The wine you don't want

When I was young and foolish I got on the SQN list. I like the wine fine, on occasion, but I have accumulated a lot more of it than I am likely ever going to drink. In particular, I am going to try to move on from a few EBA box sets.

I have never sold a bottle of wine before. Given a bunch away, traded a few bottles here and there . . . . I have no idea where to start. How do those who move in and out of positions on wine maximize return and minimize hassle? Private sale, sell to retailer, consignment, auction . . . lots of choices I suppose. I am in no particular hurry. What do you recommend?

I plan to bequeath them.

To your kids? newhere

Yes, but only because my cat does not drink.

I think it depends on what you have. SQN would be good for the auction route. I can recommend Zachy’s, HDH, Heritage.

You’ll get a variety of answers. If quantity, auction is by far the easiest. Think over 100 bottles. They will often pick up and ship free if the value is enough. If just scattered bottles of SQN one could probably work to find private buyer but that takes time.

Don’t buy what you don’t want.

Otherwise, why insinuate yourself as an intermediary for a product you don’t want?

My cat does.

But always uses Uber thereafter, right?

This sounds right. Getting rid of a few cases of SQN could be done pretty easily by yourself, by posting on Commerce Corner or asking around people you know. You’d have to deal with a modest amount of logistics (collecting money, shipping).

You’re quite fortunate the wine you don’t want anymore is SQN. Those should be quite easy and lucrative to resell. Most collectors end up with over the hill bottles of 15% Aussie Shiraz and stuff like that which nobody wants to buy.

Thanks everyone. Learning as you post.

Honestly, I haven’t gone to Commerce Corner because I am trying to maximize the return, and I’d feel like a heel doing that with (some of) you guys.

Can you sell to or consign with DC/VA/MD Retailers? I know that is permitted in some States (certainly not in the People’s Commonwealth of PA). If it is permitted it might be the best balance of low friction/high return.

Yes, it’s possible

DadCab

Depending on quantity, Commerce Corner might be your best bet, but factor in shipping and inconvenience. If you sell to a retailer, you’ll get something like 60% of Wine Searcher. If you have quantity, auction may be your best bet. Recent vintages are more plentiful, so prices will be less than older vintages except for rarities (like Pearl Clutcher) and large format. Annually released whites are abundant and will likely sell for a loss. I’ve been told that the two (Hong Kong?) buyers who competitively ran up prices are no longer active and the market has softened accordingly.

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Not an expert on SQN, but if we’re talking several cases, in quantity for each bottle, I agree with the auction route listed above. If you have more of a scattershot of various cuvees, you could try WineBid. They have a $2,500 minimum and it wouldn’t take that much SQN to reach that. You can request an appraisal here: Sell Wine Online | Auction Your Wine | Request Wine Estimate | WineBid. Commerce Corner also an option, but staging all the boxing and shipping is going to become a pain really fast if you have more than a case or two.

If you want ease, I think MacArthurs and Schneider’s buy wines. Don’t know how prices compare with net auction prices. Do you want cash or store credit - some places give you a better deal if you take store credit.

Years ago I asked at Schneiders and they were unenthused (although I didn’t talk to Jon directly). I have to stop in to McArthurs anyway; I’ll ask!

Thanks again everyone!

Sent you a pm re your post.

I would, without a doubt, go the route of an auction house. It’s far and away the most convenient and, as stated above, many will send you shippers and pay for the shipping. Sending wine anywhere yourself is a hassle and you risk having the wine seized. You might not get top dollar, but it’s certainly going to be higher than what you paid on release for SQN I would imagine. To me, doing it legally, with very little effort, to people with whom you don’t have a personal relationship, and still making a little money by using an auction would be the best route.