Selling alcohol online is a growing opportunity for wineries, breweries, and liquor retailers, but it comes with strict regulations and shipping challenges. WooCommerce offers a flexible way to run your store, but alcohol shipping demands more than standard tools. UPS is a trusted carrier for alcohol shipments, offering age verification, UPS tracking, and reliable delivery services.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to ship alcohol from your WooCommerce store with UPS using the WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin legally and efficiently.
On this Article:
- Can You Legally Sell Alcohol via WooCommerce?
- UPS Alcohol Shipping Policy: What You Need to Know
- Why Use WooCommerce UPS Plugin for Shipping Alcohol
- Ship Alcohol in WooCommerce Seamlessly
- Real-World Example: WooCommerce Store Selling Wine via UPS
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Can You Legally Sell Alcohol via WooCommerce?
Yes, selling and shipping alcohol through your WooCommerce store is possible, but it requires strict adherence to legal regulations:
- Secure all necessary federal, state, and local permits and licenses.
- Implement reliable age verification during checkout and delivery.
- Be aware of shipping restrictions, as some carriers and states prohibit alcohol shipments.
- Choose shipping methods and carriers that comply with alcohol shipping laws.
WooCommerce allows alcohol sales, but you’re responsible for compliance. Now, let’s look at what you need to know to ship alcohol via UPS in WooCommerce.
UPS Alcohol Shipping Policy: What You Need to Know
Shipping alcohol via UPS is possible, but only under specific conditions. As a WooCommerce store owner selling alcohol, you must understand and follow these rules carefully.
1. You Must Be an Approved Alcohol Shipper
UPS only allows licensed and authorized sellers to ship alcohol. You must:
- Hold all necessary alcohol licenses (state, federal, and local).
- Enter into a UPS Alcohol Shipping Agreement before you can begin shipping.
- Apply directly with UPS to become an approved shipper. This agreement outlines what you’re allowed to ship (wine, beer, spirits) and to where.
2. Alcohol Can Only Be Shipped to Certain Locations
UPS only ships alcohol:
- To and from states where alcohol shipping is legally permitted.
- Between approved licensees or direct to consumers, depending on local laws.
- Not to P.O. Boxes or unauthorized jurisdictions (e.g., dry counties or restricted ZIP codes).
3. Adult Signature is Required
UPS requires that:
- All alcohol shipments use the Adult Signature Required service.
- The recipient must be 21 years or older, and a valid government-issued ID must be shown upon delivery.
This helps meet legal requirements and prevent underage access to alcohol.
4. Proper Packaging and Labeling are Mandatory
All alcohol shipments must:
- Be securely packaged to prevent breakage or leakage.
- Include clear labeling that indicates the package contains alcohol.
- Be compliant with both UPS and federal labeling requirements.
UPS-approved packaging supplies are often required for fragile or high-volume shipments.
5. Use a UPS-Compatible Shipping System
To ship alcohol with UPS, you must use:
- UPS WorldShip– A desktop-based shipping software designed for high-volume shippers. It allows you to process and manage UPS shipments, generate labels, track packages, and access advanced shipping features.
- UPS CampusShip– A web-based shipping tool ideal for businesses with multiple users or locations. It lets employees across your organization ship from their own workstations while maintaining centralized control and visibility.
- Or a UPS Ready shipping solution, like the WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin– An integrated solution that connects your WooCommerce store directly with UPS.
Why Use WooCommerce UPS Plugin for Shipping Alcohol
This UPS plugin simplifies the entire alcohol shipping process by helping you:
- Automatically generate and print UPS-compliant shipping labels
- Display real-time UPS rates at checkout
- Enable adult signature confirmation which is mandated by UPS for alcohol shipping
- Track shipments directly from your WooCommerce dashboard
- Stay compliant with UPS alcohol shipping rules- all without leaving your store
Now let’s see how to set it up.
Ship Alcohol in WooCommerce Seamlessly
The WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin makes it simple to enable alcohol shipping for your store. Start by installing and configuring the plugin.
