I bought some treats for CJ and now that I’m getting ready to send them, the thought occurs that I have no idea what I’m doing.
Do y’all have preferred shippers, packing materials, secret techniques?
How about shipping liquids in plastic and glass bottles?
And what about beverages, both non alcoholic and alcoholic?
Do carbonated beverages explode, for instance?
And hot and cold weather tips, I suppose. I’m sure I left something out.
Ideas 
?
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Aw man…thanks buddy! You really didn’t have to do this but I genuinely appreciate it and I’m excited to see what will arrive! I’ll see what kind of NJ goodies that might be up your alley.
I have literally zero experience shipping food so I will defer to the others and hopefully learn some things 
The jerky’s no problem, but then I thought you’d like some West Coast candy bars and then I thought you might like some Pico Pica
and so now my question.
I’ve wrapped each breakable container in bubble wrap then place inside plastic bags. This way the mess is contained if something breaks.
Dry ice and item packed in a Styrofoam container works well for frozen items. Many meds and supplements are shipped in nice Styrofoam boxes. Your drug store may be willing to give you some.
Many companies won’t ship chocolate during extreme heat due to melting.
I’ve received carbonated drinks successfully. They were packed in a special Styrofoam shipper which cradled each bottle. I think if the box was very tightly packed to prevent shifting of goods you could have good results.
Definitely check the web site of the shipper you are considering. They will have tips.
I think shipping alcohol across state lines is technically problematic from a legal perspective. I’ve seen small producers say they can only ship via special companies which have jumped through the hoops. I may be wrong but you may want to check.
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Thanks. I don’t have any illegal contraband or frozen stuff scheduled for NJ.
I’m wondering about various shippers and whether some are better than others. Probably FedEx then UPS then USPS.
I like learning stuff in these posts.
I agree with your order of rating the big 3. I’ve never had an issue with FedEx.
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For dry goods with low risk of damage, I suggest using the USPS priority shippers. Very economical, especially for heavy goods, as this is flat rate pricing. Transit time is only 1 ~ 3 business days, with good tracking.
And, free shipping boxes at any post office.
For fragile bottles, as mentioned above, use the styrofoam wine shippers. We use these to ship wine samples overseas, and they work quite well. You can ship the shippers via UPS or FedEX, depending on your point of origin and destination.
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Tremendous! Exactly what I was hoping to learn.
I would never have thought of that route.
Thanks.
Yes i have used USPS express priority or whatever they call it with good success- just best to mail on a mon/tues or can be stuck in post office over the weekend (which is only an issue sending perishables)
Liquid i would wrap in bubble wrap and then put wrapped bottle in ziplock bag
I wouldn’t ship something carbonated cross country though. Chocolates are fine this time of year- the east coast is very cold! No melting risk now
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Typically, the longer the distance, the more economical USPS rates are, as compared to private enterprise shippers. Another source for free styrofoam boxes is animal hospitals. If you are a client, ask the if they will save a few for you.
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Afaik, no US shipper (USPS or private) will accept alcohol from individual, even for _intra_state shipping (at least not “individuals” without appropriate the appropriate licensing, I assume from ATF and/or the relevant state authorities).
I have a vague recollection that some non-beverage liquids “containing alcohol” have been refused, though I don’t recall the details and assume they were cases of an “excess of zeal” (not literally vanilla extract, but along those lines, things contains that ethanol as “an ingredient”, even when it’s not what would normally be considered an “alcoholic beverage”). But I’m pretty sure shipping alcoholic beverages across state lines is definitely no-go for (unlicensed) individuals.
Which isn’t to say people don’t do and get away with it, but if you innocently tell the shipper what’s “really” in the package not realizing it’s not permitted, it not only “should be” but probably will be refused. And if something undisclosed gets discovered in transit, there’s a very good chance it will be destroyed… (there may be theoretical penalties, but I’ve never heard of private individuals actually “getting in trouble” for it, they just lose the beverage(s) involved.)
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This is true. I’m pretty sure they have a lot of other “things” to worry about and a bottle of wine isn’t really on their radar too much. They have a huge issue on their hands and booze isn’t one of them.
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This. I do this when traveling and it’s held me in good stead.
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Has anyone tried buying tea and spices from aliexpress? I had ordered once 5 months ago some seeds for my kumkvat tree. I told about it in the previous post I made on this forum. It is now growing and having yummy fruits. And the shipping and the seller of the seeds in general were very good. I think it was like that because of the extension I use with aliexpress, here it is. So, I would be more than happy to know if you have ordered something like tea and spices from aliexpress.
i tried to order some tea! It is awesome. I really like Chinese tea.
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