Is anyone having difficulty getting their entries delivered for the competition by Fedex Ground? I have a friend in NY that sent his in 10 days ago and they haven’t been delivered yet. As.of today, they’ve gotten as far as the station in Broomfield, CO, about 7 miles from the destination. Fedex Ground has been no help. He has one more day before the deadline. Btw, I’m retired Fedex Express and this is really ticking me off:face_with_symbols_over_mouth:
I’ve had nothing but trouble with FedEx deliveries for the last couple of years. Almost always a delay of one sort or another and without any explanation. Actually, had a package from Yakima, WA that was routed to Memphis, TN before heading back west to Fallon, NV, about an hour East of Reno. Took 6 days. Normally, this same package would arrive within 24 hours of shipping.
In all fairness, I’ll relate a positive experience: I received a package that left Redding, Ca. at 7:42PM on 6/6, was reported as arriving and departing facilities in Sacramento, Ca. and Sparks Nv. and being delivered to my door in Fallon, Nv. at 4:57 PM yesterday, 6/7.
Unfortunately, another package that left Memphis Tn. at 11:38 PM on 6/3 and arrived in Tracy, Ca. at 9:21 PM on 6/5, is now in Stockton, Ca., about 22 miles closer in nearly 3 days? WTF is wrong here? This is more what I’m used to with FedEx.
AFAIK, they route everything through Memphis. FWIW, the last 3 FedEx I’ve gotten have all come a day before they estimated.
Over the last 12 months, FedEx has really gone downhill in their service reliability. While my beer entries made it just fine (pays to ship Over-Night-Express), a number of other packages have been delayed for more than a day or two.
I’ve been out of the job about 6 years and the people I worked with tell me the same thing…it really disapoints me
Not every package shipped through FedEx Express goes through Memphis (Super Hub), but the majority of them do. In addition to the Super Hub, FedEx Express has 11 other airport-based hubs that process overnight packages.
The FedEx Express hubs located in the United States include Miami, Dallas, Indianapolis and Oakland, California. Hubs are also located in other parts of the world, including Japan and Canada.
About 4 million express packages are processed each night through its entire global distribution system.
My worst experience was when shipping a check via 2nd Day Air. It was destined for Ohio, but spent at least 2 full days in Pennsylvania. FedEx tracking has been unreliable lately also.
Glad my beer entries made it!
Last Wednesday I placed two orders, one from Michigan was shipped the same day and arrived Friday, the other was shipped from Pennsylvania on Thursday and arrived Saturday. To Indiana.
Well, the latest update on my friend’s NHC entry is that it being held for PICK UP at the station in Broomfield. He was finally able to talk to someone that was actually in the station and they said that because it has beer in it, they can’t deliver it, which is a lie. Fedex and UPS deliver packages with alcohol every day. She couldn’t tell him if there was a leak only that they could not deliver, it has to be picked up. Someone at the BA told him that they’ve picked up entry packages before, so it sounds like they are aware that this is an issue. This could eventually the end of the competition if brewers aren’t able to send in their entries, in my opinion.
Unless your friend (or you) have a shipper’s account with FedEx, and have an alcohol distribution license, they cannot legally accept the shipment, or deliver the shipment.
Yes, we all pay no attention and ship anyway. It’s a roll of the dice.
So your friend’s entry is SOL.
Who can ship alcohol and to whom?
Overview
Only FedEx-approved, licensed alcohol shippers that have entered into a FedEx Alcohol Shipping Agreement may ship alcohol via FedEx services. Consumers may not ship alcohol of any type via FedEx services.
This is not a legality, rather a self imposed rule by both UPS and Fedex, likely for liability sake.
It is only technically illegal to ship alcohol though USPS, and that may change soon.
That said, home brewers always ship at their own risk.
I’m sure it varies based on your locality, but I have had nothing but bad experiences with FedEx in Maryland for 15 years. Haven’t shipped beer through them since they broke my bottles and sent the rest back, but the deliveries I get they sometimes throw down my driveway or leave up the street by the road, or consistently deliver other people’s packages to me and then expect me to go drop them off. Or drive all over my lawn.
For the longest time I used a local gift shop service that was participating in a “Wine of the Month” program, so it was a registered alcohol shipper. Unfortunately, the business did not find it lucrative enough and dropped that part of business. Now I only enter local competitions, though I notice that both FED EX and UPS are used frequently for out of state participants. I am told that the way to go is to have self-printed shipping labels, etc… and just drop off the box - usually no questions asked. Good packaging helps the intact delivery immensely, though it often creates a greater pain at the competition sorting room.
I hope USPS comes around on this issue, eventually.
I use these trays for shipping bottles:
https://www.amazon.com/Crafty-Shipping-12oz-Bottle-Trays/dp/B0796GH6GK/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=beer+shipping+box&qid=1654633694&sr=8-4
I can fit 2 or 4 nicely in a cardboard box with a little bubble wrap to take up the extra space. Never had a problem shipping my “pickles” via UPS with a self-printed and prepaid label. I just drop them on the counter at the UPS store.
The way it reads, you must be a licensed beer distributor or retailer to legally ship beer.
My understanding of the shipping limitations is that the rules are to protect the states tax provisions on import and export of alcohol. If something is inconvenient it is usually related to a tax issue. Add in state laws on where homebrew can be transported which vary from state to state and I can understand shippers not wanting to step into that pool.
IMHO
Paul
Reads to me like it’s against their policy, but not illegal. UPS is not a lawmaking body.
I agree with this reading.
Neither is the CDC a lawmaking body, for instance.
Not so fast, my beer drinking friends. Of course you know there are multiple state laws that apply here. From what is printed, only licensed alcohol retailers can legally ship beer / wine via FedEx / UPS.
If you thought brewing beer was tough, just try figuring out how to ship it. Whenever it comes to alcohol, the law is especially strict. Every facet of the industry is closely regulated affecting all parties involved, from the manufacturers to the marketers to the men and women who distribute it.
And in some cases, the laws can vary from one county to another within the same state. Because of this, the major players in the shipping space (think: FedEx, UPS, USPS) are very specific about outlining their own policies and who they choose to work with.
2021Shipping alcohol is illegal unless you have the proper permits and licensing that allows you to distribute alcohol. This is thanks to federal regulations that were put in place after the 21st amendment [6].
Bottom line…you and I cannot legally ship beer. Period.
What is that you’re quoting?
The Day Homebrewing Was Legalized | Craft Beer & Brewing - It’s against the law in all states to use the U.S. Postal Service to send beer. UPS and FedEx allow you to send it as long as you have a special permit to do so
Which means it’s against their policy, but not illegal to ship homebrew. I would bet that what you posted pertains to commercial beer.
Is it legal to ship beer in the US?
The short and direct answer would be “No” unless you have the proper license and paperwork to do it. Shipping any alcoholic beverage is against the policies of most shipping companies—all kind of liquid products on glass bottles; it is considered dangerous for shipping.
From: Home Brew Academy