I proxied for the Abraxas allotment for someone on here and sent the box on Monday. When he received the box, the box was wet, and the Vanilla Abraxas had leaked around the cap, through the Ziploc it was in as well as the bubble wrap. The cap was still intact, but somehow a good half of the beer leaked out. I presume the box fell and landed sideways or something like that. Anyway, luckily, I have another bottle that I'm sending as a replacement. However, what would the be the expected course of action if I didn't have another bottle? Would it be any different than a regular trade because it was a proxy and he paid retail for the beer? We're lucky as hell as it is that the FedEx guy didn't just toss the box in the trash.
Unless you did something to cause the leak, I don't think you have any obligation whatsoever. Unlike a trade, I think the recipient bears 100% of the risk.
interesting, I would've been of the belief that regardless of the transaction occurring, isn't the person shipping the beer responsible for it's getting safely to the destination?
All I'll say is that I've shipped lots of beer and never had an issue, yet I've received plenty of beer that was damaged.
I definitely thought it was packed pretty well. The bottle didn't break or anything and from the pics he sent it looked like the bottle was still full to just above the label. I presume an extra layer of bubble wrap might have cushioned the impact a bit more, even if it was due to a sideways fall. Regardless, he did send me a very generous thank you box, so I will stick to my plan and send the other bottle I have.
I have seen bottles fall onto a concrete floor and not break, but then foam out from under the cap which remains intact.
Yeah I dropped a Vanilla Noir on a rug in my kitchen and it leaked out a little. I drank it that night just to be safe and the carbonation was still perfectly fine.
When I've had a proxy, I have always viewed it as someone doing me a favor. As long as it is done in a semi competent fashion, it is not their fault
This is my take as well. On occasion, I've picked up and shipped some HOTD beers to friends from out of state. The understanding was that I was doing them a favor, and would do my best to make sure everything was packed up safely, but that I incurred no liability if there was a leak or broken bottle. I wasn't compensated in any way for my efforts; was just doing a favor for a friend. Frankly, if the recipient wanted to hold me responsible for any damage to the contents, I wouldn't have done them the favor.
You would be the exception, not the rule if you actually send another bottle. They way I see it, it could have happened to anyone and the top could have been compromised at the brewery. If I were to ship out a package to myself and it got damaged during the shipping who would you blame? You know you probably did a good job but shit happens sometimes and there's not much you can do. But I do commend you and I would think the person you did the favor for is going to remember that the next time you guys trade.
I will echo the comments above: I have always been under the impression that if someone is proxying for you, then they are doing you a favor. They can either pack it EXACTLY how you want (e.g. Bottle shipper) and you can "pay extra," or they can do it however they want as long as it is competently completed. If that bar is met, it is out of their hands once dropped off. This has always made me scared, because unlike in a trade (where you can get your beer back if someone else's box breaks coming to you), you are just out money/beer. Personally, I am assuming that since people are not paying for be shipping themselves (usually people send a label), I don't know why anyone would skimp on shipping. I would be making sure that box was bomb proof - maybe even double boxing depending on the circumstance. (Boxing in USPS flat rate then placing those in a larger box is a great option). And if I was the one receiving the box, I'd also rather spend an extra $10 on shipping than losing beer/money. Not saying you did anything wrong @TylerJ , and in fact I think you went above and beyond with replacing the bottle. Just giving some comments.