Once the plugin is set up, follow these steps to configure alcohol shipping:
1. Configure Alcohol Shipping and Signature Settings
In the Special Services tab, select the Adult Signature Required under Delivery Confirmation, as UPS mandates adult signature confirmation for alcohol deliveries. Enabel International Special Commodities.
Select the Alcoholic Beverages Indicator within the Restricted Articles options.
2. Mark Products as Alcoholic Beverages
In the individual WooCommerce product settings, make sure to mark the product as an alcoholic beverage. This links the product with the appropriate shipping restrictions and indicators.
Once configured, your store is ready to ship alcohol via UPS.
- The plugin displays live UPS rates that include any additional alcohol shipping fees automatically.
- After an order is placed, you can generate and print shipping labels directly from your WooCommerce dashboard. The shipping label will display the indicator of Adult signature and “ISC” (International Special Commodities), which signals alcohol or other special commodity shipments.
You can also schedule pickups and manage tracking easily within the plugin. This setup helps WooCommerce merchants streamline order fulfillment.
Real-World Example: WooCommerce Store Selling Wine via UPS
Let’s say you run a WooCommerce store selling premium wines from your family-owned vineyard. A customer in New York places an order for a limited-edition bottle, expecting fast and secure delivery.
The Challenges You’ll Face Without a Plugin
- Without built-in validation, you could accidentally ship to a restricted area, risking penalties or returned shipments.
- UPS mandates an Adult Signature Required for all alcohol shipments. Without a UPS-compatible plugin, you’d have to manually add this to each shipment.
- Creating labels manually or through non-compliant systems may result in improper or missing labels, leading to delays or rejection.
- Alcohol shipments often include additional surcharges. Without a plugin to fetch live rates, these fees won’t be reflected at checkout.
How the Plugin Solves It
With the WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin, you can:
- Enable alcohol shipping compliance by activating the Alcoholic Beverages Indicator. The plugin ensures you only ship to eligible destinations.
- Apply Adult Signature Required for alcohol shipments, meeting UPS requirements without manual effort.
- Generate ISC-compliant shipping labels directly from your WooCommerce dashboard, accurate and ready to go.
- Display live UPS shipping rates at checkout, including any additional alcohol-related fees.
Whether you’re shipping to casual wine drinkers or serious collectors, this plugin ensures your wine business operates smoothly, legally, and efficiently.
Conclusion
Shipping alcohol from your WooCommerce store is a great opportunity, but it comes with strict rules. UPS supports alcohol delivery, but compliance is non-negotiable. The WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin helps you meet all UPS requirements, from adult signature and restricted shipping zones to ISC-compliant labels and real-time rate calculation. Everything happens right from your WooCommerce dashboard, no manual steps, no guesswork.
Need Help? Visit PluginHive Support for expert assistance with setup or alcohol-specific shipping settings.
FAQs
- Can I ship alcohol to a P.O. Box using UPS?
No. UPS does not deliver alcohol to P.O. Boxes. The delivery address must be a physical location in a permitted area.
- Is international alcohol shipping supported?
It depends on the destination country’s laws. The plugin supports international shipping, but you must verify alcohol import laws for each country. For more info on UPS international shipping, check out this guide.
- Do I need any special packaging to ship alcohol via UPS?
Yes. UPS requires secure, leak-proof packaging for alcohol. In some cases, you may need to use UPS-approved packaging vendors for compliance.
- Is there a weight limit for wine shipment or spirit shipment via UPS?
UPS allows alcohol shipments within their general weight limits for parcels (usually up to 150 lbs per package). However, wine and spirit shipments are often subject to additional handling fees and packaging guidelines due to fragility and liquid content.
- Is the WooCommerce UPS Shipping Plugin compliant with Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wine shipping regulations?
Yes, when properly configured. The plugin supports DTC wine shipping by enforcing required shipping indicators, adult signature confirmation, and compliant label generation.
