Very random topic I know, but I have a couple bottles of a mildly rare whisky in my collection which I am looking to downsize, but I’m not finding a way to actually sell them… I went through the process of listing one on Ebay and got to the very end before Ebay informed me you need to be a licensed seller to sell alcohol on their platform, which I obviously am not. I’m not talking 50-yr-old Macallans or anything, just a few first-production bottles from my favourite distillery which tend to sell for ~£150-200 due to rarity. Since I know we have a (very) wide variety of knowledge on this forum, does anyone happen to know how I could go about selling a bottle or two?
Officially it’s very difficult without being a licensed seller, I would image any platform wanting to be seen as lawful like eBay would say unless you’re licensed no not to mention legally it carry lots of risk and potential fines.
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That does make sense, especially for people wanting to sell a lot of bottles without going through the licensing process. But surely there’s got to be a way for someone like me just looking to sell 2-3 bottles max?
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There are ways I’m sure but again even for selling a personal collection like in your case counts as and is treated in the same way as retail sale under UK law which technically requires a personal licence. Unfortunately no exemptions exist for small or casual private transactions.
The Licensing Act 2003 applies to any individual or business selling alcohol, treating online or direct sales the same as commercial ones.
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There are various whisky auction sites in the UK that you can send in to, the fees will be higher than eBay though, I can’t remember which was was recommended but I used to know someone that would sell on them.
There’s probably a subreddit for selling or swapping whisky as well, you could try Facebook marketplace.
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I’ve done this, and I sent them to a speciality whisky auction house. I ended up getting more for them, that way too.
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