Terms & Conditions

Corkroom, The Wine Marketplace, is a Web portal that hosts businesses alcohol related such Wine producers, wineries, wine clubs, wine tourism and liquor in general and will fall into Categories of Vendors and sellers. All the sales are done by third parties.

Vendors and sellers at Corkroom platform compromise not to sell any type of alcohol to underage consumers and perform any identification and age verification before the sale as per local legal requirements.

Herein we point the steps to age verification for direct shippers. One of the most important and widely recognized beverage alcohol regulations in the United States is the requirement to ensure alcohool is sold and delivered only to consumers above the age of 21. This applies to every sale, whether on premise or shipped direct to consumer (DTC).

Unfortunately, age verification is often met with misunderstanding by those responsable for properly carrying it out, leaving business open to significant risk.

There are four main age verification methods direct shippers should consider implementing to remain compliant:

  • Age affirmation
  • Date of birth collection
  • Age verification of purchaser - Carrier ID inspection

 

1. Age affirmation

An alternative method for age verificationis a checkbox where consumers affirm they Are of legal drinking age and can enter also date of birth.

2. Date of birth collection

Best practice is to store the date of birth entered in the age affirmation process ( step 1 ) for the purchaser, then subsequently ask for and store the date of birth for the recipient if order is a gift. Remember, dates of birth are considered personally identifiable information (PII) and must be stored securely.

3. Age verification of the purchaser. 

Many states put the burden of age verification squarely on the direct shipper and require formal age verification on each purchaser. Not only do direct shippers have to verify age, they must keep records of this verification. Even if direct shippers don’t ship to states that explicitly require age verification, it’s recommended they still be able to verify age of their customers.

The two ways direct shippers can verify age are:

  • Using a state-approved online verification provider. Online verification providers access publicly available data to validate that the buyer’s Name and address match that of an individual over the age of 21. While using a software Provider is an extra expense, it’s more secure and puts the seller at less risk
  • Collecting and storing the verification record themselves. With this method, the direct shipper is responsible for collecting and securely storing a copy of the buyer’s government issued ID. Considering this information is highly sensitive PII, sellers must ensure records are organized and stored in a manner that adequately protects customer data.

4. Carrier ID inspection.

The final step, also known as “adult signature required,” is hands-on and shared between the direct shipper and the carrier. All states that permit DTC shipments Require deliveries to be made only to someone over the age of 21. In order to ensure That alcohol is delivered only to custumers old enough to legally drink, there are a series of requirements that need to be met:

  • The recipient has to be present; the carrier can not leave a package containing alcohol at the recipient’s door unattended.
  • Just a consumer might do at a liquor store - a government-issued ID must be presented to the carrier proving the recipient is of age.
  • A signature confirming the recipient received the package and is old enough to receive the package must be provided by the customer.

 

While the most common carriers are FedEx and UPS, every carrier that delivers alcohol is required to follow these rules. Together, the direct shipper and carrier sign an agreement stating that the direct shipper will let the carrier know if a shipment contains alcohol, and the carrier will label the shipments and ensure that the rules listed above are followed.

 

Non-compliance penalties

 

Even if sellers don’t sell in states that require the four methods of age verification listed above, it’s recommended direct shippers do as much as they can to avoid their product getting into the hands of minors. “Stings” are not uncommon and businesses caught selling to minors, even unwittingly or when they’re following all of a state’s regulations, can suffer consequences through negative media attention.

 

Audits are also common. Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and other law enforcement agencies are monitoring age verification practices and can ask to review records at any time.

 

Penalties vary state by state and often operate on an escalating scale. Penalties might start with a small fine, but can escalate to the loss of a license.

Direct shippers have a responsibility to comply with alcohol regulations and know the rules and regulations for each state they sell into. Adhering to these age verification methods, direct shippers are protecting their businesses from penalties, negative press, and the risks of losing a license.

 

Vendors and sellers are required to present proper licenses or certifications from the states in the United States or countries where they are stabilished in. In countries where liquor licenses are not required, vendors and sellers must present a proof of registered business.

Vendors and sellers shall provide promotional materials such as videos and pictures of their products to upload their pages which will be done on their own.

Vendors and Sellers are entitled to promote Brands and labeled products and videos as well on designated spaces at a separate charge, contact support@corkroom.com for information.