4/19 UPS Stores NOT Shipping

[David_Bu3ker]

Uh-huh…sure.

Anyway, on topic, this is about UPS enforcing the existing prohibitions on individuals and shops shipping wine, not wineries with the correct permits. If they don’t accept the packages they can’t get stuck with them.

[Brian_Tuite]

I thought this thread was going to be about UPS not shipping on 4/19 because of 420. Merry Stoners Christmas everyone.

[Bob_Davis]

@Victor Hong

Be aware that state alcohol wholesalers and regulators (yes, they are supposedly separate of each other) are likely reading these posts.

Absolutely. IN 2000 I testified to get the Maryland felony shipping ban repealed and later posted my opinion of the raw politics, essentially either party will take wholesalers’ money. The head of alcohol enforcement tracked down the post in Robin Garr’s board and started to circulate it to the committee. My state senator made him stop.

So always assume that your posts are being monitored by many organizations hostile to our interests.

[mmarcellus]

@D@vid Bu3ker

Uh-huh…sure.

Anyway, on topic, this is about UPS enforcing the existing prohibitions on individuals and shops shipping wine, not wineries with the correct permits. If they don’t accept the packages they can’t get stuck with them.

Almost literally correct, but it still merits more than a yawn. First, wineries have in the past used UPS stores to ship to me. This presumably legal method of shipping will apparently no longer be an option for them, and that will increase their costs and make the logistics more difficult. Second, this is part of a broader pattern of liquor monopolies working with states to restrict the flow of alcohol across state lines. Their leading edge weapon has been using the threat of sanctions to intimidate the major carriers and indiscriminately discourage them from accepting any shipping ranging from completely illegal, to probably legal but not worth the risk of litigation, to unequivocally legal. And the monopolies have also done a good job of blurring the distinctions between these categories.

And since there are documented cases of state law enforcement monitoring liquor stores in neighboring states for cars from their state, it’s far from preposterous to assume that the states are monitoring social media. Now some might call this place anti-social media, but I think it still counts.

[Alan_Rath]

@Bob Davis

Absolutely. IN 2000 I testified to get the Maryland felony shipping ban repealed and later posted my opinion of the raw politics, essentially either party will take wholesalers’ money. The head of alcohol enforcement tracked down the post in Robin Garr’s board and started to circulate it to the committee. My state senator made him stop.

So, that regulator was upset that you were exposing the truth of how corrupt the “business” of alcohol regulation is, and wanted the committee to know how “biased” you were in your testimony?

[Bob_Davis]

@Alan Rath

@Bob Davis

Absolutely. IN 2000 I testified to get the Maryland felony shipping ban repealed and later posted my opinion of the raw politics, essentially either party will take wholesalers’ money. The head of alcohol enforcement tracked down the post in Robin Garr’s board and started to circulate it to the committee. My state senator made him stop.

So, that regulator was upset that you were exposing the truth of how corrupt the “business” of alcohol regulation is, and wanted the committee to know how “biased” you were in your testimony?

Yep. It’s still true today in that legislators are blocking a modernizing of laws relating to small breweries. Even Virginia is better than Maryland in this respect. Can’t wait to move out of here to VA, for a number of reasons.

[Russ_Williams]

You’ll love VA…Just stay clear of NoVA and Hampton Rhoads/VA Beach.

[Mark_Golodetz]

Anybody have any updates as to where the next wine case is, and is there any chance it will get to Supreme Court?

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Al Osterheld

I receive wine from any number of shippers at a UPS package store, although I have to rent a mailbox from them. As noted, they are franchisees, so don’t care which parcel service delivers the package as that service is not a UPS function (they also send faxes, provide copy services, take passport photos, etc.).

-Al

We have attempted to send (non-wine) shipments by Fedex to a UPS store and they have refused to accept the shipment. They have the UPS addresses hard wired into their software and it’s like trying to ship to al Qaeda.

[Ed_Kurtzman]

I once tried to drop off a case of wine to one of my customers who has a UPS mailbox at a UPS Store here in San Francisco. The employee at the store said that only licensed delivery drivers are allowed to deliver wine to a UPS Store. I told them I have two alcohol licenses each with the federal government and with the state of California, but they wouldn’t budge. So, I had to return to the winery and pay the $15 to have the case shipped via UPS to that same store.

[Al_Osterheld]

Jay, was it a UPS store where you rent a mailbox?

-Al

[Philip_N_Jones]

This is a big change. As some of you might remember from a thread I started a couple of months ago, when I attempted to ship a case of wine from Portland Oregon to the bay area, several of you were helpful enough to point out that you knew of the UPS store in the Portland Oregon area that were licensed to ship my wine. I called around to the ones that were recommended by this board, and they were happy to take my wine and ship it for me. Apparently only a few of the UPS stores are licensed to do do this. Apparently the others are not. I do believe that the UPS Stores are franchisees. I have not tried to go directly to the UPS depot in my city. I am guessing that if that might have worked previously, it will no longer work now. You may also recall that my local wine shop was not willing to ship my wine for me. They told me that they were licensed to ship only their own wine. That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.
In any event, this is not good news. How am I supposed to ship wine now?
Phil Jones
Portland OR

[mattcitrang]

@Philip N. Jones

This is a big change. As some of you might remember from a thread I started a couple of months ago, when I attempted to ship a case of wine from Portland Oregon to the bay area, several of you were helpful enough to point out that you knew of the UPS store in the Portland Oregon area that were licensed to ship my wine. I called around to the ones that were recommended by this board, and they were happy to take my wine and ship it for me. Apparently only a few of the UPS stores are licensed to do do this. Apparently the others are not. I do believe that the UPS Stores are franchisees. I have not tried to go directly to the UPS depot in my city. I am guessing that if that might have worked previously, it will no longer work now. You may also recall that my local wine shop was not willing to ship my wine for me. They told me that they were licensed to ship only their own wine. That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.
In any event, this is not good news. How am I supposed to ship wine now?
Phil Jones
Portland OR

Remove all the bottles of wine and just ship them the olive oil.

[Paul_Luckin]

@Philip N. Jones

This is a big change. As some of you might remember from a thread I started a couple of months ago, when I attempted to ship a case of wine from Portland Oregon to the bay area, several of you were helpful enough to point out that you knew of the UPS store in the Portland Oregon area that were licensed to ship my wine. I called around to the ones that were recommended by this board, and they were happy to take my wine and ship it for me. Apparently only a few of the UPS stores are licensed to do do this. Apparently the others are not. I do believe that the UPS Stores are franchisees. I have not tried to go directly to the UPS depot in my city. I am guessing that if that might have worked previously, it will no longer work now. You may also recall that my local wine shop was not willing to ship my wine for me. They told me that they were licensed to ship only their own wine. That does not make a whole lot of sense to me.
In any event, this is not good news. How am I supposed to ship wine now?
Phil Jones
Portland OR

“It’s olive oil.”

[Victor_Hong]

Fruit juice.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Al Osterheld

Jay, was it a UPS store where you rent a mailbox?

-Al

No. It was apparently a UPS store where the recipient must have had a mailbox. I gave the name and address to my secretary to make a Fedex label and she told me that when she put the address into the computer, it refused to accept it and either told her it was a UPS store or when she called to complain, they told her that on the phone.

[Gary_Rust]

Will any of this affect auction houses?

[Chuck_Miller]

@Gary Rust

Will any of this affect auction houses?

Yes, it already has. An auction house is just another form of retailer.

[John_Danza]

I am surprised that so many of you are shipping wine. I only ship olive oil.

[Victor_Hong]

As did the Corleone family.