Frequently Asked Questions

A 17% buyer’s premium is added to the final hammer price of all lots purchased through auction. This premium goes towards the costs of conducting the auction, allowing WineBid to offer a proprietary multi-point inspection of each wine listed, real time market value, provide photos, ratings, tasting notes & producer history, as well as insuring your wines against loss or damage while in storage.

Items available to Buy Now don’t receive this premium.

As opposed to entering the minimum amount required to bid on a lot, you’re able to enter the maximum bid amount you’re willing to pay for the lot. Remember, you’re bidding on lots. If you bid on multiple bottles in a lot, your bid amount will increase across all bottles you’ve bid on in the lot. You can’t win bottles within the same lot at different amounts. 

Your max bid amount is not visible to other bidders if it’s more than the minimum bid required, however other bidders will be able to see a bid has been entered for at least the minimum required. 

After placing a max bid, our system will auto bid on your behalf against other bidders until your maximum is reached. That means if you entered a max bid of $50 for a lot that opened at $30, you’ll auto bid against other bidders until you’re outbid at $51. 

The passage of title for your purchases takes place in Napa County, CA, therefore we are required to collect sales tax on all purchases except those shipped internationally or to states where a direct shipper permit is held. For wines delivered to Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wyoming (collectively, “Direct Shipper States”), permits held in these states require the collection and remittance of taxes pursuant to each Direct Shipper State’s requirements. Resellers in the state of California can avoid sales tax by providing copies their ABC license. At this time, we cannot accept ABC licenses from any other states.

Sales tax is calculated as a percentage of the entire price paid, including the hammer price and the buyer’s premium for auction purchases. Other transactions like membership subscription are not taxed. 

No. Unlike a retail website, WineBid provides a platform where individual collectors can consign their rare and fine wines. You are purchasing these wines directly from private collectors by using our service. In order to protect the integrity of the auction, bids cannot be canceled and all sales are final. For an explanation of your final charges, please see our Payment help page.

Please contact customer service directly if you’d like to ask specific questions about your purchase.

That depends on the current reserve value of the lot. Bid increments are displayed below. Remember that if you bid on multiple bottles in a lot, your bid amount will increase on all bottles in the lot. You cannot win bottles in the same lot at different amounts.

As a new customer, the bids you place in your first auction are pre-authorized on your payment method for verification purposes. Pre-authorizations are voided at auction close and only your invoice total is billed. Please see our Payment help page for our pre-authorization policy.

Please contact customer service if you have any questions about a transaction on your account.

This means, when you bid on multiple items in a lot, other buyers have outbid you on a portion of those bottles. You can increase your max bid if you’d like. When a lot contains multiple items, your bid will increase automatically on all items in that lot that you have bid on. Bidders cannot win bottles at different amounts within the same lot.

Your max bid will automatically compete on your behalf with the highest bidder on a lot until their max bid is exceeded, or until your max bid is reached, even if this is not enough to beat the winning bidder. If your updated bid exceeds all winning bidders' max bids, then you will be winning the full quantity you entered at one bid increment above the previous winning bidder's max bid amount. If your updated bid is below a winning bidder's max bid then you will still be partially winning, but your winning bid increases to the max bid you entered.

Winners are determined based on the bid amount. If two bidders tie with the same amount, then the earliest bid placed wins the tie. If you are outbid you can be notified by email by subscribing to outbid notifications*. Please see our Basics, Bidding, and Buy Now help page for detailed information on the bidding and purchase process.

* Except during Overtime Bidding when notifications are not sent.

All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at Global Storage Network (GSN) for you to continue storing, or schedule to ship or pick up at your convenience. View your GSN Stored Inventory or schedule shipping or pick up conveniently from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account.

Given the many decisions customers need to make when shipping fine wine, purchases are never shipped automatically. Get started from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account to schedule your wines to ship from GSN. More information about storing and shipping your wines can be found on the GSN FAQ page.

All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at Global Storage Network (GSN) for you to continue storing, or schedule to ship or pick up at your convenience. View your GSN Stored Inventory or schedule shipping or pick up conveniently from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account.

