Frequently Asked Questions

We have many years of experience both buying and selling whisky and we have established connections with other enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world.

We know how important the overall customer experience is and this is why we have the most competitive and transparent rates, outstanding customer service and extensive industry knowledge.

Yes, we charge a one-off registration fee of £5 (plus VAT) which in turn gives you a lifetime membership to Prestige Whisky Auction Limited.

Prestige Whisky Auction offer a free valuation service for your bottles or casks. All we need is information on the bottle or cask emailed to us at [email protected]. More information can be found on our “How to Sell” page.

We will hold monthly auctions which last for 10 days. Buyers can search or view lots and enter their maximum bid. We will then use our standard incremental bidding terms so that you don’t automatically reach your maximum limit straight away.

To ensure that our auctions are fair for everyone, we have invested in “anti-sniping” software. This means that if a bid is placed within the final 5 minutes of an auction, this lot’s end time is extended by 10 minutes. For full information, visit our “How to buy” section.

Our upcoming auctions are as follows:

We accept all major credit and debit cards. It is also possible to make payment by bank transfer. 

Please note that any credit card payments made using non-UK/EU cards, including American Express, will have a 3.5% surcharge added. Any international payment surcharges must be covered by the buyer.

When shipping your bottles to us, it is the sellers’ responsibility to ensure the lot arrives with us safely. We will not be liable for any damage prior to bottles/casks arriving in our storage facility.

Once we have confirmed the bottles have arrived, we assume responsibility and each lot will be carefully handled and stored at all times.

The buyer then assumes responsibility when bottles/casks leaves our premises.

We are not able to accept bottles which have a broken seal or are beyond a marked “sell by” or “best before” date.

Prestige Whisky Auction reserve the right to accept or decline to auction any items we deem unsuitable.

In May 2018, the Scottish Government introduced minimum pricing for alcohol. For this reason, we have set the starting bid for most bottles at £20, however this may vary from bottle-to-bottle. We take all government laws and guidelines seriously and will always comply to protect ourselves and our customers.

Absolutely! This is a matter that Prestige Whisky Auction take seriously and monitor constantly. More information can be found within our Counterfeit Policy. 

Our normal working hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays (UK time). You are more than welcome to call our team on +44 (0)1236 361 221 within these times.

Alternatively you can use our online contact form or send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].

Yes. We charge a one-off registration fee of £5 (plus VAT) which gives you a lifetime membership to Prestige Whisky Auction Limited.

Selling with Prestige Whisky Auction is very straight forward and can be completed in just 3 steps:

1. Register your bottle
2. Choose your shipping method
3. Select how to get paid

Full details can be found within our Sell Whisky section.

Our team are on hand to help with any questions or information. Simply contact us and our team will assist.

In addition to the one-off member registration fee, we will deduct the following fees from the hammer price: 

• Listing Fee – £5 per lot (plus VAT)
• Optional Reserve Fee – £6 per lot (plus VAT)
• Commission - 0% (plus VAT)

You can submit as many bottles as you wish to sell – there is no maximum. However, we do reserve the right to limit the number of bottles of a particular type to avoid mass selling of, for example, a new release.

If you have a collection you are looking to sell then email our team at [email protected] to discuss your requirements.

At Prestige Whisky Auction, we offer a personal collection service carried out by our own team within the UK. This should be discussed directly with us and is subject to availability. 

It is also possible to use a courier to ship bottles to our storage facility if you prefer. This would be at your own cost and you must ensure your bottle is well packaged.

Responsibility for safe and secure packaging for transit will be a matter for you and your chosen courier. Please note that Prestige Whisky Auction will not be responsible for any damage occurred to goods in transit. 

You are welcome to deliver your bottles to our storage facility in Central Scotland – this is by appointment only.

For more information, please see our sell whisky section.

Of course! We have worked with casks for many years and will be more than happy to help you value and sell yours. Due to the unique nature of casks, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

More information can also be found on our Selling your Cask page.

Upon an auction ending, we aim to make payment to sellers within 3-5 days of an auction ending however we always ask that you allow us 7-21 days. We will make payment as soon as the buyer of your lot has transferred funds to us.

Please ensure your bank details are kept updated in your member account to avoid any delays.

If your lot did not meet the reserve price then it will not have sold but you will still be charged the bottle registration fee plus the reserve fee (if applicable).

You can either have the lot returned to you (shipping costs chargeable to you) or you can choose to enter it in the next auction. We would not charge a storage fee for the first 60 days however a further entry fee and optional reserve fee will be charged.

The successful bidder will be charged the following fees:

• Buyer Commission – 10% of final winning bid, known as hammer price.
• Delivery – Costs for delivery will depend on shipping address and size/weight of package. See Shipping & Insurance for more information.

Example for UK customers:

• Hammer Price: £100 (no VAT unless shown)
• Buyer Commission of 10%: £10 + VAT = £12
• Total due: £112 + delivery if selected

Please note that VAT (currently 20%) will be added to the above costs for UK-based buyers. Those out with the UK will not be charged VAT however it may be applicable for the country to which the package is being shipped.

VAT is not charged on hammer price unless clearly stated. 

We kindly request that payment should be made immediately after an auction has ended.

We will allow up to 72 hours from auction end to make payment in full. If you haven’t paid for your won items within 72 hours, you will be charged a late payment fee which is 4% of the full outstanding balance.

Prestige Whisky Auction reserve the right to prevent customers bidding in future auctions due to late-payment.

Delivery within the UK is completed, on average, between 1-2 working days and 5-7 days for orders bound for continental Europe. Deliveries made further afield are dependent on destination-specific requirements that we monitor frequently and can provide advice as and when necessary.

At the checkout, you will see the delivery charge and the estimated transit time. Every order will be shipped via a trackable courier service and a tracking number will be provided to you.

To avoid any disappointment, please make sure that we can ship to your country prior to bidding in an auction. Full information on shipping, including destinations, can be found on our shipping & insurance page. If you have any queries please email our team who will be happy to assist.

There are 3 shipping options available to you:

• Collection: You are welcome to collect your lots from our warehouse in Central Scotland by making an appointment with our team.

• Courier Delivery: Our preferred shipping method is via our carefully selected couriers who will deliver to an address of your choice.

• Hold in Storage: Should you wish to keep your won lots in our storage facility then please select this option at checkout. This is a free-of-charge service for 60 days and thereafter a charge of £2 per day is charged.

• White Glove Delivery: For customers who like something more special, we offer a personal white-glove delivery service carried out by a member of our team. This is available to all UK customers and is subject to availability. Please contact our team to discuss your requirements. 

Yes.  Simply select “add insurance” at the checkout and an insurance premium of 4% of the value of items being insured will be added. 

Our insurance covers breakages or loss during transit. It is not possible to cover any leakages due to the nature of our business where age and condition of bottle seals will vary. There can be no claim made against leakage in transit.