Shipping 'Irreplaceable' Bottles?

I mean it's just part of trading beers of that nature. I know people who will only do box in a box no extras with an irreplaceable bottle just to make sure everything goes smoothly...it really comes down to what you (the shipper) wants to do to protect the bottle, because as you said at the end of the day it's on you to make things right in the event of a break...

 

I don't have the cellar to do this often, but I have made a few trades where I have had the same worry. If I know going in that I am unable to replace a bottle that is at the core of a trade, I will wait to drink any of the beers I receive until I know that my partner has received everything too. If something happens to the package I sent, then I would certainly dig into my cellar to try to send something comparable (with plenty of extras for the hassle) even if it is something that I haven't had or have been saving for a "special occasion". If, after LOTS of communication (KEY) with my partner, I can't offer up a suitable alternative, then I can always send back his/her beers (with plenty of extras to say sorry for the hassle). While I enjoy drinking good beers that I have little/no access to, I would much prefer to develop relationships on BA that result in long-term trading partners less concerned about value and more concerned about sharing good beers. If that means giving up a little more to avoid burning a bridge, then I'm happy to do it.

 

I'm anxious every time I ship a box, whether it's locals or whales. But if you want to deal in "big" bottles, it's the nature of the beast that it's a risk you're going to have to take. And everyone's definition of "irreplaceable" is different, for some it is Vanilla Rye, for others it's Lente, for the lucky few it is Don Q.

I say embrace the chaos and ship your Mornin' Delight in a USPS super value box .

 

Unless it's an IPA, I never get to drinking the traded beer before my box is safely at my trade partner's. If anything happens and we can't work something out, the beers will be heading back to him/her.

 

If it's something that is irreplaceable I let my partner know that this is the only one I have and if something happens I will be unable to replace it. It's always a condition of the trade if that is the situation, and I let my partner know that I will send their beers back with something for their time and hassle.
I also make sure to over pack the irreplaceable bottle, usually in its own one bottle shipper inside of the other box. It is a possible part of this hobby, and something that must be discussed before finalizing the trade. Any good trader would understand if something would happen, as long as you know that you are responsible until they get all of your beers in perfect condition.

 

What @mythaeus said. Don't drink your box until you know he/she got his box. If your bottle breaks, trade is null and void and you send the box you received back.

Also make sure this is stated upfront.

Also, god I hope this never happens to me.

 

No one else will insure boxes with big bottles in them? It's only a couple extra bucks but man is it worth the peace of mind. I just sent out a box with Maman and Black & Wild, my only bottles of each, and if god forbid something happens to them I can use the insurance money to buy a bottle on one of those other sites.

 

Don't you have to say what is in the box though to insure it?

 

Agree with @tikk @mythaeus and @mbmiche (and others) - the ultimate solution to that unfortunate occurrence is to ship their bottles back (assuming you can't work out an alternative).

That said, I usually limit particularly difficult to replace trades to IP only, not just because of the risk of damage, but also simply because of the risk of getting ripped off. Call me a cynic.

I would only do a mail trade with a whale with a friend I already new and had a good trading relationship from previous trades, or someone who had an impeccable and extensive reputation. If I am not hooking up a buddy, chances are I can get the trade done IP and not have to stress about any of the above (but I live in Chicago with a big IP trader population).

 

Not if you create and print your labels at home.

 

If the bottle breaks, and FedEx/UPS gives you one of the dreaded "shipping exception, alcohol or other impermissible contents, box destroyed" they are going to tell you to take a hike when you try and make an insurance claim on the "porcelain unicorn figurines" or whatever else you said was in the box when you printed the label at home. They have the box, they know what is/was in there. It doesn't matter what you said was in there when you printed the label.

Also, making a fraudulent insurance claim is a completely different story than the wink-wink nod-nod of shipping beer. If you ship beer when you're not supposed to, the shipping company sends a mean email, takes your shipping cost, and thats that. Insurance companies tend to be a little less forgiving if you try and take their money from them.

 

I just utilize shippers for big bottle trades. Then i wrap the bottle in bubble wrap.

 

While this sometimes occurs when breakage happens it certainly isn't always the case. Sometimes all they know is that the box was destroyed due to damage. Even if someone knew what was in the box that's likely not the person who you're talking to or who is processing the claim. To get the nasty letter for breakage means the worker inspected the disgusting leaking box and took the effort to file that it was beer; far more effort than most workers seem to want to do. Plenty of people on this site (including myself) have gotten payment for beer shipments that were destroyed due to damage.

That said, I think it's probably a lot harder to make a claim if they still delivered the box (either to the recipient or back to sender). Also, I don't know if they scrutinize things any harder if you insured for more than the default $100.

 

I appreciate this post. I recently just traded 6:1 for a BVDL. The box was delivered yesterday with a dent on the side and damp. I am open it up to find the BVDL broken with its remains all over the inside of the box. The BA did not even wrap the bottle, it was sitting wedged between grocery bags and newspaper. Why someone would ship out a bottle that valuable with out at least bubble wrapping it is beyond me.

 

What did your trading partner say when presented with this situation? What feedback did you leave on them?

 

Well to start with my box to him has not been shipped. He offered to ship first due to how few trades he had. That being said he has viewed my messages to him explaining the circumstance and has not responded.

 

Same. I don't really feel comfortable shipping until I get confirmation that everything has arrived.

 

I guess good news is you are not out any beer yet. Really crazy for someone to ship a bottle that is not bubble wrapped. Especially one bottle, that bottle should have been wrapped multiple times.

Any chance the shipping company saw leakage, opened the box, unwrapped bottle and sent it on way? Did you look at the history of shipping and see if there was an exception?

 

I just got a response from him. He said he was out of town and his wife packed the box for him. I sure hope this was the case because I can't imagine anyone with any trade experience packing a box like that.

He is procuring another bottle from a friend and shipping it out tomorrow. Will update.