Volumetric Weight
How is volumetric weight different from actual weight and how to calculate it? Our Operations Manager Oliver is here with all the answers to your questions and helpful advice in the first episode of Ask the Experts.
Regulations on Shipping Alcohol Internationally
Sending alcohol in the mail or by courier is common practice, even though different restrictions apply in different countries across the globe.
For businesses
Depending on the countries of collection and delivery, different rules may apply. Generally, freight shipments of alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer or cider are perfectly legal and are even covered by CMR insurance. In order to book freight shipments of stronger drinks such as whiskey or vodka, companies should agree on terms with authorized carriers only.
For individuals
Sending and receiving alcoholic drinks by mail or courier from e-commerce sites is legal. However, when it comes to shipping alcohol in Europe or internationally as an individual, it is worth noting that most courier companies include alcoholic drinks on their list of restricted and prohibited items. Despite this restriction, many people still send alcoholic drinks as gifts abroad in the post or by courier at their own risk.
Shipping alcohol by mail or courier from the UK to Europe is not allowed for individuals. If any prohibited item is discovered in your shipment, the package may be returned to the sender instead of being delivered to the recipient. We recommend checking the rules and regulations of the pick-up and delivery countries in advance.
What about shipping your purchase of alcohol from a website via a forwarding address? Here’s how the forward2me experts process your shipments containing alcohol.
There are different types of alcohol we deal with including wine, beers & spirits. With the most popular of these being various whiskeys.
When the package first enters the building, it will have to be opened by one of our staff members here, the alcohol in question will need to state the volume percentage and the measurement of the bottle, this information will be processed into our system.
After your package is booked into the system, it will be up to our trained combine & repack staff to ensure your package is safe for shipment, due to containing fragile items containing things like glass and flammable liquid it is up to us to make sure that your alcohol arrives to you in the safest way possible.
We offer various courier services who you can ship alcohol packages with, including DHL, FedEx, and UPS. Unfortunately, some countries do have restrictions on sending alcoholic packages so please check whether you live in a country that prohibits these before ordering.
It is also to be noted that non-alcoholic beverages, although stated as non-alcoholic do still contain a small percentage of alcohol and these will still be processed through as an alcohol shipment.
Batteries Shipment
In our video about shipping batteries, Will, Process Specialist at forward2me’s UK warehouse, explains the different ways in which the various types of batteries are shipped, as well as costs and packaging.
Consumer Commodities
Forward2me’s Head of Global Warehousing Tracy Thornton explains what consumer commodities are, the shipping regulations in place, and how our specialists are trained in order to process such items safely.
Tax-Free Shopping
Forward2me’s Customer Experience Manager Hailey is hosting our next Ask the Experts video to explain how your online purchases can be exempt from VAT by using a forwarding address in Guernsey.
Fuel Surcharge
Not sure what exactly fuel surcharge is and how it works? Chris, Senior Customer Experience Agent at forward2me, hosts this episode to explain why FSC is used by shipping companies and what it means for you.
Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax - what is it and how does it apply to your shipment? Jan, Bookkeeper at forward2me, is here to explain which countries levy the tax and why retailers and forwarders collect it.