USPS Shipping

I've asked the same question and never received confirmation of anyone actually being caught and prosecuted. In fact, I have heard multiple anecdotes of USPS re-packaging broken bottles and sending them along their way. I guess the fear is they COULD prosecute you if they wanted to, though I don't believe it has ever happened.

 

I just prefer FedEx for overall ease of shipping and the fact that the employees actually seem to care about their customer (on some level at least)

 

This may be bad karma, but I tend to use USPS if shipping within a few states of me, just because the price difference is so much better. Sometimes if I am going long distance with only two or three bottles, their flat rate pricing is so much better. I would say for 80%+ of my trades, I just print out a fedex label and am done with it. Never had a problem with USPS, have had broken bottles with Fedex, but I think thats just a numbers game.

 

I have been thinking about using them when I do trades with west coast traders. It takes a full week to get there where as USPS takes 3 days and the cost is much better.

 

Living in Fairbanks, I never used USPS, as FedEx ended up being cheaper, but now that I've moved to Juneau, where there's no UPS or FedEx ground service, I think I'll have to switch to USPS. The only other local trader apparently always uses USPS with no bad luck.

As a side note, I once received a flat rate USPS box from a friend in Oregon, with two of the four bottles broken, the box had obviously been beer-soaked, and it was delivered to my doorstep, no questions asked.

 

I feel like this is the most common reply I have heard about beer breaking when shipping with USPS, they simply send it along. Anyone actually been "caught" shipping USPS and received letter of reprimand? I feel like since most people use UPS or FedEx (which I do as well) there aren't too many instances of folks getting caught through USPS.

 

I shipped a large flat rate box from the east coast to the west coast today cost me 17 dollars.

It would have been at least 10 dollars more via fed ex or UPS, and would have taken a week. My box will be there thursday. So two day shipping at 2/3 the price . If you aren't afraid and especially if you want to ship growlers coast to coast......seems like a no brainer

 

I think the worst that happens normally is that the send-ee doesn't get their beer and the sender loses their money. My Dad's a retired postmaster and, while enough of a worrywart to never condone doing it (for the reasons cited above and because he's something of a rule-worshipper) he doesn't think anything more would come of it.

 

For those that use USPS flat rate shipping, how do you pack? I'm sort of addicted to the (possibly) false security of the styrofoam bottle shippers, especially for higher value bottles.

 

I'd guess like all shippers it gets busted either literally or figuratively you might just lose the beer. I still use FX exclusively.

 

Most likely just numbers. FWIW, I've sent and received dozens of boxes with UPS and Fedex and only had one bottle lost (incoming, and due to the polar vortex. PSA: don't ship lambic in sub-freezing temps). On the flip side, of the three boxes that have been sent to me USPS, one was utterly destroyed, although the post office did actually deliver me a trash bag full of beer soaked cardboard and shards of glass, so there's that.

Just on my anecdotal experience, UPS seems to abuse boxes more than FedEx, and USPS abuses them far more than either of the other two. I also feel like the flat rate boxes sometimes tempt people to insufficiently protect the bottles, trying to squeeze into the box. Of those 3 USPS boxes I've received, only one did I considered adequately packed. (This is not to say that I haven't received some shitty packing jobs via the other carriers as well.)

 

This. I've had 3 boxes sent to me USPS, two this week. The first on sent to me got lost in the distribution center and they wouldn't do anything about if for 8 weeks because that is how long "parcel post" can take. 8 weeks later they found it in the distribution center as it had never left despite being scanned as so. The second one was this week and flat rate, and just as you've said it was not adequately packed so 3 out of 4 beers were destroyed. (It was delivered by my sympathetic postal officer who said he didn't want it to be confiscated). The other one was perfectly passed an arrived as such. So 2 of 3 were a bust. I've had another 35 or so sent to me Fedex/UPS with no issues.

 

kscaldef, thanks. That's exactly the info I wanted. Sadly, it also confirms concerns that I've got regarding secure packing. Those flat rate boxes (USPS or FedEx) don't look big enough to safely ship much beer. Despite the cost I'll continue with FedEx. I deal almost exclusively with a local FedEx drop & their service is excellent. That's worth something to me as well.

 

Another echo on this. I've received more than three USPS boxes, and almost all were noticeably more banged up than I get with FedEx or UPS and/or (IMHO) not adequately packed.

 

I never ever ever ever use USPS. It's like I tell guys when they ask, if we're at the point that we are trading and have agreed upon everything, let's spend the extra couple bucks and use FedEx. I've had one bottle broken by them in probably 15 trades. It was an extra and the BA was generous enough to offer to send another (which I declined, things happen!). Trading gets expensive, but if we're doing it, let's do it right and make sure stuff gets there safely and legally. I always encourage the use of fedex. I work late a lot and it allows me to have it rerouted to a fedex office location so i can pick it up at my leisure rather than it being left in the heat/cold until I get home. If you can't package things properly and want to chinse out on the shipping, then don't trade in the first place. I would rather not trade if I can't afford a trade, than do a trade and have half the stuff get there broken because I couldn't spend the money to properly package and ship it. Just my two cents.

 

To each his own, but I have a buddy in San Francisco and we swap USPS 2-day boxes all the time (usually for growlers) and have yet to have any problem at all (and I would say we are probably at 50 boxes between us). I also ship plenty through UPS and FedEx but I have no reservation at all with the 2-day boxes through USPS. Pack it right and you should not have an issue.

 

I just wanna how legal is shipping through FedEx and UPS too. I have box returned for a broken bottle and received a warning letter from FedEx and had 2 boxes returned rejected and opened by UPS. I'm very nervous about trading now and the whole legality of it.

 

It's not illegal it's just against their policies. It's a felony if caught using usps. I have done over 20 trades and never had one bottle break or one box questioned. How are you packing things???

 

Oh wow didn't know that it's a felony using USPS. I guess I won't do that anymore.

On packing the items I am making sure I am using plenty of bubble wrap and putting the bottle in ziplock bag if it fits.