USPS Considers Allowing Alcohol Shipping

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by dctriman, Aug 2, 2013.

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  1. matttttYCE

    matttttYCE Initiate (0) Jul 15, 2010 Arizona

    As with anything the Post Office does, if this gets implemented it will be a long time from now. Just one example, the first time they wanted to cut Saturday delivery was around 1973. Forty years later, we still have Saturday delivery and they are still trying to axe it. Don't get your hopes up yet, beer shippers.
     
  2. JISurfer

    JISurfer Grand Pooh-Bah (3,006) Dec 10, 2002 Utah
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Hard to argue with popular mechanics, but all I know, is out of the three I used, the contents were broken after using USPS, not the others.
     
    Ristaccia likes this.
  3. 2beerdogs

    2beerdogs Grand Pooh-Bah (5,682) Jan 31, 2005 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    God, this would be great!!!
     
  4. PeterJ

    PeterJ Initiate (0) Dec 5, 2012 California

    I'm willing to bet money that their rules will be the same as UPS & FedEx. No shipping without a license.
     
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  5. HokiesandBeer

    HokiesandBeer Initiate (0) Jan 10, 2013 Pennsylvania


    Not saying otherwise, obviously it's going to be different wherever you live, different personnel at different locations. You have to go with where you've gotten good service.
     
  6. douginromeo

    douginromeo Initiate (0) Apr 1, 2013 Michigan

    I think if this happens, we may see more breweries do what Cascade does. It would make a lot of sense if it were legal across the board.
     
  7. chiefojibwa

    chiefojibwa Initiate (0) May 19, 2009 Washington

    finally i can ship beer via usps (sarcasm).
     
  8. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    It is going to take an act of Congress for this to happen and Congress is not going to act.Postmaster Donahoe stated in Feb. that Saturday delivery would stop yesterday, it didn't.
     
  9. 67couple

    67couple Zealot (695) Jan 31, 2006 South Carolina
    Trader

    As a proud member in blue, the ability to track has finally been enacted by USPS. It took us long enough. In the instance of broken packages USPS uses more manual sort methods, read tossing into hampers, versus belted methods. Another strike against us. In any company some employees just don't care, while others will show that fragile parcel the love it deserves.

    For the move KS1297, sorry but moving even next door is like moving across the country. The standard 7 to 10 day time is for address labels to catch up. Sorry your carrier did not recognize it, reread the some people just care more than others comment above. I am not sure Fedex or UPS would have forwarded your package. Not saying they wouldn't, I just am not sure they are set up to not deliver to where it is addressed.

    For Postmaster Donahoe, does any other head of a company work so hard to try to put themselves out of business. He has done all he can to push for reduced service and head for privatazation. I will let the prefunding argument go to private messages. I for one wish the USPS would realize the lost revenue, but like any other sub goverment agency, the wheels turn slowly.
     
    beastmammoth likes this.
  10. runpmc007

    runpmc007 Initiate (0) Jul 6, 2011 Massachusetts

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/100940211

    This would be awesome if the rates were reasonable, it sounds like for wine they'd provide special cases, I wonder if they'd consider can and bottle shippers in styro?
     
  11. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    I'll tell you this, if they make this move they are in effect removing any incentive to choose fed ex or ups for your personal alcohol shipping needs. If they come up with rates that are fair and if they implement the idea that a signature of someone over 21 is required to receive the package then they have added quite a bit of revenue and effectively dispelled all the fears people have about shipping beer for trade because"it's illegal." That priority mail is already in place with about 70 lbs for under $10. They will be rolling in dough and will then be able to afford to continue to deliver mail on saturday.
     
  12. BrettHead

    BrettHead Initiate (0) Sep 18, 2010 Nebraska

    Traders are still not licensed alcohol retailers..
     
  13. opwog

    opwog Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2008 Minnesota

    I have done a ton of work with internet retail and helping whole distributors expand into direct to consumer fulfillment and just flat out looking at size, weight and fragility (although also presuming well packed items by the sender), I would rank the big four this way for domestic residential deliveries:

    UPS
    USPS (presuming that they do get into this)
    Fed Ex
    DHL

    Now that is a mix of quantitative (costs, delivery times, etc.) and qualitative (delivery schedules, damage seen, etc.) and that would be my general recommendation purely on those elements and off the cuff based mainly on my professional experiences and the minimal personal trading that I have done. But you also have to take into account things like the fact that many people are not authorized to be shipping beer through companies like UPS and are probably making misleading declarations on the contents. If USPS gave a full green light for individuals to send beer to each other, I would personally bump them to the top of my list, even if they were more expensive than UPS for this size/weight. For me, I wouldn't mind paying a slightly higher rate to have a clear conscious about what I am declaring.
     
    utopiajane likes this.
  14. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah


    Precisely what I meant. When the post office gives the green light then the cuffs are off. So to speak.
     
  15. braugon

    braugon Initiate (0) Mar 14, 2013 Connecticut

    if it fits, it sips
     
    solo103, SupremePie and opwog like this.
  16. kingofhop

    kingofhop Initiate (0) May 9, 2010 Oklahoma
    In Memoriam

    USPS will have to up their game, if I'm ever to use them again. I sent a package from OK to Cali, and it languished in Massachusetts and New Hampshire forever. (WTF did it go there for anyways)?
     
  17. JayORear

    JayORear Grand Pooh-Bah (3,058) Feb 22, 2012 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've never had more (non-beer) mail/packages lost/broken/shipped than with USPS. Not to mention that setting foot inside a post office makes me want to hang myself Every. Single. Time. With FedEx, I print my labels at home and drop off at a local office with no questions asked, ever. USPS would seriously have to up their service levels and convenience for me to even remotely consider using them.
     
    misterid likes this.
  18. Geuzedad

    Geuzedad Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2010 Arizona

    I ship UPS with no problems. My guy at the UPS store is a fellow beer lover and BA so he always says when I walk in the door "Got another shipment of Olive Oil?" My packages have always arrived safely and on time. Pack the Postal Service...literally...
     
    solo103 likes this.
  19. scud

    scud Zealot (570) Sep 22, 2010 Indiana
    Trader

    It would boost business for them since more and more people are doing things electronically for generally everything else. Now they just need some training on "fragile" package handling
     
  20. Stoutlover1976

    Stoutlover1976 Initiate (0) Apr 14, 2013 Michigan

    my friend was shipping me 4 bombers from florida via FED EX and after it got picked up somehow they figured out
    it was alchohol and sent it back to the shipper. anyone i talk to says fed ex is the play. How would they have figured out alcohol was in there if when they asked my shipper said no? Any tricks to making sure future shipments don't get sent back?
     
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