Direct to consumer shipping!
US wineries rely heavily on selling their wines to customers in other states but are often deterred by the required licensing and reporting involved.
Enter what are known as 3rd party shipping service providers to alleviate them of this headache!
The blog post caught my eye right off from its title, “The dangers of third party shipping”.
Many of the statements from the post hit the nail on the head for what I’ve also seen, heard and been bothered by over the years.
“These services promise to provide everything that a winery DtC shipper will need…”
“If something sounds too good to be true, it just might be”
And my personal favorite:
“Whenever anyone tells you that you don’t need your own license, that should be a huge red flag”
The blog also mentions a path of less resistance for wineries, though limited in its reach, (15 states currently) that for smaller wineries serves as an option to get their wines exposure in other states while avoiding the licensing and reporting hurdles. This is the wine retailer route. It is discussed in another blog from Shipcompliant, “What are the retailer dtc shipping laws”.
In the interest of alleviating some of the confusion around this topic, please share your comments, feedback or experiences with 3rd party shippers!