Can you buy alcoholic beverages online?

Answer

Surprisingly, it is all too easy to buy alcoholic beverages over the Internet. Via the Internet, you can obtain any alcoholic beverage you want. They don't ask for any verification. It comes in a box that is not marked. This is disturbing because young people who can't walk into a liquor store and buy alcoholic beverages can get them delivered to their home if they have access to the Internet and a credit card number.

These online merchants state on their Internet pages that they sell only to persons who are of legal drinking age. However, enforcement of such restrictions is limited. In some cases, the verification is nothing more than a statement to the effect that by placing an order the buyer certifies that he or she is of legal drinking age. The only verifiable information that merchants receive from a customer is usually a credit card number, and the use of credit cards by persons under age 21 is increasingly common. Therefore, the responsibility for preventing alcohol ending up in the hands of underage persons through direct shipment is most likely to fall on the carrier who makes the actual delivery.

However, frequent sales across state lines make it difficult for state officials to enforce their laws. And legislators are continuously working to make it a felony to sell alcoholic beverages by mail to anyone under age 21.

First answer by Smartgirl. Last edit by Smartgirl. Contributor trust: 98 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 75 [recommend question]

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