Short answer: you need ShipCompliant, or a tool like it, if you ship to consumers under your own state permits. If a licensed retailer sells and ships your orders, the retailer holds the licenses and you do not.
Reach: 40+ states through the retailer network, and 3,500+ licensed retail locations. Every AccelPay brand also gets a ReserveBar.com listing, and half of the first-year platform fee comes back as advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar.
What is Sovos ShipCompliant?
Sovos ShipCompliant is compliance software for beverage alcohol, in business since 2006. It serves producers, suppliers, retailers, shippers and government agencies. For direct-to-consumer shipping it offers license management with alerts, real-time compliance checks, address and age checks, tax rates down to the address level, and automated sales, excise and direct shipper reports. It connects to 60+ partner systems, including ecommerce, point-of-sale, wine club, fulfillment and major carriers.
It is software. Your business still holds the state licenses, ships the orders and files the reports the software prepares.
What do you need to ship alcohol to consumers yourself?
You need a license or permit from each state you ship to, and you follow that state's rules. Sovos's guide to getting started lists the main ones: licensing, age verification, customer volume limits, brand label registration, products not of your own production, and tax determination and reporting. The rules differ by state and change often.
- Wine: most states allow direct-to-consumer wine shipping from out-of-state wineries, each with its own rules. Utah does not allow direct shipping of any alcohol, and Rhode Island allows it only for purchases made in person at the winery (Sovos, reviewed Jan 1, 2026).
- Spirits: Sovos lists 39 states that do not allow direct-to-consumer shipping of spirits from out-of-state producers (reviewed Jan 1, 2026). Some states that do allow it add limits, such as California's cap for craft distilleries (under 150,000 gallons a year) and New York's reciprocity rule.
For a distillery, shipping under its own permits reaches only a small part of the country.
How does the licensed retailer model work?
A licensed retailer in the buyer's state sells and ships the order. With AccelPay, the shopper buys on your site, the order goes to a retailer in the network that is licensed to sell and ship to that state, and the retailer fulfills it as the merchant of record. The retailer buys your product through your existing importer and distributors, like any other account, so the sale follows the three-tier system.
- The licensed retailer is the merchant of record and holds the license.
- Every order requires age verification at checkout (21 or older) and an adult signature at delivery.
- AccelPay calculates and remits sales tax as the marketplace facilitator, so the brand does not register in every shipping state.
- The brand does not need its own retail license.
- The brand keeps the checkout on its own site and keeps its customer data.
Licensed retailer network vs compliance software
| Feature | Licensed retailer network (AccelPay) | Compliance software + your own permits (for example, ShipCompliant) |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells the order | A licensed retailer in the buyer's state, as seller of record | Your business, under your own permits |
| Licenses and permits | Held by the retailer | You apply for and renew a license in each state you ship to; the software tracks deadlines |
| Spirits reach | 40+ states through the retailer network | Only states that allow direct-to-consumer spirits shipping (Sovos lists 39 that do not) |
| Wine reach | 40+ states through the retailer network | Most states, each with its own license and rules |
| Age and delivery checks | Age verification at checkout; adult signature at delivery | Integrated address and age checks in the software |
| Taxes and reporting | AccelPay calculates and remits sales tax; the brand does not register in each state | Address-level tax rates and automated sales, excise and direct shipper reports; you hold the registrations |
| Distributors | Retailers buy through your existing importer and distributors | You ship from your own inventory |
| Marketplace reach | ReserveBar.com listing and advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar | Not part of compliance software |
| Price | Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, discount pricing available for craft brands | Not published on sovos.com |
Which model fits you?
Compliance software like ShipCompliant fits if:
- you are a winery shipping to consumers under your own permits and want help with licenses, taxes and reports
- you already hold state shipping licenses and want to stay within each state's rules
- you are a retailer that ships across state lines
A licensed retailer network like AccelPay fits if:
- you are a spirits brand, since most states do not allow direct shipping of spirits
- you do not want to apply for and renew a permit in each state
- you want checkout on your own site, with orders sold and shipped by licensed retailers in 40+ states
- you want a ReserveBar.com listing and advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar
What does AccelPay cost?
Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, discount pricing available for craft brands. Half of the first-year platform fee ($3,000 on the starting plan) comes back as advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar. See the pricing page for what is included.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need ShipCompliant to sell alcohol online?
You need it, or a tool like it, if you ship to consumers under your own permits. If a licensed retailer sells and ships your orders, as it does with AccelPay, the retailer holds the licenses and you do not need shipping compliance software.
What does Sovos ShipCompliant do?
Sovos ShipCompliant is compliance software for beverage alcohol. For direct-to-consumer shipping it offers license management with alerts, real-time compliance checks, address and age checks, tax rates down to the address level, and automated sales, excise and direct shipper reports.
Can a distillery ship spirits directly to consumers in other states?
Only to a small number of states. Sovos ShipCompliant lists 39 states that do not allow direct-to-consumer shipping of spirits from out-of-state sellers (reviewed Jan 1, 2026). Through licensed retailers, AccelPay brands reach customers in 40+ states.
Do I need a liquor license or shipping permit to sell through AccelPay?
No. A licensed retailer in the AccelPay network is the merchant of record. The retailer holds the license, processes the sale and ships the order.
Can AccelPay send some orders back to me to ship myself?
Yes. If you hold your own direct-to-consumer shipping permits in some states, AccelPay can route those orders back to you to fulfill, while every other order goes to a licensed retailer in the network. You choose the states or ZIP codes you ship yourself, and AccelPay routes each order by its shipping address. Orders you fulfill ship under your own permits, so you handle the licensing, tax and reporting for those orders, which is where a tool like ShipCompliant can help. Everything else reaches customers in 40+ states through 3,500+ licensed retail locations.
Who handles sales tax on AccelPay orders?
AccelPay calculates and remits sales tax as the marketplace facilitator. Brands do not need to register for sales tax in each shipping state.
How is age checked on AccelPay orders?
Every order requires age verification at checkout, where the customer confirms they are 21 or older, and an adult signature at delivery.
Do I need a new distributor to use AccelPay?
No. Network retailers buy your product through your existing importer and distributors, like any other account.
What does AccelPay cost?
Plans start at $1,000 setup + $500/month, 12-month term, no per-order charge to the brand, discount pricing available for craft brands. Half of the first-year platform fee ($3,000 on the starting plan) comes back as advertising credit on ReserveBar.com and Minibar.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Check current rules with your compliance counsel.
Last updated: Oct 22, 2026
Sources
- Sovos ShipCompliant homepage (fetched Oct 22, 2026)
- Sovos ShipCompliant products (fetched Oct 22, 2026)
- Sovos, DtC Alcohol Shipping Essentials (fetched Oct 22, 2026)
- Sovos, DtC spirits shipping rules by state (state content reviewed Jan 1, 2026; fetched Oct 22, 2026)
- Sovos, DtC wine shipping rules by state (state content reviewed Jan 1, 2026; fetched Oct 22, 2026)
- AccelPay Pricing and How It Works (live Oct 22, 2026)
- AccelPay Getting Started with Alcohol Ecommerce FAQ (live Oct 22, 2026)
- AccelPay Setup Best Practices FAQ (live Oct 22, 2026)
- AccelPay, The Three-Tier System (live Oct 22, 2026)
- TTB, Trade Practices: Laws and Regulations (federal trade practice rules)