{"id":9781,"date":"2015-10-19T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?p=9781"},"modified":"2024-10-08T14:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T19:46:20","slug":"should-you-consider-selling-wine-online-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/should-you-consider-selling-wine-online-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Consider Selling Wine Online? Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In our first article<\/a>, we discussed the market for wine sales in the US and the rules and regulations surrounding the buying, selling, shipping, and delivery of wine online. Despite the hoops you have to jump through, there are amazing opportunities should you choose to sell wine online. In this article, we\u2019ll offer examples of companies successfully selling wine online, as well as Best Practices you can borrow in your own wine ecommerce efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nakedwines.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded six years ago in the U.K. by a former Virgin Wines executive, NakedWines.com U.S.<\/a> was started in early 2012. \u201cOur business model uses crowdsourcing,\u201d says Director of Operations Zack Crafton. \u201cWe invite customers to be our \u2018Angel investors,\u2019 and each Angel contributes $40 a month to an Angel savings account.\u201d NakedWines.com then aggregates the money to fund independent winemakers from around the world who work with the NakedWines.com winery in Sonoma Valley, CA. \u201cWe can then make the wines and sell them to our Angels at wholesale pricing,\u201d notes Crafton. \u201cSome of our winemakers make $1,000 bottles for other wineries, and our Angels can get the same level of wine for $20 a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company typically offers 100 wines at any one time, from all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe charge a flat $9.99 shipping fee for mainland delivery, and it’s included in the price for purchases over $100 except for MA, NJ and AZ where we have to charge $19.99 and cannot include shipping. Hawaii and Alaska customers pay air freight rates,\u201d says Crafton. Most people take advantage of the over $100 purchase with shipping included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company currently has 100,000 Angel members. That\u2019s right. Oh, and by the way, there are 18,000 people currently on its waiting list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Club W<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Club W<\/a>, a monthly wine subscription service, was started by a group of business owners, with the idea that the experience of drinking great wines and being educated on them is something that should be available to everyone. New subscribers take a \u201cPalate Profile\u201d when they sign up, and the company offers a money back guarantee on every bottle of wine sent, says Kjiel Carlson, Vice President of Operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical bottle costs $13 and shipping is free with a purchase of six or more bottles. Otherwise the company subsidizes shipping, for a flat rate of $6 for a purchase of three to five bottles (shipping is only to the mainland U.S.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Practices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still want to sell wine online? These tips should help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Get (and Stay) Compliant<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    With the challenges surrounding shipping alcohol, it would make sense that a company was created to deal with that, right? Both NakedWines.com and Club W, along with many other companies, use ShipCompliant<\/a> to stay on top of the complex and changing world of shipping wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ShipCompliant was launched in 2005 to address the need for any winery to access up-to-date state regulations and tax rates for direct wine shipments. The company also connects ecommerce stores to the industry’s best in-house and third-party fulfillment options, and more. ShipCompliant Direct (for wineries) starts at $79 \/ month for the smallest wineries, and goes up based on how much wine they ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wondering why we haven\u2019t mentioned beer or alcohol? \u201cYou can’t ship beer or spirits direct-to-consumer, generally speaking,\u201d says Rachel Bush, Marketing Coordinator at Ship Compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Offer Quick and Free Shipping<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Getting orders quickly is not only something online customers want, but in terms of wine, the sooner the wine gets to you, the more likely it will be in good form, and not spoiled. In addition, wine is heavy, and online customers are justifiably wary of shipping costs. Offering quick and free shipping (at a minimum threshold) takes away the fear of high shipping costs and minimizes spoilage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here\u2019s how to send your wines quickly while minimizing the financial hit, from the operations gurus mentioned above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n