Shipping alcohol with USPS, UPS, and FedEx?

Alcohol can be a tricky thing to ship. Different carriers have different rules. So we’ll cover three of the major carriers that you’re most likely to use: USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

USPS

There is absolutely no alcohol allowed for any USPS shipment, domestically or internationally.

On top of this, if you plan on using packaging that was once used to carry alcohol, all labels or branding associated with alcohol must be covered or taken off in order to properly process the package. Otherwise, USPS will assume there's alcohol inside the package and reject it.

UPS

UPS does allow the shipment of alcohol with a few caveats.

• You must have an account number with UPS
• You must come to an alcohol shipping agreement with UPS (given on a per-contract basis)
• You must have a license to ship alcohol according to federal and state laws.
• You must abide by the alcohol regulations of the origin state AND the destination state. (UPS will only ship alcohol to-and-from certain states because of this)
• You must use proper packaging:
  • Inner packaging of EPS foam, folded corrugated tray, or molded fiber tray
  • Each packaging component must secure the bottle to the center of the container, away from the side walls of the container.
  • Container must be sturdy
• Clearly label the package according to UPS and origin/destination state guidelines
• Document the shipment as alcoholic (this is easy to do on EasyPost)
• Require an adult signature at delivery. It can not be dropped off or delivered to anyone under the age of 21.

FedEx

FedEx also allows the shipment of alcohol with a few caveats:

• You must have an account number with FedEx
• You must have an alcohol shipping agreement with FedEx (contact your account manager to start the process)
• You must use proper packaging:
  • Inner packaging of EPS foam, folded corrugated tray, or molded fiber tray
  • Each packaging component must secure the bottle to the center of the container, away from the side walls of the container.
  • Container must be sturdy
• Clearly label the package according to FedEx guidelines
• Document the shipment as alcoholic (this is easy to do on EasyPost)
• Require an adult signature at delivery. It can not be dropped off or delivered to anyone under the age of 21.