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Bierview
Member
Username: Bierview
Post Number: 242
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 67.81.178.93
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 12:53 am: | 
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Any one enter their brews to Sam Adams this year? I just got word that my Belgian Wit arrived safe and sound. Had some trouble shipping it UPS. Went to a Fedex shipper and they took it with no questions asked.
BV |
Little Dipper
Member
Username: Littledipper
Post Number: 226
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 68.248.195.150
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 02:06 am: |
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What kind of problems did you have with UPS? |
Bierview
Intermediate Member
Username: Bierview
Post Number: 251
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 67.81.178.93
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 12:02 pm: |
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I went to an authorized shipper in town and was told that it was illegal for him to accept a package with beer in it.......so I went to Fed-Ex. No questions at all.
BV |
Colby Enck
Intermediate Member
Username: Thecheese
Post Number: 414
Registered: 06-2003
Posted From: 70.44.68.25
| | Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 09:16 pm: |
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I sent a brew in, too. My UPS Store didn't ask any questions, even with "Homebrew Competition" quite evident on the shipping label.
BTW, it isn't 'illegal' for UPS to ship beer, just some of the organization's individuals would prefer to Cover Their Asses.
It is, however, illegal to ship beer by USPS. |
Bill Moore
Advanced Member
Username: Bill_beerman
Post Number: 505
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 63.145.150.3
| | Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 04:54 pm: |
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I went to 2 UPS stores and they refused to ship.
I also went to the UPS hub and they wouldn't take it either. Well, they would have taken it if I had a hazmat license. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 6969
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.57.224.220
| | Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 05:12 pm: |
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You've got to be creative to ship beer. Two of the contents descriptions that usually work are "yeast samples for evaluation" or "liquid malt extract." At any rate, don't ship it USPS unless you have absolutely no other choice. They can be very nasty and even prosecute if they want to. |
Little Dipper
Member
Username: Littledipper
Post Number: 229
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 206.114.61.199
| | Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 05:19 pm: |
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Open up an account at UPS.com. You fill out all the paperwork ahead of time, pay online, and print your shipper label. Then all you have to do is drop it off at the UPS store and they don't ask a thing, they just take it and put it on the truck. It's pretty nice. |
Graham Cox
Senior Member
Username: T2driver
Post Number: 1051
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 68.32.253.156
| | Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 06:18 pm: |
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Same thing at FedEx.com, even though my local office tended not to ask questions even before I opened an online account. Now I just fill out the particulars online, print a shipping label, and take it in and drop it off.
FedEx ground service is very reasonable. I can ship from Meridian, MS to anywhere in the south in two days max, usually next day, for about $7 for a box of 12. |
Doug W
Intermediate Member
Username: Pivorat
Post Number: 285
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 70.141.10.25
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 02:33 am: |
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for the NHBC I found out from someone who've I have used to ship with for a few years that UPS has had a policy change and will not longer ship beer, yeast samples, etc without either hazmat permit or other license i.e. Brewpub. The funny thing is about 4 stalls down from the UPS store I have used for so long is a brand new Kinko Fedex, who was more then delighted to ship my package with a smile and give me a 10% discount as a welcome~!!! I dont know if the UPS bit is local or corp. policy now but they are definately changing the tune they used to sing. |
Colby Enck
Intermediate Member
Username: Thecheese
Post Number: 417
Registered: 06-2003
Posted From: 70.44.68.25
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 01:16 pm: |
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It doesn't help that Sam Adams' mailing lable says "Homebrew Competition" right on it.
I think it also would be nice if comps would accept PET bottles... the whole breakable/glass problem that these shippers seem to have would be eliminated. |
Little Dipper
Member
Username: Littledipper
Post Number: 230
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 206.114.61.199
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 01:35 pm: |
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So when you guys are shipping your beers, you're telling them that it's beer? I always say it's glassware if I'm asked. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 6977
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.57.224.220
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 02:41 pm: |
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I agree about the PET bottles. I think 16-20 oz. plastic soda bottles make a lot of sense for competitions. |
Graham Cox
Senior Member
Username: T2driver
Post Number: 1056
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 68.32.253.156
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 02:51 pm: |
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I don't think it's a broken glass thing.
I had a frank and honest discussion with one of the FedEx employees a few months ago. She said that in order to ship alcohol legally, it had to be either going to or from a licensed establishment. I think that may be why so many homebrew competitions have you ship to a restaurant/brewpub, homebrew shop, etc., rather than the organizer's home, for example.
I look carefully at FedEx's poster of prohibited items every time I drop something off, and alcohol is not on the list. Neither are glass bottles. |
Jason Bentley
Junior Member
Username: Pacoustic
Post Number: 87
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 69.26.195.172
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 03:39 pm: |
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FedEx is the preferred shipper at the warehouse I currently manage. According to our account manager who did confirm this with his district manager it isn't so much a beer thing as a tax thing. Since alcohol laws are controlled on a state and local level there are issues with tax rates and the legality of home produced alcohol in some areas.
Knowing the way some laws are written it wouldn't be inconceivable that if you shipped a buddy say a four-pack of say Rasputin from say Arizona to Illinois without paying the appropriate state and local taxes FedEx may be guilty of facilitating bootlegging. I think there should be an exception for homebrew, but I think you would run into some fairly heavy opposition.
In regards to Long Shot I was caught asleep at the kettle and don't have anything that I feel is deserving to be sent in.
(Message edited by pacoustic on April 24, 2007) |
The Dude
New Member
Username: The_dude
Post Number: 7
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 131.6.84.67
| | Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 05:05 am: |
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I attempted to send off my shipment yesterday from a UPS store and about a half hour later they called and told me to come pick up my beer. Lame. |
Brews and Views Archive 2007 
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