You’ve nailed it all, Peter, including your last point. Much easier for the AGs to go to FedEx and UPS than all of the retailers shipping wine.
Only the victims care about that.
Funny thing is that UPS and Fedex have a lot more clout than AGs. All they’d have to do is say “get out of our face, or we’ll pull out of your state all together”. Done. But no one has the guts to do something like that.
If I were an online auction house, or even an offsite storage provider, this would be so worrying.
True. I just think there’s a lot of unnecessary confusion due to the lack of that detail in a lot of available material.
There’s a big distinction… I count only 9 states that a winery cannot directly ship to (less for winery on-site purchase shipment).
Winery On-Site Purchase Shipments: Shipments of wine from licensed wineries may be shipped to consumers in states with “Yes” in the column labeled “Winery On-Site Purchase Shipment”, provided the following conditions are satisfied:* (a) the wine was purchased on the physical location of the winery (not, e.g., via phone or the internet); (b) the winery verified the legal age of the purchaser; (c) the wine is for personal use only and not for resale; and (e) the purchaser is the consignee.
Winery Direct Shipment: Wine purchased from licensed wineries may be shipped to consumers in states with “Yes” in the column labeled “Winery Direct Shipment”* regardless of whether the purchase was made on-site;
Wine Retailer Shipment to Consumers: Shipments of wine from licensed wine retailers may be shipped to consumers in states with “Yes” in the column labeled “Wine Retailer Shipment.”*
Because DC adopted regulations that specifically permit shipping (a limited amount per month) wine directly to consumers.
Wine-Searcher.com would not enjoy this trend.
Petty bickering politicians.
Why can’t you guys just find an offsite storage facility that California retailers can ship to, and who can then ship to your state when you’re ready to receive the wine?
Via Fedex or UPS, no less?
I really don’t think any AG would seriously believe that a delivery company would threaten to pull out of a state (which would cost more business than just that state, would you contract with a company that could deliver to every state except NY, NJ or whatever) - especially for the 0.25% or whatever that wine/spirit shipping makes up of their business.
Because then you are going to be charged CA sales tax and two shipping charges.
So you pay a little more. If it’s wine you can’t get any other way, that’s the game you have to play.
And, ah, because it is illegal to ship wines into those states without a license, and I don’t believe that a license exists for an offsite storage facility who consolidates wines for retailers/customers who can’t otherwise legally effect the shipment themselves.
Although it appears that one major offsite storage facility is facilitating shipment for customers. How I don’t know, but with shipping rules this archaic end runs are certainly going to develop.
Of course they’re not going to do it. I’d just like to see the look on an AG’s face if they did. Would fold in a heartbeat. Evil, corrupt politicians.
We are now all Texans.
But are offsite storage facilities able to ship wines into states other than the 14 states that allow retailers to ship to? In other words, even aside from considerations of sales tax and double shipping charges, do third party storage facilities have to follow the regulations governing wineries, retailers, or neither? Because it sounds like, in my state of WA, no one but wineries are allowed to ship into the state direct to consumers. Unless storage facilities are not mentioned in the laws and by omission are “allowed”???
See my new thread, as that seems to warrant specific exploration or surveillance.
The answer is “no,” Robert, which was my point above. It is not as simple as handing off to a third party and have them ship. Although, as I mentioned, it appears that some will be offering “fulfillment” services (legal or not) by consolidating wines in CA and handling transportation to states into which “shipping” is now illegal.
This is being done. People buy the wines from auction, have them shipped legally to a storage facility, then at a time of their choosing ship the wines(they already own) to themselves. It’s a nice end run.