Posting Beer

[GUB]

G'day guys, looking at doing a swap with a mate in WA of some home brews. Auspost website are quoting $35 for Melb to Perth (3000 to 6001) for a 9kg parcel. Anyone got any suggestions of something that might be cheaper? A courier perhaps?

 

[bum]

How about less beer?

 

[manticle]

I can't imagine a courier would be cheaper than that. Less beer or suck it up.

 

[scott_penno]

Use PET rather than glass (understand it may already have been bottled). I suspect the $35 is about the cheapest you'll get. Just did a rate enquiry for off-peak with toll and it was over $100. And listen to bum, less beer might be the go...

sap.

 

[bum]

Now that we've got that sorted out, can someone work out how to PM beer? I'm thirsty!

 

[iScarlet]

Road trip?

Not cheaper but definitely more fun.

 

[GUB]

Use PET rather than glass (understand it may already have been bottled). I suspect the $35 is about the cheapest you'll get. Just did a rate enquiry for off-peak with toll and it was over $100. And listen to bum, less beer might be the go...

sap.

Yeah, it is already in bottle, but that is a good idea for the future. Cheers

 

[mwd]

What kind of packaging do people use when sending through the post.?

PET bottles are the obvious choice but do you have to declare the contents.?
Aren't there any restrictions with sending liquids by Auspost ?


Pictures of the Postie taking a rest break hummmn delicious.
Sorry mate it got lost in the sorting office

 

[scott_penno]

Looks like packing glass or PET bottles in a corrugated cardboard box with sufficient padding (think bubble-wrap, shredded paper, foam) is acceptable.

http://www.auspost.com.au/statutorydocumen..._03.htm#P11_249

sap.

 

[RdeVjun]

What kind of packaging do people use when sending through the post.?

PET bottles are the obvious choice but do you have to declare the contents.?
Aren't there any restrictions with sending liquids by Auspost ?


Pictures of the Postie taking a rest break hummmn delicious.
Sorry mate it got lost in the sorting office

Yeah, there are restrictions. According to our local shopfront, any liquids should be packaged with enough absorbent to soak the entire load up. We just send scummy water samples for Radon222 analysis though express 3kg sachels without anything except a cardboard tube, but they're in 1.25L PETs (two at a time). Apparently this is a no- no, but they've never rejected one before and we've sent hundreds this way, although nor have any leaked either.
Except for wine though, they have no problems with the wine tubes/cartons/ whatever they are, apparently they'll sell you an entire package that doesn't have any absorbent whatsoever. So, go figure... Unless the posties actually do the 'absorbing' themselves (as per rest break above!)...
My advice- 1.25L PETs * 2 in cardboard tubes in a 3kg sachel. Its a bit tricky closing the sachel with the two tubes filling it up, but gaffa tape is your friend, just don't put it over the address block (all too easily done).

Edit- may be different regs for regular post/ sachels- am just relaying what they told us at the shopfront. They were confused when we pointed out the wine thing. They thought the bottles of muddy water we had tucked under our arms were ginger beer!!! Lol...

 

[petesbrew]

Road trip?

Not cheaper but definitely more fun.

A road trip is always a brilliant idea for a B-grade movie, especially as the beer wouldn't last the trip.

 

[Pollux]

I have previously posted 3 PETs to Chappo in Brisbane. I wrapped each one in bubble wrap, and stacked them up in an AUSpost box packing any gaps with more bubble wrap.

They seemed to survive.

 

[newguy]

I'm probably completely off base but in Canada a cheap shipping alternative is to put your package 'on the bus.' We have countrywide bus service with greyhound and some others. Their shipping rates are usually about 1/2 that of the couriers. If Australia has interstate bus service that may be your cheapest alternative.

 

[Fents]

yep we do have bus services, we use em for work.

Valley Fast and Bus Freight Australia are the ones we use.

 

[iScarlet]

Actually, while I can't quote any prices, Greyhound does do this. I've had stuff sent down from the family from Queensland to Victoria... but still not my old bench capper. <_<

[edit]Beaten to the punch by Fents

 

[Renegade]

Out of interest, how does beer travel on bumpy roads ? I'm going bush soon and will be off the beaten track at times, with two crates of glass-bottled beer in the boot. Obviously there's going to be disturbed sediment issues (that doesnt bother me) but is there any chance of all that movement disturbing the yeast to a point where I might have bottle bombs on my hands ?

 

[newguy]

Out of interest, how does beer travel on bumpy roads ? I'm going bush soon and will be off the beaten track at times, with two crates of glass-bottled beer in the boot. Obviously there's going to be disturbed sediment issues (that doesnt bother me) but is there any chance of all that movement disturbing the yeast to a point where I might have bottle bombs on my hands ?

I really doubt it. I've travelled with bottled homebrew before and it didn't seem any worse for it. Of course you may need to give it a day or two to settle if the ride was especially bumpy but that's about it.

Heat is far more of an issue but seeing as how it's winter in Australia right now, I wouldn't worry.

 

[peas_and_corn]

What kind of packaging do people use when sending through the post.?

PET bottles are the obvious choice but do you have to declare the contents.?
Aren't there any restrictions with sending liquids by Auspost ?


Pictures of the Postie taking a rest break hummmn delicious.
Sorry mate it got lost in the sorting office

I posted some beers to Melbourne for a comp, and the guy at the post office told me that I just need to really pack it full of stuff to stop the bottles from breaking, because the guys at the sorting place have a mentality of "If I can throw it into the container it goes into, I will". I used a small roll of bubble wrap and crammed all the spaces between the bottles with newspaper.

 

[Kleiny]

Depends on quantity i sent the lucky winner of last years xmas raffle a bottle of beer in a wine pack.

Post offices sell specific packs for sending wine around the place so if its one bottle the wine pack does the job.

If i ever need to send any more i might go and check out pack and send its a new company in Bendigo and they look like they know whats going on.

 

[Leigh]

Pack and send are competitive against courier companies, and take things that AustPost won't, but are usually more expensive than AustPost for stuff AustPost will take.