FAQs

We are one of the lowest commission-based live whisky auction sites on the internet!  This helps ensure the best price for both buyers and sellers.  We also have an active marketing campaign that is deploying globally to get your bottle in front of the right audience.  We invest for our customers, so they can be part of our brand.  Be safe in the knowledge we have taken every possible measure to ensure quality lots and service of the highest standard.

Sellers, from all around the world, contact our HQ and register their bottle though our streamlined website.  Upon arrival, approval and verification of the bottles, lots will be placed in the next available upcoming auction.  At the close of the auction, the highest bidder on each lot (provided any reserve on a lot has been met), will then checkout online and make payment.  The bottle is then shipped to the buyer.

The auction will finish on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday night at 21:00 GMT or BST.  If a bid is placed within the last 15 minutes of the auction closing, it will extend the closing time of all bottles of that type by an additional fifteen minutes.  These lots will close after a period of fifteen minutes has passed without a bid being placed.  When all lots are closed, the auction will be finished and the results published in 'Previous Auctions'.

Note: All bids, even increasing maximum bids will extend the timer by 15 minutes.

We have streamlined the process to make it as easy as possible to sell your whisky with The Grand Whisky Auction. You can register your bottle using our online form or you can download our printable form.  Please note: All buyers and sellers must be members of our site so we can help ensure genuine users - membership is a payment of £5 (plus VAT).

Further information and a step by step break down on the selling process can be found on our ‘How to Sell’ page.

Also, we would love to talk you through the process in more detail or if you have any questions we are always happy to answer them.  Please give us a phone at our Headquarters on 01463 210 427 or send an email to [email protected].  

All of our fees are detailed in our Terms & Conditions.  For quick reference -

Seller Commission Rate - 5% for full size and 25% for minis/memorabilia.
User Registration - £5.00.
Item Registration - £5 per item per auction. 
Reserve Fee (Optional) - £7.50 per lot per auction. 

VAT is additional to all charges.

Any banking charges or exchange rates applicable to your chosen payment method/locations will also be paid by the seller.

Multiple items in one lot - 

The item registration charge is based on £5 per item (ex VAT) and not on a per lot basis. Thus, for example, if there are 5 bottles and 1 piece of memorabilia and 1 glass in one lot, this is 7 items. £5 x 7 = £35 + VAT = £42

As part of our first-class service and bespoke nature, we aim to pay the seller as quickly as possible. This will usually be within 7-21 days after the close of the auction.  All payments will be made as soon as possible but payment will only be sent once The Grand Whisky Auction receives payment from the buyer for that lot.

Any banking charges or exchange rates incurred in making payment to the seller, will be paid by the seller.

Yes, please see our Terms & Conditions page for further details, as charges will apply.

In the very rare incident that the buyer does not complete payment, the seller may have the option to have us offer the lot to the second highest bidder, to have the item re-listed in the next auction or to have the item returned.

A detailed lot description will be written up by one of our team members.  Should you be unhappy with the description we will do our best to accommodate any changes within reason.  If we believe your description is incorrect and or not requested in time we accept no responsibility and the auction will continue with the original description.

The Buyer commission rate at The Grand Whisky Auction is one of the lowest on the internet @ 12.5% of the winning bid. This will be added onto the hammer price of a lot.  At checkout, buyers select their preferred shipping method and insurance cover. See our different shipping and insurance methods and costs.

If delivering to the UK VAT will be applied to the commission on all lots. Further to this, if bidding on a VAT applicable bottle, VAT will also be applied to the hammer price. 

If you are to be delivering your goods directly from us to outwith the UK, no VAT will apply. 

For customers living out with the UK, a payment surcharge of 4% will apply to payments made by credit card.

A full list of our terms and breakdown of costs can be found here - https://www.thegrandwhiskyauction.com/terms-and-conditions

Last updated: 25th May 2023

Payment is required for winning lots 3 days after the close of the auction.  Don't worry, we will email you a reminder with a link to the checkout area.  It is recommended that you pay for your lots straight away to avoid additional charges.

All late payments will be subject to a late payment fee which accrues on a daily basis.  Monies that remain outstanding by the due date (72 hours after the close of the auction) will incur late payment interest at the rate of 4% above the prevailing Bank of England’s base rate on the outstanding balance until such time as the balance is paid in full and final settlement. It is recommended that you pay for your lots straight away to avoid these charges.

