from the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).
Vehicles & engines	Vehicles must have export and deregistration certificates. Salvaged (accident-damaged) vehicles cannot be imported into Ghana. Engines must be drained of fuel and oil.
Used fridges & air conditioners	Used refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners cannot be imported into Ghana. New units must meet Ghana Energy Commission efficiency standards.
Knives & tools	Kitchen and work knives may be sold to adults. In Japan, carrying a blade longer than 6 cm without good reason is illegal and swords must be registered, so they are not forwarded.

4. Can’t fly — sea freight only

International air transport follows IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. When forwarding from our Tokyo hub, these items are sent by sea or returned to the sender:

Loose lithium batteries and power banks (batteries installed inside a phone, laptop or camera are usually fine).
Aerosols — hair spray, spray deodorant, spray paint.
Perfume, nail polish, nail-polish remover and other flammable liquids.
Lighters, matches, camping-stove gas and fuel.
Magnets and magnetised items above aviation limits, and dry ice.

We check every parcel when it arrives. If something can't fly we'll tell you and offer sea shipping before charging anything.

5. Ghana import rules

The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority enforces Ghana's import rules. In addition to section 2, the following are prohibited or need prior permits:

Prohibited: salvaged motor vehicles; used refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners; counterfeit and substandard goods; obscene publications.
Permit required: firearms and ammunition (Ministry of the Interior); pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics for sale (Ghana FDA); plants and animal products (Ministry of Food and Agriculture); telecommunications equipment (NCA).
Duties, VAT, NHIL, GETFund and other levies apply to most imports. Hatarii shows an estimate at checkout.

6. Japan import rules

Japan Customs and the animal and plant quarantine services enforce Japan's import rules. In addition to section 2:

Prohibited: narcotics and stimulants, including some foreign cold and allergy medicines that contain stimulant ingredients such as pseudoephedrine; firearms and swords without permits; counterfeit currency; obscene materials; goods infringing intellectual property.
Animal quarantine: meat and meat products — including sausages, dried meat and many processed foods containing meat — cannot be imported without a certificate. This affects some Ghanaian soups and seasonings; check labels before ordering.
Plant quarantine: fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and plants need inspection; many are banned from Africa.
Consumption tax applies to imports above the duty-free threshold; Hatarii shows an estimate at checkout.

7. What happens if rules are broken

Listings and ads that break these rules are removed, usually without notice.
Parcels containing prohibited items are held. Depending on the item, we return them to the sender at your cost, dispose of them safely, or hand them to the authorities.
Repeated or serious breaches lead to account suspension, withheld seller payouts and, where required, reports to law enforcement.
You can appeal a decision by emailing support@octagramtech.com within 14 days.

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