Sending beer to a friend..legal??

Hello, I'd like to send my friend in South Carolina some homebrews I've made recently. I live in New York...
1) Does anyone know if I can legally do this?
2) What precautions should I take to this?\
3) Are there "beer friendly" shippers out there?

Thanks for any tips, hints, or info..

Ship via UPS, and mark the packages as "glassware", or "live yeast samples - for analysis only".

Or, like a friend of mine who kept a batch too long in primary: "Dead yeast samples -- for autolysis only!"

adegiulio said:

Hello, I'd like to send my friend in South Carolina some homebrews I've made recently. I live in New York...
1) Does anyone know if I can legally do this?
2) What precautions should I take to this?\
3) Are there "beer friendly" shippers out there?

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Keeping it simple, yes for the most part it is illegal to ship alcohol. There is a work around for this. I have shipped both UPS and USPS for several years without any issues. I have always marked my packages as "Yeast samples suspended in solution" This tends to fly right over any USPS worker, and UPS could care less what is in the box

Be your own beer friendly shipper.
I would highly recommend packing the bottles yourself. Get some bubble wrap, clear packing tape and plain brown box. Bubble wrap the bottles real good, and secure with the packing tape.

You should be able to fit about 8-10 22 oz. bottles in the box. Don't overpack with bottles. The last thing you want is the shipping company calling your buddy to come get a box off their loading dock because they are refusing to handle a box leaking a mysterious liquid.

It should cost between 20.00-30.00 to ship it via ground. Ship it on a Monday so it arrives before the weekend.

I would also contact your friend and let him know the tracking details of the package as well as contents " Yeast samples" and not beer cause it's illegal to ship alcohol.

i don't think it is legal, but to make sure, send me some before your friend. If I get ehm okay, it will be fine to send some to your friend.

yeah, it's not illegal to ship alcohol. It's illegal in most jurisdictions to sell alcohol without a license, but as long as you aren't receiving money for the shipment, you should be good.

Probably the better question is what is needed to get UPS, etc. to actually send it, or if they care. I'd probably go with the live yeast samples thing.

cowain said:

yeah, it's not illegal to ship alcohol. It's illegal in most jurisdictions to sell alcohol without a license, but as long as you aren't receiving money for the shipment, you should be good.

Probably the better question is what is needed to get UPS, etc. to actually send it, or if they care. I'd probably go with the live yeast samples thing.

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Not illegal? I'm not sure on that. Against most shipper's rules? I'm pretty sure on that one. I've never checked FedEx on this, but I do know both UPS and the USPS will both refuse shipping packages if they KNOW they contain beer.

You betcha...Illegal!!!

Even shipping our wine and liquor "collection" from overseas you have to go through a distributor.

Shipping wine and beer is not illegal since 2005 when the Supreme Court held that there are limits to the states' ability to regulate the distribution of alcohol.

See http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/...supremecourtus.gov/opinions/04pdf/03-1116.pdf

for the opinion. Various states might still be violating the court's ruling, but if you get in any trouble for shipping alcohol (e.g. fine, etc.) you can probably sue your state over it.

So when they ask you if your product is liquid, explosive, etc. what do you say? If you say it's a liquid, do you stick with the yeast samples story? Is it worth it to write "This end up"?

I ship my beer via UPS and they never asked what was in the box, in fact I cant remember anyone ever asking what I was shipping EVER, and Im talking years and years of shipping christmas packages and what not. If they ever did ask id say "none of your business" which its not. they dont care what your sending they are a business. I wouldnt write anything on the box that said 'yeast' or anything like that that is just a red flag if you ask me. I just recently shipped some beers to a comp and the address was 'such and such HOMEBREW SUPPLY CO.' so instead I put 'such and such H. Supply Co.'

just ship it like you'd ship anything else: the address on the front and your address on the back-simple stupid.

EVERY time I have shipped something via UPS they ask what it is in the box. Weird they never asked you.

I've never been asked what's in the box when I ship anything, whether it's UPS or USPS. Maybe you have that suspicious look about you Mr. Salty... if that is your REAL name.

Heh maybe.... dunno, maybe its the UPS facility I usually go to. *shrug*

MrSaLTy said:

EVERY time I have shipped something via UPS they ask what it is in the box. Weird they never asked you.

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Do you live in a ghetto area of chicago or something?? Lol... I'd imagine that you; get asked that a lot in Trenton or Newark... probably 50% of the packages they ship has drugs in them

Ive never been asked whats in the box. It is their business to some degree as its going to be on their plane/truck. If that package has some off liquid in it, thats could be something very very bad. Or if could be a 6 pack

You can actually go onine and print out your own shipping label and drop off at a UPS store. No one asks you if all the work is done. They just place it with the outgoing packages.

The only time I've ever been asked what's in the box is when it is a UPS 'outlet' or a UPS franchise. And they are asking not because its UPS policy. They ask so that they can try and sell you packaging and other services.