Guidelines for a Successful Classified Ad Transaction

Know what you're buying:

• Review the wine's description and compare, where possible, to a photograph.
• Contact the seller with any questions about the wine's condition and how it has been stored, and be realistic in your expectations of older wines.
• Review details about shipping, insurance and payment options.
• One expects that wines sold through classified ads will be cheaper than wines purchased at retailers. However, be careful if a wine is listed significantly below retail prices.
• Be careful when the seller claims to have a large quantity of a particular wine. Watch for listings of wines which are known fraud risks, such as prestige Champagnes.
• Postage and packing: Review shipping and handling charges. Ensure the wine will be posted and packaged appropriately. Insist on postage by a traceable method. Consider additional insurance to cover the cost of breakage or loss in transit.

Know from whom you are buying:

• Information on the seller: Only Pro Version users can place a Classified Ad. We include the date that the user first subscribed (i.e. paid for the Pro Version) as part of the ad detail. We also ask sellers to include information which they consider provides reassurance to the potential purchaser, including, for example, the wine's provenance.
• Payment: Consider paying with PayPal or with a credit card, as most offer 100% consumer protection. Be careful of paying with cash (and never post it), or cash equivalents such as bank transfers.
• Returns: Make sure you understand what the seller's returns policy is and what fees you may incur (postage, restocking, etc.) in doing so.
• Purchasing from overseas sellers: Make sure you understand the implications of purchasing from an overseas seller, even if the wine is being stored in your own country. Different laws may apply.
• Contact details: Make sure you get a landline phone number (not just a cell phone number) from the seller. Call the number and check that it is correct. You should also try to get a 'real' email address (i.e. not a Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. address).

If you have any problems with your transaction we would love to hear about that, but remember: use of Wine-Searcher's Classified Ads function is at your own risk. Also see our Terms & Conditions.