A minimum of two months of free storage at Global Storage Network (GSN) is provided to our customers for any wines purchased on WineBid, regardless of your membership tier. All WineBid customers are Cru members by default, with options to upgrade to the Collector or Pro tier which provides extended free storage at GSN as well as shipping discounts. 

Collectors receive 4 months of free storage.

Pros receive 6 months of free storage.

Learn more about WineBid membership tiers.

Certainly! All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at Global Storage Network (GSN) right next door to the facility you've picked up at in the past. Curbside pick up appointments can be scheduled directly with GSN. Get started from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account to schedule your appointment to pick up from GSN.

Appointments are required for curbside pick up, and drop-ins cannot be accommodated by Global Storage Network (GSN). For more information, please visit the GSN FAQ page.

Please go to your Stored Inventory page, conveniently accessed from the Shipping & Storage page of your WineBid account to get started. All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at Global Storage Network (GSN), who receives your request and prepares your order for pick up, and schedules with your vendor directly.

More information about requesting your wines be released to a 3rd party shipper can be found on the GSN FAQ page.

WineBid partners with Global Storage Network (GSN) to give our customers access to white glove storage and shipping services for their purchases. All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at GSN's expanded temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouse directly adjacent to the current WineBid facility until you are ready to ship or pick up your wine. Shipping options available through GSN are based on regulation at your destination.

Thanks to the partnerships between WineBid, GSN, and various carriers, you can schedule your wines to ship online and simply be billed for the charges. Staff at the GSN facility will pack and prepare your order on your scheduled ship date, hand it off to the carrier servicing the method you select, and you’ll receive your invoice and tracking information automatically. Get started from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account to schedule your wines to ship from GSN. 

Shipping methods are offered by the carriers partnering with Global Storage Network (GSN) and vary by location. Please use the wine shipping calculator to see estimated rates and transit times for the shipping options available to your location. It is strongly recommended that you ship to a commercial address, or an address where an adult is always present, to ensure delivery on the first attempt.

Due to the pandemic, transit times may be delayed and delivery dates are not guaranteed. Carriers are not refunding for transit delays until further notice. Please plan accordingly.

Please use the wine shipping calculator to see estimated rates and transit times to ship 1-12 bottles (750ml) to your location. If you are shipping more than 12 bottles, use the calculator for the additional quantity. Shipping rates will also always be quoted on screen at the time you are scheduling your ship date. It's most economical when you maximize the number of bottles that ship together in a box. To review standard wine shipper packaging and the most cost-effective ways to ship based on bottle size and quantity, please see GSN's FAQ page.

For shipping costs and packing configurations of large format bottles over 3.0L, please contact GSN Customer Service for assistance by chat, phone at (877) 848-1828 or email.

Given the many decisions customers need to make when shipping fine wine, purchases are never shipped automatically. All wines purchased on WineBid are placed into storage at Global Storage Network (GSN) for you to schedule to ship or pick up at your convenience.

Get started from the Shipping & Storage page in your WineBid account to schedule your wines to ship from GSN. More information about storing and shipping your wines can be found on the GSN FAQ page.

Direct shipping options vary by location which you can review using the wine shipping calculator. Where available, customers can schedule shipments to different addresses. Please see the GSN FAQ page for further details.

Please see the GSN FAQ page for further details. Global Storage Network (GSN) provides flexibility for customers to select specific items from their stored inventory to schedule for shipment or pick up.

Wines are always packed in molded Styrofoam shippers for insured, alcohol compliant transit. Package size and number depend on format sizes, quantity, OWCs, and more. Please see the GSN FAQ page for further details.

Some specialized packaging including ice packs may be available upon request depending on your needs. Please see the GSN FAQ page for further details on packaging options you can select when shipping your wine.

No. To ship your wines go to your Shipping & Storage page.

Your Cellar reflects all wines you’ve purchased on WineBid along with any additional bottles you’ve entered, and wines can only be removed by you. The Cellar page provides an estimate of your collection’s value using WineBid’s proprietary database of current wine auction pricing.  View reports about the wines in your cellar or submit a list of your wines for a free estimate if you’re interested in selling your wines with WineBid.

