Dear Joseph,I'm not exactly a frequent wine buyer but this one is a little disconcerting. I live in a state that should be begging for every cent of commerce that it can attract.
Wine.com is exiting the state of Michigan due to a bill that was signed into law in early January. The new law, signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm, prohibits retailers from shipping wine directly to consumers, and
specifically bans the use of third-party delivery services like UPS and FedEx.
This legislation hurts you because you will no longer have access to the world’s best wines at the lowest prices.
It hurts Michigan businesses because wine retailers and shippers who employ people in Michigan, like UPS and
FedEx, will see a reduction in packages to ship. And it hurts Michigan's revenue base due to a reduction in sales taxes
that Wine.com and other retailers would be happy to pay.
If you'd like to weigh in on the Michigan state law banning the direct shipping of wine by retailers, please contact
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (517) 335-7858, P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909.
If you'd like to help Wine.com work toward free trade, send an email to: freetrade@wine.com.
As I understand it, there have always been restrictions on the interstate shipping of alcohol to the end user. Companies like wine.com often employ the same methods as those like FTD.com and route the orders through in-state retailers in order to get their products delivered. Thus, they often are not shipping anything across state lines and are subject only to the laws of the state in which the wine is ordered. Michigan has made this a moot point though, by banning third party delivery services from carrying wine. Yep, freedom is apparently on the rise in the Great Lakes State.
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