You can submit as many items as you wish. The Grand Whisky Auction Limited reserves the right to refuse any mass selling of bottles of any one type with the hope that it creates a fair market for the buyers as well as the sellers.

We will accept all Visa, Mastercard and Bank transfer.  The buyer is liable for all forms of foreign exchange rates.

Due to the COVID19 virus shipments may be taking longer than expected to arrive. Please know we are doing our utmost to have your shipment with you as quickly and as safely as possible. 

(Below - This will be reinstated post COVID19)

Once payment is received, we aim to dispatch within 7 working days but often this is as quick as the next working day. UK Orders normally arrive within 2 days of dispatch (depending on shipping method selected). European orders normally arrive within 5 days of dispatch. The rest of the world can vary dependent on location.  These times may vary depending on delivery method selected/customs etc.

We ship all over the world. See a full list of the countries we deliver to and for details of shipping prices.

Auctions run on a monthly basis, see below for our latest auction dates -

The Grand Whisky Auction Limited reserves the right to accept/deny any late entries of bottles at their discretion.

Should the lot not reach your reserve price or a lot not have any bids, as per the terms the lot fee and reserve fee will still be charged.  The seller then has the option to have the item returned, at their cost, but we advise listing it in the next auction. Should we not hear from the seller, the lot will be rolled over to the following auction automatically. 

There are a few different ways to get your whisky to us.

• The recommended method is couriering your bottles to us. All packages should contain the downloadable/ printable lot registration form.  Please send all bottles to:  The Grand Whisky Auction, The Cellar, Invergordon, IV18 0LQ.
• Alternatively, get in touch by phone or email to book in for one of our local collection dates.  You can find more details on our Selling Page.  Your lot may also be eligible for collection - please contact us to find out more information.
• Users can under no circumstances drop their bottles at our premises.

You can email us some pictures along with a short description to [email protected] or give us a call on +441463 210427 to discuss.

Yes, you can.  Insurance can be added to most lots.

The Grand Whisky Auction takes counterfeit whiskies very seriously. We continually and proactively take action to help combat the sale and further spread of fake bottles.  We take every precaution, practice the utmost diligence and take duty of care to our customers very seriously.  Our lots are subject to verification by industry experts, research and comparisons - we want to reassure both buyers and sellers that all precautions are in place.

For full details please see our policy on Counterfeit Whiskies Policy.

At present, due to the COVID19 virus, we may experience some delays in shipping. We have measures put in place to do our best in order to have your bottle shipped to you as promptly as possible. 

All lots are couriered to buyers according to the shipping method selected at checkout.

Yes - We do not accept any of the bottles listed below:

Anything that has a broken seal
Bell's Decanters
Cream Liqueurs
Dimple Ceramic Decanters
Unofficial Samples/Minis (this includes press packs which are unsealed)
Unofficial/home made merchandise

The Grand Whisky Auction reserves the right to accept or reject any bottles at their own discretion.

VAT will be added to all charges.  If you live outside the UK, you will not be charged VAT by TGWA. Vat may be applicable from the country which the shipment is entering. 

Due to the governing laws for licensing in Scotland, there is a minimum price for alcohol units.  Complying with governing laws is something The Grand Whisky Auction takes very seriously and as a result we will calculate the minimum bid price for each item.  £15 will be the starting bid for most bottles of whisky, but will be calculated on a lot by lot basis.   

Users identity will never be revealed in the bidding process.  Bid history will shows only the amount of the previous bids. You will see your own bids on items. We take user data and information protection very seriously at The Grand Whisky Auction.  See further GDPR info.  Please note: In any major lot disputes The Grand Whisky Auction has the right to pass on details of buyer/seller as deemed required. 

 Of course.  We are happy to store your bottles FREE OF CHARGE for the first 70 Days.  After which we will store your bottle at £2 per day, for a maximum of 6 months. You can have your bottles shipped out to you when you are ready by visiting the 'my storage' section in your members area when you are logged into the site.

We have a structured bidding system - See Below.

TBC

We will send you push notifications and emails to ensure you are kept up to date with your bidding items. Please ensure you select this option when you sign up.  This can be amended at any time within your account.  Our auction bidding system is designed to give you complete control. When you bid, you will enter the maximum bid you wish to place and The Grand Whisky Auction will automatically increase it by the increments shown above.