There is a small, yet inevitable percentage of ‘bad’ wine impacted by things like cork taint, imperfections during production, oxidation, and other factors which can’t be observed until the bottle is opened. Each bottle in auction undergoes a rigorous inspection by our team of trained inspectors in an effort to accurately describe the condition and reduce risk to buyers. Our policies and procedures are designed to minimize these potential risks to the largest extent possible; however, by participating in auction you accept that all purchases are made “as is.” We do not offer refunds or exchanges.

As our auction inventory is comprised of privately consigned lots from individual collectors, we don’t have back stock inventory of wines that have been in past auctions. The next time this wine is available, it means a new consignment has gone live on the website!

You’re welcome to ‘Favorite’ any wine in order to receive emails the next time it’s live in auction. By searching for your wine, you’ll either get matching search results or a message that wines matching your search aren’t in auction this week. In either case, by clicking the orange heart icon, this listing is saved to your Favorites page and you’ll be alerted the next time your favorite wines are in auction.

You can view past WineBid purchases in two locations. Your Cellar page is a tracking tool that lets you review, tag, and track the investment of your overall WineBid purchases over time. This is a great resource to get more detailed information about the performance of your collection’s value, as well as the makeup of your palate and preferences. Items won’t be removed from your Cellar unless you do so manually.

You can view your invoices from your Purchases page.

Shipping is managed from your Shipping & Storage page.

While we do our best to accurately describe every bottle in auction, errors can occur. If you’ve received a bottle that doesn’t match your invoice, please email service@winebid.com as soon as possible and include a photo of the front and back of the bottle. We’ll follow up with you directly with the options for resolution.

Selling your wine on WineBid is simple. Begin by submitting a wine estimate request with a detailed list of your bottles. From there, a dedicated Consignment Director in your area will reach out to guide you through every step of the process. WineBid has the most accurate pricing data in the industry, and our team uses it to help you understand the market value of your wines and maximize your return. Once your wines are approved for consignment, we’ll coordinate pickup or shipping, handle professional inspection and photography, and list them in our weekly online auction. It's a seamless and transparent process from start to finish.

We promote your wine through strategic placement on our website, in curated sections like Staff Picks, and via buyer-specific alerts and saved searches. Your listings also appear on Wine-Searcher and are supported by targeted marketing efforts including email campaigns, social media, and digital advertising. When available, professional ratings from top critics like Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Vinous, Burghound, and James Suckling are displayed to help drive buyer interest and maximize your returns.

Every bottle we receive undergoes a multi-point inspection by our WSET Level 2 or 3 certified team, using a proprietary system designed to verify authenticity and protect against counterfeit wines. We’ve built this system over nearly 30 years, with validation checks specific to producer, vintage, and region. Each bottle is barcoded, photographed in high resolution, and accompanied by detailed condition notes. Wines are stored in our state-of-the-art, temperature- and humidity-controlled facility in custom-built wooden racking. This meticulous process ensures your wine is cared for to the highest standard and gives buyers complete confidence in its provenance and condition.

As a WineBid consignor, you can log in to your account anytime through our website or mobile app to track your wine sales in real time. You will have full access to current listings, sales activity, and detailed records of past sales and settlements, all in one place.

Payments for wine sales are issued 30 business days (approximately 4 to 6 weeks) after the close of each weekly auction, either by check or wire transfer. Settlement reports with payment release dates are emailed to you at the end of each auction week, so you’ll always know when to expect your funds.

Option A: Automated Pricing
Our automated pricing uses a proprietary algorithm based on nearly 30 years of auction data to set reserves in line with current market trends. Reserves are adjusted weekly based on real-time results, and your wines automatically roll into the next auction if unsold. This option is designed for optimal market alignment and faster sell-through.

Option B: Custom Reserve Pricing
If you prefer to set your own reserve prices above market value, you may do so for up to 8 weeks (8 auction cycles). After that, if the wines remain unsold, we require that the reserves be adjusted to align with WineBid’s market-based pricing in order to continue offering them at auction. This option allows for more control but comes with the risk of lower visibility and slower sales.