Seized Bottle

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:45 pm

A month or so ago I won an ebay auction for a bottle of 1979 Thomas Hardy Ale. Got a letter today saying CBSA had seized it, that my only options are for it to be destroyed or mailed back to sender at my expense. Does anyone know if this is in anyway appeal-able? Can I go down to the office of unclaimed mail and plead my case?

northyorksammy · Post by **northyorksammy** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:12 pm

cfrancis · Post by **cfrancis** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:14 pm

If you want to appeal, I'd say talk to a customs broker. But I would suggest sending it back to the seller and getting him to resend to the UPS store in Ogdensburg and drive down to get it.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:33 pm

Welcome to Ontario fascism.

Hope you get your collectible glassware / yeast sample!

northyorksammy · Post by **northyorksammy** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:04 pm

you cannot ship it back to the US, as its alcohol. They will not do it. You can only ship it back to countries that accept shipping alcohol in the mail. I had a package we got back to europe at great expense because it had very rare bottles.

Furthermore, you would have to ship it to the shipper's address. In fact the shipper has to fill out the forms to get it back, not you. Trust me, this is months of bureaucracy.

cannondale · Post by **cannondale** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:49 pm

Belgian wrote:Welcome to Ontario fascism.

Welcome to Bar Towel alarmism.

phirleh · Post by **phirleh** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:50 pm

I lost a 6 of Westvleteren 12 in the exact same manner at the beginning of the last postal strike, and fortunately I got some of the money back from the seller on ebay (he said he could ship it internationally, and evidently he couldn't). I tried talking to various brokers and had a faint hope that I might be able to get it eventually (someone on beeradvocate I emailed with had successfully petitioned to get seized beer through the SAQ). You'll never be able to find the "office of undeliverable mail"

Trust me I tried...

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:53 pm

cannondale wrote:
Belgian wrote:Welcome to Ontario fascism.
Welcome to Bar Towel alarmism.

You Nazi, you!

phirleh wrote: You'll never be able to find the "office of undeliverable mail"
Trust me I tried...

That's because it unofficially does not exist. Unless you know that it does. Which means officially YOU don't exist...

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:37 am

cannondale wrote:
Belgian wrote:Welcome to Ontario fascism.
Welcome to Bar Towel alarmism.

No doubt.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:37 am

SteelbackGuy wrote:
cannondale wrote:
Belgian wrote:Welcome to Ontario fascism.
Welcome to Bar Towel alarmism.
No doubt.

Welcome onto the bandwagon! There's plenty room. We've made hot chocolate...

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:16 am

I've heard of beer shipments being seized before and I think it may be possible to argue a case, especially if you make it clear this is for a breweriana collection, and that at 31 years old there is no way that the beer can still be drinkable. Still, its going to be a lot of effort, so you'll have to weigh up whether you think its worth your time, and what will certainly be a drive to Pearson (if that's where it is) when you're done. How did they know it was beer - was there a leakage or sloshing?

I won ebay auctions on an 83 Hardy's and 75 Courage RIS on the UK site, but I chose the safer option of having it shipped to my dad and him bring it over when he visited.

xocoatl · Post by **xocoatl** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:44 am

I wonder with something like wesvleteren, where there are no labels, if listing the contents as belgian spring water/collectible glassware would prevent it getting seized. No way they could tell without actually opening the bottle and testing.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:47 am

Yeah, I'd be curious what the sender declared the contents as.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:53 am

Request to witness the "destruction", film it and we'll do an article on Free Our Beer about it.

phirleh · Post by **phirleh** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:19 am

xocoatl wrote:I wonder with something like wesvleteren, where there are no labels, if listing the contents as belgian spring water/collectible glassware would prevent it getting seized. No way they could tell without actually opening the bottle and testing.

In my case, the shipper used USPS to send it, a huge no-no. Both them and Canada Post have huge issues with sending glass bottles with fluids in them (understandably, no one wants to have their mail ruined by someone's spilled beer). You have way better luck shipping with a courier company.