Belgium in a Box experiences?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by 701beer, May 5, 2012.

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  1. mph005

    mph005 Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2013 Texas
    Trader

    Well, my box hasn't moved since april 19. I'm trying to contact BiaB to put a trace on it from the bPost end. No response as of yet, which is quite annoying, even if understandable.
     
  2. 701beer

    701beer Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2009 North Dakota

    I'm sure they are swamped more than usual trying to keep up with the rejection rate.
     
  3. Loganyoung

    Loganyoung Initiate (0) Jul 16, 2011 Georgia

    Yeah after having previous packages sit in customs well over a month I was suprised.
     
  4. blockdude

    blockdude Initiate (0) Oct 30, 2014 California

    A lot of people don't realize this but you are breaking federal law when you ship alcohol via Fedex and UPS. The signing policy only refers to licensed wine retailers who have the appropriate license to ship wine, which is why fedex asks you if you are shipping any alcohol, flammables, and weapons. However, since usps is on the brink of bankruptcy, I hardly believe they would prosecute anyone for a beer shipment within the United States or from Belgium nor would they want to, unless you are shipping cases upon cases.
     
    Mitchell57 likes this.
  5. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    You could always make your purchase at BiaB, and have Kurt hold it at the warehouse for you and arrange a courier or private shipping company to pick it up. That would be a very expensive option, but I see no reason why Kurt wouldn't agree if you don't like the bpost/usps option.
     
  6. Stinky-Dinkins

    Stinky-Dinkins Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2013 New Hampshire

    How could you possibly be breaking federal law by accepting shipment of beer via UPS or FedEx? Neither are government owned agencies unlike the USPS, and as far as I know unless you're a business or are in the business or resale (as in not just a regular consumer) there are no federal laws concerning the shipping of beer (like there are, say, prohibiting marijuana or other classed illegal drugs) for personal use - only individual state state laws. You might in violation of some UPS or FedEx policy or something, but that's hardly federal law violation. If it were in violation of federal law for him to accept shipment of beer from other countries, his package would've been siezed in customs and he would've been prosecuted.
     
    #226 Stinky-Dinkins, May 19, 2015
    Last edited: May 19, 2015
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  7. blockdude

    blockdude Initiate (0) Oct 30, 2014 California

    Woops I mispoke, I was thinking about state laws. Cascade was shipping beer all the time until state law caught up with them. I believe it has to do with excise taxes.
     
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  8. srgehl

    srgehl Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2014 New Jersey

    • Shipping beer USPS is against federal law. Shipping alcohol UPS or Fedex to states that have laws against interstate shipping of alcohol is against state law. And shipping alcohol in general with UPS or Fedex is against company policy unless your are a licensed distributor. That is what my understanding has always been.
     
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  9. deadbody

    deadbody Initiate (0) May 10, 2010 Minnesota
    Trader

    If you are shipping from out of the country though you are failing to pay the federal excise tax, which is illegal.
     
  10. 701beer

    701beer Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2009 North Dakota

    I'm sure everyone is willing to pay the tax due. If there was a way for the average person to pay it in advance without hiring a broker that would be great.

    At this point I assume I am not getting a letter from Customs for the seizure and it does not look like the package is being returned.

    So do I call them and tell them to return it to it's origin or tell them I never recieved a formal notice.
     
  11. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    Contact them and tell them that you understand that your box was seized by customs. You haven't received formal notice but you would like to have it returned to it's origin.
     
  12. 701beer

    701beer Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2009 North Dakota

    Thanks Sammy! Any suggestion if they go down the legality path?
     
  13. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    They aren't going to bother you.
    You just need to get them returned so that you can get a refund.
     
    701beer likes this.
  14. karlbronson

    karlbronson Initiate (0) Feb 15, 2010 Colorado

    I had a box ship out 5/2 and it hasn't arrived yet. What's frustrating is I don't have a tracking number. I've politely asked for one 3 or 4 times over the last week and half and just can't get any kind of response. If the box isn't here Saturday I guess I'll be calling Visa. I have had good experiences in the past with both shipping and customer service. Not sure what's going on over there now.
     
  15. aasher

    aasher Grand Pooh-Bah (4,471) Jan 27, 2010 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    I placed an order on 5/20 and will report when it arrives.
     
  16. apw0397

    apw0397 Initiate (0) Dec 8, 2010 Texas

    Ordered on May 1, arrived in Texas on May 15. No issues at all.
     
  17. 701beer

    701beer Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2009 North Dakota

    Update:

    Talked to the mail branch of Customs today. The great officer I spoke to said they would not forward any shipping labels in such a fashion.

    Local Post Office still did not have the package. Shucks, they didn't seem mad about the contents but advised me that it is not allowed (supervisor's words). They were very nice about it as well. They referred me to the International Service Line at the 1-800 number.

    1-800 number for USPS says it sounds like the box broke apart in transit and the contents are most likely at the mail recovery center in Georgia. Although, I did not tell them what was in the package.

    A local supervisor said the contents may have been discarded already. I'm going back to the post office tomorrow to see if I can get them to search the lost mail center for the contents and see if they will allow me to recover them via a private carrier.

    Wish me luck.
     
  18. wyatt

    wyatt Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2009 Louisiana

    My box from BiaB was torn on two sides and wrapped in a USPS plastic bag with stickers saying "received damaged" when it was delivered.

    It would not shock me if the beer just fell out of the box along the way. Thin cardboard does not hold beer very well.
     
  19. BowWowWowYippyYoIPA

    BowWowWowYippyYoIPA Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2014 California
    Deactivated

    Wanted to update my experience. It took a while, but I was refunded for the beer I never received because of the LAX customs BS. Glad to see that everyone's endorsements of Kurt were founded. In the end he is fighting the good fight, providing a source of these beers for those that are seeking them, and not charging a mark-up (although he may have to if he keeps losing money on beer being returned to him). If you are a prospective customer you can put your faith in Kurt, although maybe not in our outdated and illogical laws regarding alcohol.
     
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  20. Prospero

    Prospero Pooh-Bah (2,606) Jul 27, 2010 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    @kraddel my box (sent to Colorado) via LAX was/is being sent back to Belgium now... :slight_frown:

    Might want to add it to your "no-ship" states. Or heaven-forbid, stop shipping to the states unless you can insure it doesn't go through LAX, $82 lost in shipping costs, rolling the dice.
     
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