Gifts to USA - Gift Delivery in the United States
Most countries and sometimes, even within the same country, different regions, have unique delivery systems and processes. Fully understanding who will deliver your gift, how and when goes a long way in ensuring that you have a pleasant experience and that your gift gets to your loved ones on time and in perfect condition.
Gifts delivery in the US can be broadly divided in to three categories.
- Gifts that are delivered through a courier service such as FedEx, UPS or the US Postal Service: Delivery by these courier services is generally very reliable and has the advantage of having a tracking number to know exactly on what date the gift will be delivered. FedEx and UPS will generally deliver to the recipient – meaning, they will actually go and knock on the door to personally hand it over. US Postal Service is slightly different. If the gift is small enough, it will be delivered in the recipient’s mailbox along with any other mail. If the package is too large to fit in the mailbox, a note may be left in the mailbox requesting the recipient to pick it up from the nearest post office. In some instances, the postman may also attempt to knock on the door and see if anyone is home to collect the package.
- Gifts delivered locally by a florist or similar service: When you send flowers or gifts such as balloons, they are generally delivered by a florist who services the recipient’s area. Some florists call in advance to confirm the recipient’s availability. Unlike with FedEx / UPS there is no tracking number available. Instead delivery confirmation is received by email within 1-2 days. The advantage of florist delivery is that there’s a little flexibility on what time o the day the gift delivery is desired. This is not an option with FedEx or UPS as the delivery time entirely depends on their route for that day. Unlike in India, mid-night delivery is not an option with either service.
- Delivery of restricted items such as wine, champagne, tobacco or similar items: Delivery of alcohol or similar gifts strictly requires an adult signature. Unlike other gifts, these items cannot be left outside the recipient’s door or even delivered to anyone below 18 years of age. Some states in the US restrict delivery of these gifts and as such these gifts cannot be sent to those states. See below for a list of states that allow delivery of wine and other alcoholic beverages as gifts. It is important to keep in mind that local county legislation may supersede the state legislation ans as such delivery may not be available to select areas within that state.
The states are:
- (AK) ALASKA
- (AZ) ARIZONA
- (CA) CALIFORNIA
- (CT) CONNECTICUT
- (DC) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- (HI) HAWAII
- (ID) IDAHO
- (IL) ILLINOIS
- (MI) MICHIGAN
- (MN) MINNESOTA
- (MO) MISSOURI
- (NH) NEW HAMPSHIRE
- (NC) NORTH CAROLINA
- (OH) OHIO
- (OR) OREGON
- (SC) SOUTH CAROLINA
- (VA) VIRGINIA
- (WA) WASHINGTON
- (WV) WEST VIRGINIA
