This is probably a silly question. Thanks in advance for humoring me. I’ll be flying out to Tampa for Beer Week next month and rather than checking a case+ of bottles and lugging them on public transportation back home I’m planning on shipping to myself. Are there any carriers I should avoid re: probing into what I’m shipping out? I’ve never had that problem in/around Chicago but I also hear people from other areas (San Diego comes to mind) where employees from one of the big national carriers are hyper vigilant about covert beer shipment. Advice is appreciared!
I haven't had an issue with UPS or FedEx. I usually double box all my shipments and make sure they are as normal as possible on the outside. Uhaul makes great 6-12 shippers that are plain on the outside. I stay away from drawing attention to my boxes (ie noise makers, fragile stickers). Another great option is scheduling a pickup so you just hand to the driver. If they ever ask what I'm shipping I say baby stuff. Hope that helps! Cheers and enjoy TBBW!
I would advise against UPS. They seized a box from my brother during TBBW last year and would not return anything and said he would hear from the ATF (he never did). i would make sure you are extra careful in packing.
I know you explicitly said you didn't want to fly with it, but can I ask why? In my experience its well worth it to pack a suitcase full of beer and check it on a plane vs risking a large volume with any of the carriers. And its often cheaper, even of you buy a new suitcase
It's the cheapest and most convenient way to get a large number of bottles home for me. I compared my options, I did the math. Some highlights: 12-bottle shipper sent to my office via FedEx is slightly cheaper than a 2nd checked bag on most airlines ($40). A free 2nd checked bag by flying Southwest means commuting to/from an airport further away and more difficult for me to connect to via public transportation. Shipping means I won't have to lug a case of beer from the airport, making it possible to take public transportation home instead of paying for a long Uber ride. There's no way I'll ever trust FedEx less than TSA. If I were only bringing back 3-4 bottles I'd find a way to squeeze them into my luggage or if I was flying out with a bunch of share bottles and returning with bottles I'd find a friend who can let me borrow their Wine Check and then inconvenience myself for the sake of free checked bags, but given my situation it would be most practical to ship to myself.
well thought out. In that case I have the best luck with USPS but I've heard chicago is kind of a terrible vortex of lost postal service stuff. I never fuck with UPS because they are the only shipper I have ever had issues with. So I'd go fedex, especially for that sweet rate to your office
Damn what kinda of rates do you get for a 12 bottle shipper? I recently sent out a 12 bottle shipper via ups and it cost like $70. I may need to check out fedex.
Sent out a fed ex 12 shipper about a month ago from socal to Chicago, and it was 88! I want to say the box was just over 30 pounds, which I believe puts the box in a new weight class with raise in rate
Ya this has been my experience too. Just sent a 6 pack of bigger bottles out via USPS and it was $50+. But OP clearly gets a good rate so that kind of changes things. I used to have an expired fedex ID that got me 75% off overnight shipping, that thing was amazing, super fast shipping across the country for like $30 for a big box and no questions asked since I was 'on the team'
To be clear, I’m not getting any special rate. I used the FedEx calculator on my retail account and estimated 45-lb total weight from my parents’ address outside Tampa to my office in suburban Chicago and got $37.77. It helps that Chicago is centrally located geographically and is a transport hub. And it’s helpful to remember it’s significantly cheaper to ship to a commercial address than a residential. I’ve definitely spent more, double even, shipping out 12-bottle styros. If I had to ship to OR or ME, I would almost certainly need to find a way to check bottles on my return flight.
If you haven’t already done so, look into shipping to a commercial address in lieu of your home address. Even if you don’t have a work address that allows receiving boxes, you can ship to any local FedEx office (including any Walgreens) for pickup and drop off. My FedEx account expense is usually 50% less to ship to a commercial address. (Just reinforcing what @yeahnatenelson just said )
Nothing special. Just use the FedEx address on shipping slip and whoever’s name is picking it up as recipient. They’ll ask for ID at pickup. (Same for any Walgreens )
