The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
Members have successfully shipped spirits and alcohol internationally using paid duty declaration and specialist courier services. Here are the specific approaches and providers recommended: **Courier Services:** - **UPS** — Multiple members report using UPS accounts where you can settle duty and taxes directly on the website before shipping, avoiding delays. Ensure commercial invoices are attached to packages at pickup or depot drop-off. Confirmed working to Germany and other EU destinations. - **FedEx** — Reliable for UK collections, though not the cheapest option. Members have used FedEx successfully for international shipments with proper invoicing. - **Inexpress** — Used for trade show shipments (e.g. Prowein); can handle customs declarations at the border without requiring an assigned importer. - **Royal Mail** — Works for smaller shipments to Europe and Canada; members report declaring items as gifts when booking online, with collection and label application included. However, note the ABV restriction below. - **Eurostar** — Mentioned as an option for quick shipments to France. **Key Restrictions & Caveats:** - **ABV limit on Royal Mail:** Spirits above 24% ABV cannot be sent via Royal Mail, limiting this option to lower-alcohol products. - **Always pay duty:** The simplest approach is to declare the shipment properly and pay duty upfront—"works every time." - **Commercial invoices are essential:** All couriers require detailed commercial invoices (stating product type, value, ABV, etc.) included with the package. - **Don't attempt to hide shipments:** Attempting to circumvent customs has serious consequences (members report being blacklisted from entry to countries). For small sample shipments, some members have provided items as samples with invoice documentation. For larger or regular exports, working with a specialist export handler (like Inexpress) removes the complexity of importer assignment.