Selling whisky at Whisky.Auction couldn't be easier.
In most countries you cannot list your whisky on eBay or other generic auction sites. Here at Whisky.Auction we are licensed to sell your whisky online on the secondary market to our bidders around the world.
What do we sell?
Selling whisky and spirits in 3 easy steps
- Step 1. Tell us what spirits you'd like to sell
- Step 2. Log in or create your account
- Step 3. Receive payment for what you sell
Fees
How to sell spirits at auction
Top 10 selling tips
WHAT DO WE SELL?
We sell your old and rare whiskies, rums, Cognacs, gin and all spirits. We also specialise in selling miniatures, whisky books, whisky water jugs and whisky mirrors. Please read our guide to selling miniatures and memorabilia and request a valuation before sending these to the auction. We reserve the right to group miniatures and memorabilia where required to increase the likelihood of the lot selling.
If you want to sell miniatures, wine, port or sherry please request a valuation first so we can let you know which bottles we can auction. The same goes if you wish to sell vintage Champagne. Please note we do not normally sell beer or cider.
Please note we do not sell the following:
- Most non-vintage champagne (some exceptions apply dependent on brand, age and bottle size. Please contact us for more information)
- Some wines and fortified wines (see our guide here)
- Old white vermouth
- Miniature white spirits or liqueurs (with the exception of Chartreuse – see our guide here)
- Low value memorabilia (see our guide here)
- Beer or Cider
- Any unsealed bottles
Useful Advice For Sellers Outside The UK
SELLING WHISKY AND SPIRITS IN 3 EASY STEPS
STEP 1. TELL US WHAT SPIRITS YOU'D LIKE TO SELL
- Firstly, tell us about your whisky collection, bottle of vintage spirits, miniatures or memorabilia by requesting a Free Valuation
-
We'll guide you through the simplest way of getting your carefully packaged spirits to us for auction via:
Post
Please mark your parcel in the following way:
FAO: W.A
Elixir House
Whitby Avenue
Park Royal
LondonNW10 7SF
PrintDrop-off at our offices
Please contact us on +44 (0)20 8838 9381 to arrange an appointment to come to our offices at:
Elixir House
Whitby Avenue
Park Royal
London
NW10 7SFCollection service
If you prefer, we can collect your items from an address specified by you. Please mark your bottles for collection when creating your packing slip.
STEP 2. LOG IN OR CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
- Create an online account
- It's free and straightforward to sell spirits on Whisky.Auction - and we're on hand to guide you through the registration process.
- Once you've registered, you will be able to specify key information, such as when you'd like your spirits sold, or if you'd like to include a reserve price.
- You can also view or print out your selling history.
- Please note, as a UK registered platform, from 1 January 2024 it is a legal now requirement for us to collect, verify and report information regarding our sellers’ income from auction sales through the Whisky.Auction platform to HMRC. This isn’t a change in what is taxable, or your tax reporting obligations. You can find out more on our dedicated Tax Information Requirements page.
STEP 3. RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR WHAT YOU SELL
- At the end of every auction, we will send you an email listing the details of each of your lots.
- This information will also be displayed in your seller account.
- You will be paid via bank transfer in full for any sold items within 5 working days* of our receiving full payment from the buyer. Please keep an eye out for an email requesting approval of your seller’s invoice to ensure we can pay you promptly.
- You can relist any items that didn't sell, or if you'd prefer, we can return them to you (please note that in this instance, we will ask you to cover any postage/shipping costs, unless you arrange to collect in person).
- Any non-UK bank transfer costs must be met by the seller.
- Your bank account must be in held in your name and address, in your own billing country and must be able to accept pounds sterling.
* Please allow longer for international payments as they can take 5 to 10 days to clear.
Fees
Listing Fee
- The listing fee for all lots including miniatures and memorabilia is £5 +VAT per lot. You may request to group bottles that fall into the same category via your packing slip notes section.
Reserve price fee.
The fee for including a reserve price is £10 +VAT per lot. The reserve is the minimum price that must be bid for an item before it can be won/sold. Please note we do not accept reserves under £100. Our team may contact you to discuss your requested reserve price before your lot goes live.
Read our advice on reserve prices for selling rare spirits in our magazine.
Commission Fee
| Hammer price per lot | Commission rate |
|---|---|
| £2000+ | 2.5% |
| £1000-£1999.99 | 5% |
| £20-£999.99 | 10% |
| £0.01-£19.99 | 20% |
Import Charges
For sellers sending bottles to auction from outside of the UK, we will pay all import charges before deducting these charges from your auction winnings after the sale has been completed. If for any reason your bottle needs to be returned to you, we will issue an invoice to cover these charges when creating your return order.
VAT
Lots may be subject to VAT depending on the status of the buyer. Please see our dedicated Auction VAT Explained page for more details.
HOW TO SELL SPIRITS AT AUCTION
- Selling your bottles at Whisky.Auction is the second most-rewarding thing to do with your whisky (after drinking it, of course!). So if your tastes have changed, or you're simply looking to raise funds to buy more whisky, please get in touch. You might be surprised to see how valuable your drinks cabinet has become.
TOP 10 SELLING TIPS
- Research what’s hot and what’s not. Of course, we’re very happy to discuss your collection before you submit any bottles, so don’t hesitate to give us a call or ask for a valuation.
- Send your bottles to us as soon as possible before the next Auction. The earlier your items arrive, the sooner we can get them listed, photographed and ready for the Preview catalogue.
- Submitting your items early gives you plenty of time to check the online listing even before it goes live. Do let us know if you spot any errors!
- Pack your bottles carefully before you send them to us. We recommend lots of bubble wrap, then a bit more for luck.
- Include any original gift boxes, outer packaging, spare stoppers, certificates and receipts. Anything that will help the bottle sell might add value too.
- Avoid setting a high reserve price for your lot. In fact, we recommend you don’t specify any reserve price at all. Reserve prices can put people off bidding altogether and you may find your item ends up unsold even when similar ones sell for more at the same auction! The only exception to this rule is if you expect little interest in a niche product that’s rarely seen for sale.
- Most of the bidding activity occurs in the final few hours of the auction. So don’t be unduly alarmed in the early stages if bids for your items aren’t close to their estimates. Having said that, if you really think your item isn’t getting the attention it deserves, please let us know. We might be able to add it to our newsletters, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feeds.
- Think internationally when you’re choosing what to submit and when. We have buyers and sellers across the globe so seasonality might matter less than you’d think.
- Don’t bid on your own items to try to boost the selling price. It's illegal! If we find that you are pushing up a price artificially by bidding against yourself or by getting family or friends to do so we will close your account.
- Whisky.Auction is not just for selling your Single Malts. Bidders come to us for blends, American and Irish whiskey, Japanese and world whisky and all sorts of other spirits such as Rum, Cognac, Armagnac, gin, vodka, Tequila and liqueurs… as well as memorabilia such as branded glassware, jugs, and books.
