[NHCOLL-L:181] Re: shipping in alcohol redux?

[Doug Yanega]

Judith Price wrote:

>Theoretically, ground transport can be specified for shipments within
>continental North America, but it is still a documented TDG shipment and
>still costs more than shipping bricks.  Practically, however, most
>shipping companies will insist that you prepa
>re the shipment and the extra documentation for their choice of land or
>air transport.

That's the odd thing here: this package arrived with only $3.20 in postage,
exactly what one would expect for a box filled with foam peanuts. It had
the surface shipping sticker, but obviously didn't cost any extra to ship.
Either the shipper attached the sticker and didn't pay extra, or the post
office attached it after the fact and didn't charge for it. I can't imagine
why they'd do the latter instead of just returning the package to the
shipper, but that's the more likely thing, I suppose, since the shipper
knew there was no alcohol in the box, but the post office would not unless
they opened it.
        All in all, I think the situation under which I received that
package couldn't be considered a good example, so it would be nice to know
whether what Judith says is the official rule, and my case was just an
aberrance.

Peace,


Doug Yanega       Dept. of Entomology           Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
phone: (909) 787-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
                http://insects.ucr.edu/staff/yanega.html
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82