UPS Exception: Contents Discarded (!)

I highly doubt it. Most likely a bottle broke. Upon opening they discovered it is alcohol obviously, which is against the law/against the rules to ship. They are fully within their rights to discard it. Maybe you could claim insurance if for some reason it was never noted anywhere what the actual contents were that were destroyed. Honestly I would want to keep my head down and not stir anything up if you plan to continue shipping.

 

It's not against the law, just the freight companies' ToS.

 

Depends, because if you ship with USPS, it is against the law. Federal style. Not that I've ever heard of anyone being prosecuted but it is entirely legally possible. Fedex and UPS it is against the rules (depending on the state) and they can take your package, but most often just return to sender.

 

Has anyone ever posted any case anywhere of someone being charged for shipping beer with any carrier other than USPS?

 

Not that I know of. I never heard of one happening with USPS either.

 

That's what I figured. No one should ever stress on this whole "legality" nonsense.

 

Plus everyone uses USPS for international trades. Suddenly their fears of breaking federal law goes out the window to save money. And they are also dealing with customs. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

I've never had that problem. And I'm wondering why this is such a common thread popping up right now.

 

I have had FedEx repackage and deliver a package I was receiving. I have also had them repack everything in a box I sent (minus the broken growler) and return it to me (and paid me my declared value).

 

I've never had to deal with breakage either (knocks on wood).

I'm wondering if heat could be a factor. It's been pretty f*cking hot throughout most of the country for a couple of months now.

 

I had a box sent to me via USPS that had a bottle break. It was a BBPt5, and reeked of bourbon. They put the box in a bag and still delivered it. Nobody got in trouble - not sure if the other guy has used USPS since, but I don't see why not to..

 

Large durable plastic bags to encase all bottles. Pack to withstand ten foot drop onto concrete. Problem solved.

 

I just had someone recently tell me that UPS could have "air-dropped" my box to them. I don't mess around when it comes to packaging.

 

Heat definitely is a factor. Wrapping a bottle in a plastic bag might be an okay safety measure. but then I would worry about the bag trapping heat. A bottle may be more likely to break that way.

 

UPS/FedEx going all "Ace Vetura" with your box + 100 degree temps is probably a bad combination for beer.

 

This is actually a falsity that gets passed around this site a lot. Shipping via UPS or FedEx does not violate any FEDERAL law like shipping via USPS does. However, shipping alcohol across state lines without a license can be a violation of STATE law, though it depends on the state. If anything you ship goes through Maryland or Massachusetts, for example, regardless of how you ship it, you are breaking the law.

 

False, shipping beer across state lines in violation of excise tax laws is a federal crime as well as a state crime.

The reality is that you are unlikely to be prosecuted for it as the dollar loss is infestimally small, but it is a violation of state and federal laws in most cases.