Frequently Asked Questions

Please note, our offices can only be accessed if you have booked an appointment in advance.

UK Head Office Opening Times: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm

Book Appointment for UK Head Office

Netherlands Office Opening Times: Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm

Book Appointment for Netherlands Office

London Office Opening Times: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm

Book London Drop-Off Appointment (Bottle drop-offs only)

Customers across the world can choose to sell their whisky or other spirits with Whisky Auctioneer. Our Client Services team will support sellers by providing valuations for their bottles and advice on the best way to get their bottles to one of our offices for sale in our next auction.

The bottles will be checked-in, authenticated, photographed, and then listed into the next available auction by our expert team. Whisky Auctioneer hosts monthly auctions, where registered users from across the globe can bid on bottles via our website.  

After the auction closing date, the highest bidder will be notified by email. Payment is required within 72hrs. The buyer can then choose to ship, store, or collect the bottle(s). Buyer fees are applied during the online checkout process.  

The seller will receive payment within 21 working days of the end of the auction, directly to their chosen bank account. Seller fees will be applied to the seller’s invoice after the auction.  

The value of a bottle of whisky is constantly fluctuating according to supply and demand. Whisky Auctioneer can provide a valuation according to the latest market trends. If you would like a free, no-obligation valuation, please complete our quick and easy Seller Form.

All the information you need to sell your whisky can be found in our Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Whisky at Auction which has been designed to guide newcomers through our easy and hassle-free service to get started selling whisky online.

All of the information that you need about the fees involved for selling can be found on our dedicated Seller's Fees and Payment Terms page.

You can submit as many bottles as you like! 

Whisky Auctioneer reserves the right to accept or reject any bottles/items at our own discretion. Please refer to section 4.8 of our Terms and Conditions for further information.

Yes. Whisky 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 whisky 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.

To find out how we can help sell your large collection, please complete our Seller Form and one of our experts will be in touch.

If your item fails to meet a reserve price, we still require the listing fee and reserve fee be paid.  

We will then offer you a chance to re-list the item (subject to fees) or discuss returning the bottle to you (subject to delivery charge).

Sellers are paid within 21 business days from the end of an auction, however, payment is only completed if the buyer has paid us.

Payment is made by direct bank transfer and can take a few days to show in your account. 

Any banking charges or exchange rates are paid for by the seller.

The end date of the current auction will always be clearly displayed on the orange notification bar at the top of the website.

Our auctions will end anytime from 7pm (UK Local Time).  Once 7pm is reached, activity on any item will prolong the ENTIRE auction by a further 2 minutes.

This means that the entire auction will end when there has been no bidding activity placed within the last two minutes after 7pm. The auction will usually take several hours to finish after 7pm has passed.

All of the information that you need about the fees involved for buying can be found on our dedicated Buyer's Fees and Payment Terms page.

When browsing the bidding history on a specific lot,  the list of recent bidders is shown as 'anonymised bidders' with the exception of any bids placed through your account - which would appear as your username.

When logged into your account your bids are shown with your username, however, other users are not able to see this and you will appear as an 'anonymised bidder'.

User information/identity will never be revealed in the bidding process. We take user data and information protection very seriously at Whisky Auctioneer.  Find further GDPR info here. 

​In order to bid above £2,000 we require an identity check.  This is to ensure the legitimacy of users so that bids are valid and fair.  Once you submit the required documents, our Client Services Team will review the documentation and you will then be alerted whether you have been approved or not.  Once approved, you will be able to bid over £2,000 on any lot across the auction.  Please note, that should circumstances arise as per our terms and conditions, we reserve the right to revoke approval, or, alternatively, approve after further review where an individual was not initially approved.
 

To upload your identity documents and verify your account to place bids over £2,000 you can do so here.

Once your maximum bid is placed, our system automatically increases the bid level of the lot incrementally (based on the table below) until it reaches your maximum bid;

The bid increments vary based on the current bid. Please see the table below.

Due to the governing laws for licensing in Scotland, there is a minimum price for alcohol units. As a result we have introduced a minimum bid price for each item, £20 will be the starting bid for most bottles of whisky, but this will be calculated on a lot by lot basis.  

Items can be stored with us for combining multiple orders and dispatching at a later date. Please visit our Storage Services page for more information.

Most courier companies fail to cover alcohol or glass on their insurance policies. We can offer Loss & Breakage Assurance for your items at a cost of 3% of the total hammer price and commission. By purchasing ‘Loss & Breakage Assurance’ when checking out, your lots will be protected against loss or breakage in transit. Please note that Loss & Breakage Assurance provides cover for breakage and loss during transit only – Loss & Breakage Assurance does not cover any loss arising from an item’s condition. Therefore, it will not protect against seal failures or cosmetic damage to lots. It also does not protect against leakage.

Loss & Breakage Assurance is automatically added to your order at the checkout stage, however, this can be removed.

We have many years experience in shipping whisky globally and work hard to reduce any risk of damage to items bought in our auctions. 

If you are successful at auction, once payment is received by Whisky Auctioneer then your whisky will be dispatched within 10 working days.

If after 10 days you still haven't received shipping/tracking details for all your orders to be shipped, please contact our Client Services Team who will be happy to help.

Please note: If you have won lots based in both the UK and EU, then these will be shipped separately. Please visit our shipping page for more information.

To comply with U.S. customs and licensing requirements, Whisky Auctioneer is required to apply removable government health warning stickers to all bottles shipped to the U.S. This legislation applies to bottles of all sizes (including miniatures).  

Rest assured that these removable stickers will be applied to glass only, ensuring there is no damage or markings to bottles, labels and/or packaging. In cases where there is no access to appropriate glass space (due to concealed packaging or small bottles), the labels will be placed in a clear pouch with the product. 

Online businesses like Whisky Auctioneer are now legally required to collect and report the taxpayer information of sellers who earn certain income on our platform in accordance with the DAC7 Directive (in reference to EU Council Directive 2021/514) and the Platform Operators (Due Diligence and Reporting Requirement) Regulations 2023.

Please note: This does not change your existing, or create new tax obligations for you. Learn more about our Tax reporting obligations for sellers.

If a UK+VAT lot is selected to be shipped outwith the UK at the point of order payment, VAT is not required and will not be applied to the order.

If a UK+VAT lot remains in the UK - either shipped to a UK address, collected from our Perth office or stored in our UK storage service, then the 20% VAT will be applied to the Hammer Price and Buyer Charges. If your order is in storage with us and you choose to ship to a destination outside the UK at a later date, the VAT can be refunded. Please note, the VAT can only be refunded in this scenario if delivery is complete within 90 days of the original payment date.

All items auctioned from the Netherlands require an excise charge. If you choose to ship your order, this charge is reflected in your shipping cost.

If you choose to collect your order in-person or arrange a third-party courier collection, this will be invoiced and payment required prior to collection. The excise charge will be applied at £6.00 (inc. VAT) per bottle for all clients collecting their orders from our Netherlands office.