I'm wondering what the status of the UPS, Fedex, and DHL personal wine shipping ban is? Anyone have any recent experience sending the stuff this way?

I ship non-stop using UPS without any problems. But then again, I ship "collectible bottles" or "grape juice".

I shipped cases from Napa, Healdsburg and Santa Cruz - last week - all via UPS, no problems.

I ship "samples" and have never had a problem.

Shipped 2 bottles last week to an individual.

I don't know what the situation is at these shipping offices (they probably screen more). Shipping from a private company office has to be a big plus, I would think.

Edited: TMI

They may "track" me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Hunter,

Tried to have some wine shipped to me using my UPS account from a friend in Chicago. UPS store personnel suspicious of squeaking and insisted on inspecting package. Friend refused inspection and left. Product remains in Chicago; need to find a way to get it to me.

quote:

Originally posted by bokchoy:
Product remains in Chicago; need to find a way to get it to me.

Don't pack it in styro shipper.

Put large plastic bag around styro to eliminate squeaking. lou, what alternatives would you suggest that provide the same shock absorption and insulation as styro?

I've had no problems shipping or receiving so far.

PH

I've shipped two bottles in a large box with a load of crumpled newspaper.

If using styro, put each bottle in a plastic bag and put a little newspaper between the styro and the cardboard and tape the box tightly.

I have received numerous bottles via UPS this week, and last week, I walked right into UPS and they packaged it for me.

FedEx ships wine to us in FL. It clearly states on the box it is wine/alcohol and needs a signature of someone over 21.

I have been shipping by UPS lately and no problems. In fact my local office will even pack it and ship it knowing it's wine.

Hi Dave,

I get shipments to FL by both Fedex and UPS from wineries and retailers. As I understand it, the problem is the shipper must be licensed. Of course, there are still quite a few wineries that will not ship to FL (or GA, SC, or NC where I have set up additional relationships and are in driving distance). In the above case there are only six bottles, so I think I'll send my friend a cupla 3 pack shippers and have them buried in larger boxes surrounded by newspaper. "Gott in Himmel!" What a pain and expense!

Grossie;
I just had a 6-pack shipped to my from a merchant in NY state via FedEx - no problems. I have wines shipped to my office in Atlanta all the time - from merchants, online brokers, and wineries. The only issues I've had is with wineries that have distributor representation in GA; those wines I have shipped to my inlaws in Southern IL.

Thanks for the advice, all.

To be clear my issue is not with retailers using Fedex or UPS to ship, but with individuals. UPS rules say you must be licensed to ship wine, so theoretically I cannot ship wine to a friend unless I have such a license.

I've shipped via UPS from work, where the UPS guy just assumes I'm shipping Peppers...no questions asked.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
I've shipped two bottles in a large box with a load of crumpled newspaper.

If using styro, put each bottle in a plastic bag and put a little newspaper between the styro and the cardboard and tape the box tightly.

I'd suggest foregoing the styro shipper, and wrapping the bottles heavily with bubble-wrap, then crumpled newspaper or styro peanuts.
I've had UPS want to "inspect" my boxes, as well. Sometimes it's a breeze, other times they must think I'm al-Quaida.

Any experiences shipping to Canada from the USA or France? Should I label it "olive oil"?

I was told by the UPS store that they could no longer ship wine unless I was a licensed dealer.

When shipping some of the really good stuff I feel more comfortable paying for the insurance. I have found myself shipping some pretty expensive olive oil and collectable glass!

quote:

Originally posted by anj:
When shipping some of the really good stuff I feel more comfortable paying for the insurance. I have found myself shipping some pretty expensive olive oil and collectable glass!

That's all fine and dandy, but you're paying for insurance on an item that's banned from shipping without a license. I've never had to submit a claim, but what happens when you do? If the item breaks, they're going to know about it when it leaks out of the box.

quote:

I was told by the UPS store that they could no longer ship wine unless I was a licensed dealer.

Find someone you know who owns his own business or manages an office and gets driver pick ups from UPS. Box it and add it to his pickup pile. You'll never have a problem.

Even when MI was a "felony" state, I bought from allocation lists and websites. They typically wanted to ship to my work so it seems more like "business related" packages. Once in a while I had to ship back, and I just labeled it "glassware" and shipped from work again (with my own label - don't want to get fired). Never had a problem.

grossie,

Really? They told you that you need a license? My UPS office will take it, no questions asked, and I've shipped in the last month. In fact they have even packed the wine for me. I sure don't have any kind of a license nor have they told me that I require one. Maybe it depends on the individual office you take it to. Maybe if you call around to various offices you'll have some luck.

I guess it depends on which office you ship it out of. I been using FedEx with no problems and all of a sudden yesterday they told me I couldnt Ship wine unless I get a FedEx account, sign a wine shipping agreement and pay extra for special wine shipping labels. My local UPS store is cool, they take wine no problems, although one time they told me to just say Juice instead of wine. lol

I will quote from UPS:

h) The only alcoholic beverages that UPS accepts for transportation are wine and beer. Packages containing wine and beer are accepted for transportation only from shippers who are licensed and authorized under applicable laws to ship alcohol and only on a contractual basis. To receive service for packages containing wine or beer, the shipper must sign a contract and agree to the provisions set forth in the approved UPS agreement for the transportation of wine or beer. All packages containing wine or beer must have a UPS label requesting an adult signature upon delivery. It is the responsibility of the shipper to ensure that a shipment tendered to UPS does not violate any federal, state, provincial or local laws or regulations applicable to the shipment. All shipments, including shipments containing wine or beer, will be accepted for transportation only according to the terms and conditions contained in the UPS Tariff.

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