Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Wine at Auction

Back to help

How to sell wine at an online auction

If you are interested in selling wine online, we are always ready to accept entries for our upcoming wine auctions. We can provide expert wine valuations and can arrange bottle collections within the UK and Europe.

If you have a bottle of wine that you would like to sell or have valued, please follow the directions below or feel free to contact us directly.

Interested in selling wine in bond? Read about the benefits of selling wine in bond or view our step-by-step guide to selling wine in bond.

View our Upcoming Auction Dates

 

1. REGISTER AN ACCOUNT

Registering an account with Wine Auctioneer is free and will give you lifetime access to buy and sell wine online in our monthly auctions.

 

2. GET YOUR BOTTLES TO US

We take the hassle out of choosing the best way for you to get your bottles to us. Our expert Customer Service Team is ready to advise, and all they need is a few simple details.  

Please visit our Sell Your Bottles page for more information. Ready to sell? You must complete our form on this page to submit your bottles for sale. 

When packing your bottles for delivery or collection, please include a completed copy of our Sender Form.

  

3. AUCTION

Once we have received your wine, we will confirm the quality, condition and authenticity of the bottles and, if acceptable, they will then be listed in an upcoming auction. You can also confirm at this stage if you would like a reserve price applied (min. £50). We will take professional photographs, write accurate lot descriptions and begin work on promoting your bottles to our global audience of wine enthusiasts.

 

4. PAYMENT TERMS

If your wine has successfully sold, payment is made to the seller within 21 days of close of auction.

If you place a reserve on a lot and it does not sell, we can either relist it in a subsequent auction (subject to fees) or arrange for delivery back to yourself (subject to delivery charge).

 

If you would like further information, please find our terms and conditions.

FAQs

What fees are involved for selling wine?

There is a £6 listing fee per lot. Once a bottle is sold, sellers pay a 5% commission on the final hammer-price.

Conditional Fees

If you wish to create one lot of mixed wines, there will be a mixed-case fee of £5 per lot.

If you wish to place a reserve on an item there is a fee of £10 per lot.

Please note VAT is charged to commission, listing and reserve fees. VAT is not applicable to the hammer price of the wine.

More information including additional fees, reserve price restrictions and payment terms can be found here.

I have a large collection to sell - can Wine Auctioneer help me?

Yes. Wine Auctioneer can offer sellers a full range of services when it comes to larger private collections. The time and effort required to build such a collection shows commitment, care and enthusiasm and as wine enthusiasts ourselves, we understand this and use our extensive experience in order to treat collectors prized possessions with the respect, esteem and attention they deserve. We work hand in hand with private collectors to make the process of using our services as seamless and straightforward as possible.

If you are interested in finding out more about our services, please get in touch with our Customer Service team.

Are there any items you don't accept?

Wine Auctioneer accepts red, white, rose and sparkling table wines along with fortified wines such as Port, Sherry and Marsala.

Wine Auctioneer does not accept consignments of miniature bottles, spirits, vermouth, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic wines.

Following the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing legislation from the Scottish Government, Wine Auctioneer introduced starting-bids. Any consignment deemed unlikely to achieve starting-bid value will be rejected at auctioneer's discretion.

If you would like to consign for auction any spirits, please see our sister-sites, Whisky Auctioneer and Rum Auctioneer.

Our staff conduct a strict authenticity and condition check of all consignments received; Wine Auctioneer will only accept bottles which are in good physical condition - seals intact and no leakage - and we reserve the right to withdraw and reject any Lot which displays evidence of leakage at any time.

How much is my wine worth?

The value of a bottle of wine is constantly fluctuating according to supply and demand. Wine Auctioneer has many years experience in the wine and auction industries and we can assist in providing you with a valuation.

Estimates are provided using recent auction sale prices where possible. Auction estimates can also be approximately derived from current retail market values (readily available online) using a rule-of-thumb calculation of 70% of retail value.

If you would like assistance with a valuation, please visit our Valuation page.