The Grand Whisky Auction accepts no responsibility for any damaged items after they leave the premises.  When you receive the item and you believe the packaging has been damaged you should note this with the courier company. There is the option for insuring against transit damage.

Example for a standard and VAT applicable lot being delivered to rest of the world (ROW) - 

Hammer Price: £100

12.5% Buyers Commission: £12.50

Total before shipping & optional insurance: £112.50

Example for a VAT applicable lot being delivered in the UK - 

Hammer Price: £100

20% VAT on Hammer Price: £20

12.5% Buyers Commission: £12.50

20% VAT on Commission: £2.50

Total before shipping & optional insurance: £135.00

Example for a standard lot being delivered in the UK - 

Hammer Price: £100

12.5% Buyers Commission: £12.50

20% VAT on Commission: £2.50

Total before shipping & optional insurance: £115.00

Important changes and updates for EU buyers since the 1st of January 2021: 

VAT ON THE GRAND WHISKY AUCTION INVOICES: VAT will not be charged by The Grand Whisky Auction for goods or services leaving the UK.

EU CUSTOMS, DUTIES, VAT or FEES: These will be calculated in accordance with local government customs rules when bottles arrive at the border of the country of destination.  The VAT rate charged will vary depending on your location.  We would strongly advise checking local government guidance prior to placing bids.   

DHL, UPS or your local customs office will contact you for payment when your shipment arrives at the border. 

Note: We can not provide refunds on orders which are delayed or returned to us due to any unpaid custom charges or for any administrative reasons.

SHIPPING SERVICES:  Please expect order processing times for dispatch to be longer and transit times to be increased as there may still be delays to some destinations.

ARRANGING YOUR OWN SHIPPING: It is still possible to arrange your own shipping.  You can send us shipping labels, customs documents and collection information - please email us at [email protected] to arrange (this will incur a packing charge).

FREE STORAGE: The Brexit situation is still evolving and we strongly suggest that all European customers select ‘Hold in Storage’ to allow the situation to become clearer.  Storage is free for 70 days. 

IMPORTANT: We regret to announce that we currently cannot ship to Sweden, Poland or Italy. All members with bottles in storage from these countries can email us at [email protected] for further steps.  

Yes. The Grand Whisky Auction is a UK-registered digital trading platform and we are legally required to comply with the rules and reporting requirements of Platform Operators (Due Diligence and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2023.  

We will therefore collect and submit the information below for private individuals & business sellers to HMRC on an annual basis if the following conditions are met: 

• If you sell 30 items or more within a calendar year. 
• If you sell €2000 or more in a single calendar year with regards to the hammer price, not taking into account commissions or listing fees. 

The reports to HMRC will be submitted by the end of January following the previous year. For example, the year 2024 report will be filed by 31 January 2025. 

Sellers who do not meet either of the above criteria will not be reported. 

Should you meet either of the conditions above, the information below shall be collected before the payment of lots can be made to you:

Private Sellers:

1. First and last name

2. Primary / Residency address / Where you are registered for tax purposes. 

3. (TIN) Tax identification number or place and country of birth, if you don’t have a TIN. More information and on how to find your TIN here - LINK

For UK residents this can be your national insurance number. 

4. Date of birth

Business sellers:

1. Legal company name

2. Registered business address

3. Tax identification number (TIN)

4. Value added tax (VAT) number

5. Business registration number

6. Existence of a permanent establishment (PE) in the EU

 
The data provided will be stored securely and will only be used to fulfil our compliance and legal obligation to HMRC. 

We, as a platform, are required to put measures in place to ensure the data we have collected is accurate and true to the best of our knowledge. This may result in copies of ID and or related documentation being requested. 

If you are not based in the UK, HMRC may share with the relevant jurisdictions for non-UK-based sellers.

This is not a change in the law. This is simply a new way for governing bodies to collect information and ensure transparency and it remains the seller's responsibility to accurately declare any additional income where required. 

If you have queries about your tax return, your obligations or the new regulations we advise you to contact a professional tax advisor. 

Failure to provide the information requested will result in account closure and withholding of payment as per the regulation. 

To aid the sellers that this regulation applies to and in their obligations, TGWA will provide you with the information that has been submitted to HMRC by the end of January for the previous calendar year. 

Platform Operators (Due Diligence and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2023  - LINK