I was in a group being selected for a jury trial concerning a shipment of five bottles "collector grade" wine. The purchaser said what he received was not what he ordered and paid for. The seller said that what he shipped was correct, and the bottles must have been intercepted somewhere and either substituted or relabeled or whatever. I don't remember if the carrier was FedEx or UPS.
The lawsuit was for $25,000.00, but I thought that wasting a jury trial and three days on this matter was uncalled for, and said so, and I was not picked for the jury panel.
What I did take from this was that entrusting such a valuable, perishable, and irreplaceable item to the common carriers was a risky proposition. You probably should use a bonded carrier with photos, documentation, certification, and plenty of insurance.
Either that or just open the bottle and pass it around to your fellow organization members and give the buyer his money back. Would save you a lot of hassle.
HHH
