A nice bottle of wine or a six-pack of craft beers make excellent gifts, but shipping alcohol presents some serious challenges for U.S. consumers. If you’re interested in mailing alcohol, you must comply with state laws and carrier regulations, or your bottles may be seized or destroyed. Restrictions are based on whether you’re shipping beer, wine or spirits because of their differing alcohol contents.
While it certainly isn’t straightforward, alcohol shipping is possible if you follow the rules. Learn more about how to ship alcohol, including legal requirements, carrier rules and packing options, in this guide.
Shipping Alcohol In State
Shipping alcohol within your state is a bit easier than shipping interstate or internationally because you only have one set of liquor laws to consider. However, only licensed alcohol retailers are allowed to ship alcohol directly.
These approved shippers can ship alcohol either through a shipping carrier or a liquor delivery service. Cold-shipping companies can transport alcohol intrastate while under contract with licensed retailers.
Every state has its own liquor laws that locally licensed retailers must be aware of when shipping alcohol. Consumers can ship alcohol to others in their state through local merchants or place an order through a licensed alcohol e-commerce site.
Shipping Alcohol Out of State
If you want to ship alcohol out of state or internationally, you need to consider the laws of the state you’re shipping from and the state or country you’re shipping to. Even if shipping alcohol is legal in the state of origin, you cannot ship to a place where it’s illegal to receive alcohol shipments.
Also, some states allow interstate alcohol shipments but not those from other states or countries. These states are considered non-reciprocal states.
As with in-state alcohol shipping, only licensed liquor distributors or retailers can send interstate and international alcohol shipments. If you’re a consumer wishing to send alcohol out-of-state, it’s best to go through one of these licensed sellers.
Alcohol Shipping Through Major Carriers
Not all major shipping carriers allow you to ship alcohol. Here are the guidelines for mailing alcohol with UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL.
UPS
UPS offers alcohol shipping options for validly licensed retailers. Depending on the type of alcohol that you’re shipping, you will need to enter the applicable contract with UPS before you’re allowed to ship:
- UPS Agreement for Approved Wine Shippers
- UPS Agreement for Approved Beer Shippers
- UPS Agreement for Approved Spirits Shippers
All beer, wine and spirits shipments must comply with UPS packaging requirements for the type of beverage being shipped. Also, all alcohol shipments must be made using the UPS Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required service.
UPS cannot ship all types of alcohol in all states, regardless of whether you enter an agreement for approved shipping with UPS. In the approved shipper agreement addendums, you can learn more about the UPS alcohol shipping regulations by state. Here you can find all the necessary information and rules for shipping alcohol with UPS:
USPS
The United State Postal Service (USPS) does not allow beer, wine or liquor to be sent in the mail except in limited circumstances. Even boxes originally used to ship alcohol must have all logos and labels removed before they can pass through the mail system.
The only mailable products containing intoxicating liquors are those that meet IRS and FDA requirements, are not poisonous or flammable and are not taxable as alcoholic beverages. Some examples on the USPS website are cold remedies, cooking wine and mouthwash.
There are also exemptions for alcohol shipments between approved employees of government agencies with official use for the liquor, such as testing.
FedEx
Similarly to shipping alcohol with UPS, FedEx allows you to mail alcohol only if you are licensed to sell alcohol and enroll in the FedEx alcohol shipping program. Individuals or consumers are not allowed to ship alcohol with FedEx.
FedEx offers two main types of alcohol shipping, licensee-to-licensee and licensee-to-consumer. In the case of licensee-to-licensee shipments, the approved alcohol shipper and the recipient must both be businesses with the necessary alcohol licenses. These types of shipments can be sent via FedEx Express, FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery services.
The only licensee-to-consumer alcohol shipments permitted by FedEx are wine. Authorized shippers with a FedEx Alcohol Shipping Agreement can send wine via FedEx Express or FedEx Ground. However, because of varying state laws regarding wine sales and shipping, it’s impossible to ship wine in all states with FedEx.
To learn more about shipping alcohol with FedEx, check out its guide:
DHL
Like other major shipping companies in the U.S., only Alcoholic Beverage Licensees can ship alcohol with DHL, and all alcohol shippers need to enter into the DHL Agreement to Transport Alcoholic Beverages. However, DHL Express also allows these verified customers to export alcohol from approved states internationally.
DHL adheres to all state and local regulations, as well as to federal United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) requirements for shipping alcohol. Alcohol exporters must also have the required state and international licenses for shipping alcohol.
Here you can find more information about shipping alcohol with DHL:
3 Quick Tips for Shipping Alcohol
If you’re an approved shipper of alcoholic beverages, check out these tips for shipping beer, wine and liquor.
Package Requirements
All carriers transporting alcoholic beverages have documentation and labeling requirements shippers must follow for legal compliance. Alcoholic beverages are also fragile and heavy, so you want to consider best practices for shipping heavy items, such as using sturdy corrugated cardboard boxes lined with leak-proof polystyrene glass bottle shippers.
Cost
Costs vary for shipping alcohol based on the carrier you choose, where you are shipping from and to and how much alcohol you’re sending. Consider shopping between the leading carriers offering alcohol shipping and commercial liquor delivery services.
Alcohol Shipping Laws
Licensed alcohol retailers and distributors need to follow local, state and federal regulations for the shipping of alcohol. In many states, you must follow different rules for sending and receiving alcohol. Be sure to check the legal requirements for the point of origin and the destination before shipping.
Shipping Alcohol as a Licensed Seller
If you have a valid license to sell beer, wine, or liquor, you may be able to ship alcohol to other licensees or directly to consumers. UPS, FedEx and DHL all offer alcohol shipping for approved customers who enter into an agreement with the carrier for shipping. However, all alcohol shipments need to comply with the state, local and federal regulations of where it’s shipped from and the shipment’s destination.
FAQ
Only licensed alcohol retailers and distributors can ship alcohol directly. However, you can order through one of these approved sellers to ship alcohol as a gift.
Licensed alcohol sellers enrolled in the FedEx alcohol shipping program can ship alcohol through FedEx.
The United States Postal Service prohibits alcohol shipments in nearly all cases.
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