Customer confusion - will it ever go away?
I figured I would start to log the questions that we get that demonstrate the need to open the market up. These questions may come from consumers or wineries - both are very frustrated in the current structure of distribution. Why States should uphold these confusing laws is beyond me.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steven on -
"I am interested in purchasing wine from XXXXXXX Winery in XXXXXXXX, Kentucky. The shipping address is not allowing Iowa as one of the states you can ship to. I am receiving wine from another winery in Kentucky, so I know it can be shipped to Iowa. Would somebody check on the reason for this? I am hoping to get this wine before Thanksgiving." Oct 28th, 2008
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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"I visited your vineyard in August and I would like to buy some of your wine but I live in South Carolina. Do you ship to South Carolina? Thank you for your help" Oct 9th, 2008
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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"So much for not shipping to Washington State. Really, what gives??? Washington State is a reciprocal state, with little or no regulation!!!
Shall I call the winery direct, which seems to be my best option of finding a distributor up here?
Are you telling me that you are not legal to ship to Washington State? Where the hell are you located? I am in numerous wine clubs and have never had a problem.
A prompt response will be appreciated." Sept 22, 2008
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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"as of May 14, 2008 we can now join wine clubs and buy wine to be shipped from other states, when will you included Georgia in your list of states to ship to?" May 14th, 2008
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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"My best friend's daughter's name is XXXX and I would love to buy them some bottles as a keepsake for her 2nd birthday. Are they available in Maryland? If so, where? Are they cheaper at a wine store? If so, where in Va. can they be purchased. We live in Md. but my husband works in Va." June 22, 2008
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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"I saw an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper about your winery. Keeping my money in this country is a good thing .And I wouldn't want you guys to have to drink all the leftover wine( especially the dry red ).To my dismay I see that you can't ship to Pennsylvania.
Can I order through my State store. If not I will plan a trip this summer." March 08
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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A question received today
"I need to ship 3 cases of wine to a friend who wants to buy the wine to send out as Christmas presents this year. They are located in Illinois. I see on your web site that VinoShipper.com does not ship to Illinois yet. What do you advise?"
How wrong it is for us not to be able to do this.
A wholesaler will not take it or facilitate such a small order.
The winery cannot get a license as the ongoing burden is just to much to handle for a one off order.
Why the shut out retailers from shipping directly is wrong, they can still be permitted and required to collect and pay taxes.
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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After explaining why we could not ship now to IL - here was the response:
"These draconian laws are making it harder to run a small business than it should be"
I just don't have to make this up, these are every day issues the small winery suffers.
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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I guess the shippers have their own issue. Strange that they can ship other products "out" of a State, but for some reason they are unable to carry wine as well.
"Please note that it has been legal for Oklahoma wineries to ship (with the proper out of state permits) since June 2007. I have no problem shipping through Fed X, but I've been working with UPS for all this time trying to find out the problem."
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Permalink Reply by Janet on -
The Wine Institute http://www.wineinstitute.org/ has a very helpful link to direct shipping rules in each state. Many wineries find that keeping track of and complying with individual state regulations is prohibitive in both licensing costs and the time it takes to do tax reporting to each state. These wineries prefer to ship only to "reciprocal" states.
On the other hand it seems unrealistic to think most retailers and restauranteurs are interested in placing individual orders from each winery whose wines they wish to carry - when they could place orders with their distributors and receive a multitude of wine selections.
Distributors spend a great deal of time developing relationships with individual retail and restaurant buyers over the course of many years. It is also unrealistic for a winery owner/winemaker or sales manager to have the time to nurture these type personal relationships with any but a small percent of buyers nationally.
I agree that it is the "mandatory" part of the law that is problematic. If a small winery (or even a mid-size winery) has difficulty obtaining or keeping a distributor they should be allowed to ship their wine to consumers who would like to buy them. Another obstacle is the fact that shipping costs are very high. I know of many instances where consumers would like to purchase wine directly from the winery - but when they find out what the UPS charge will be, they decline.
Janet
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Permalink Reply by Steven on
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This just goes to show how states miss out on revenue opportunities. By not allowing an easy but controlled distribution they basically are responsible for creating a underground market in wines. When you limit consumer choice for no good reason, like water, it will find a way around the problem. The impact on the State, they loose revenue and control.
"we will just plan on picking wine up when we are back in the area. I know its not your fault and that its regulatory in nature but first off, I want it shipped to IA and that cant be done, I find a friend in Nebraska that it can be shipped to, and then UPS says its not in their database, and finally, the account gets locked. I would rather pick it up next time I pass thru"
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