Sloshing

Kind of like my regular trading partner in Michigan, andygirl. Oh you know, here's a KRE the first time I meet you!! Love those guys...excuse me...Love those girls!!

 

They don't even remotely care about my fake business. I tape a fake business card into the "return address" corner of the box (Fork and Spoon Operator: The snarkiest gourmet store on the Internet). Got asked about it while I was dropping off one time, told the guy it was some malt vinegar and BBQ sauce.

 

The only box I've ever had rejected was a styro shipper. Never made it out of the store. They called me back and told me to come get it because they heard it sloshing.

In the past I've thrown a couple of pennies into an Altoids tin or some other container. I've even just chucked a few pennies into the side of a styro shipper just to have something clanking around. But the one time I forget? Boom. Box gets rejected.

Your mileage may vary, of course. But I figure it's a little extra trouble that can prevent a big hassle.

The question now is, do I add the pennies to the value of my beer when negotiating a trade?

 

Styro shippers are the worst unless you double box. Can always hear sloshing with those things.

 

I ship Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegar too. I should make labels...

 

Don't know what to tell you, but Al's Snow Globe Emporium is having a really good year.

 

I need to start checking for sloshing before I seal the box!

I reused a box with 2 three bottle, horizontal, fiber shippers that my trade partner used. Cantillon and Hoppin Frog bottles. I've never used fiber shippers before. I know laying bottles horizontal creates way more sloshing than vertical, but I completely forgot to check on that before I went to town on the box with tape. I go to move it to my car and WOW, it sounded like you were in an aquarium. I opened up everything and decided to go with my normal full proof packing job. I went to home depot and got my usual medium and small double walled boxes (box-in-a-box). I felt 10x better using my usual method and my partner got more beer with this shipment.

Turns out the Hoppin Frog bottles were the main culprit. There are about 2-3 INCHES of empty space in the bottles that make them slosh like crazy. This made me check some other bottles in my cellar and it seems like Hoppin Frog are the WORST with this. What are some beers that are filled to the top? I want to reuse the shippers, but the majority of stuff in my cellar sloshes. I'm probably being overly cautious, but horizontal shippers suck a big black dildo.

 

I give most of my boxes direct to the fedex driver, I gave up fighting the sloshing since I figure most people who come in contact with the shipment are not going to be holding directly to their ear shaking it around, they have 50k other boxes to deal with that day. It's people at shipping stores you have to worry about, they get bored and start to look in boxes.

Three boxes have come to me that people wrote fragile on, all three of those boxes had holes punched in them, my advice is never write that on a box

 

honestly, when i receive beer at work i never hear the sloshing. my office space isn't too loud of an area either. when i'm at home packing a box and i'm done, it's fairly quiet(er). i guess when i'm at home i really hear the sloshing due to me focusing on the package. when i drop off a box, i try to hear it, and I do. I guess since i'm expecting it, i hear it.

that being said, i've used the soda can and coin bit once. Then i just stopped and said fuck that. If someone does ask, it's either hot sauce or pickled stuff. never had a rep at the desk ask me though. if they do and ever 'find out' it's beer. i'll wait til the next ship or go to the next location.

 

I feel like I don't want to bring attention to the box I'm sending. I don't write "Fragile" on it, simply because I feel it invites abuse. I don't write "This Side Up" on it because I figure it doesn't matter. I lay the bottles on their sides to get a more solid pack (IMO) with less shifting. I don't put any noise makers in the box to hide the sloshing, because I am afraid to arouse suspicion or curiosity. I wrap my bottles in both a full sheet of newspaper and, then, bubble wrap. That, and double boxing with packing peanuts between boxes, effectively deadens the sloshing sound. So far, so good. My recipients have received their boxes in tact. I can also drop the box from chest-high without worrying about breakage. It takes a little extra time, but has been so worth it.

 

I would be willing to ship one of my kids in a box creepin has put together

 

I tell them I am a sovereign citizen and their rules do not apply to me. They usually stop asking questions at that point.

 

Print labels at home, drop off at a Ground Pickup destination or have FedEx pick up for $4...problem solved

 

Shipping bottles vertically cuts out most of the sloshing noise. Then double-box for safety and silence.

 

I work in a body shop and have an endless supply of bubble wrap and Close Cell Foam which also happens to be a sound deadener. So I just pack the box full of that stuff and I am good to go. Last shipment buried in Mopar logos.

 

After hundreds of boxes, never trying to hide what is in them, I got busted today. They had heard sloshing the time before and made an issue of it when they never said anything before. Same workers. Today they opened the box. Said they had to because they heard liquid and had to check. Told me they had no license for alcohol and refused to ship. I guess I will have to find another location or drop it with the driver at my building. Weird.

 

I try to wrap cotton stuffing around the bottles when shipping if I have it around. I usually buy a bunch of it on sale after Christmas to have on hand, or buy it if I find it at the local Thrift Stores. It is a natural insulator, and does a great job of masking the sloshing sound.