Going to Russian River within the next couple weeks, and live on the east coast, so instead of checking some of the beer I'd like to ship it. There's a fed ex building across the street, is it sketchy to go into that FedEx and ship the beers back to the east coast or am I just overthinking it?
Why do you want to ship them instead of checking them in your luggage? I can't think of any reason why shipping would be the better choice, way higher chance of something going wrong with shipping. It costs more, is more of a hassle, higher chance of breakage and is against FedEx policy so there's a chance of it being confiscated or shipped back to where it was shipped from. I always fly back with all the beer I purchase on trips.
I agree with these statements. I always check a bag filled with beer. Have not lost a bottle/can yet.
Stopping at Russian River in the middle of a week long trip and just don't want to drag along fresh beer and leave it in a car to get hot all day as we'll be hopping from one air bnb to another.
Certainly do not take the beers into fedex to pack them, make sure that you do all of that at the airbnb since shipping alcohol requires permits/taxes/signatures. I have shipped home to myself on a long work trip before where I have too much beer for my suitcase so I went into an OfficeMax to get the supplies & dropped it off at a Fedex/Kinkos the next day
It may all depend on the person behind the desk. I've been to RR as well as other breweries and wineries in the area and shipped stuff back through FedEx. They usually know a 12 bottle styro shipper (people ship a ton of wine from northern CA), so don't be super shocked if they call you on something like that or ask in general...it's all a bit of a chance depending on the person and location. Best bet is (like others said) to pack it in your checked bags. If you don't mind spending some extra $$$, there are businesses licensed to legally ship beer/wine (at least within the continental US) in CA. I've also used some those with good experiences (e.g., Napa Valley Winery Exchange, www.NVWE.com). They are in downtown SF.
