I shipped a package the other week to my buddy in seattle. Despite pretty anal standards of packaging on my end, fedex informed me there was some damage. I get it, it happens. Today however when my buddy opens the package and tells me what made it, there was one thing that really struck me as weird. Not only were there 2 glass bottles that didn't make it, there was a CAN missing as well. Again, I can understand when bottles break, even with the most thorough packaging job, but how does a can break in a well packaged box? I'm thinking when they opened the box to check the damage, someone stole it...
I believe someone else on here mentioned having a similar issue. His normal delivery driver found out that he was getting beer in trade, and suspiciously the next two trades were "damaged" in route and "destroyed" by the carrier. He called to complain, received "damaged" box the next day or so, and never saw the usual driver again. So, it has happened in the past...and there's no reason that it couldn't have happened to you.
I actually am more concerned about cans (Surly) than I am bottles. One of the only casualties I ever had was a Surly can where the tab was popped...can itself wasn't breached. Now, I always put a strip of stiff cardboard or something over cans when I'm shipping to avoid a repeat. No idea how you packed, but I'll wager this is what happened.
There was cardboard over the cans. And foam above that and below the cans. The cans where also separated from the bottles with cardboard inserts. The box has a waffle comb cardboard reinforcement used for shipping glass bottles.
The only casualty I've had in the trades I've done is a Surly Coffee Bender can that got dinged and leaked.
Cans puncture super easily. I mean, have you ever seen a beer shotgunned? A decent poke with a key will do it. A tough knock on the side of a box can easily burst a can.
The fact so many are jumping on the theory of breakage doesn't change the fact that delivery folks are experts at identifying boxes containing "enjoyables" that are against shipping rules, and some of them regularly "liberate" them from their boxes knowing they will get away with it.
I was on the receiving end of this. Something definitely did break in the box, as there was beer all over the surviving bottles and even some broken glass stuck to a few of them. Unfortunately for our sleuthing, the beers had been repackaged by the shipping company prior to delivery, so we have no idea exactly what happened to the box. The best part, though? The beers were repackaged in the most ghetto way possible. They just wrapped the bottles in about two turns of brown paper and threw them all, loose, into a big box to bang around against each other. I can't believe none broke AFTER repackaging, really.
I would have to think this is very rare. Those guys hustle their asses off...most of the time they just want that fucking box off the truck, I really doubt they worry about stealing beer...diamonds, maybe. I have ZERO evidence to prove this theory, but if you need, I'm sure I can find some graph or chart on the interwebs.
Concerning beer I have no evidence either. Nor diamonds. Other enjoyables, sadly, I do have knowledge, and we can assume that the same applies to at least some of the "broken" or "lost" bottles of beer.
Two of my friends have had boxes where something "broke" but the box wasnt wet, didnt smell of beer, and was curiously missing one or two bottles. The box was the same, so it definitely suggests that they opened and took something out.
How do you know it was the same box that was originally shipped? They may have pulled everything out and put it in a different box.
Well it wasn't my box so I guess I don't know for sure, but they said it was the same box based on markings, stickers, etc.
This^^^ I had a box arrive undamaged and in near perfect condition. Opened it up and cut open the heavy duty trash bag just to find EVERYTHING soaking wet and stinking. After pulling everything out, examining every bottle and not finding ANY broken glass I was perplexed. Turns out that 2 bottles broke and UPS repackaged the entire box for us. Crazy shit. I'm surprised they just didn't throw everything away.
