WineBid

I would be grateful to learn of members' experiences with Winebid, as we are trying to get a real response from them. Richard L

As a buyer I occasionally buy stuff, but mostly oddball/hard to find stuff. If looking for midrange or highend Burg, Bdx, Piedmont etc I'd prefer to source from trusted retailer or a B&M auction house, from a provenance standpoint.
Ive only sold wine twice, both times through WineBid. I was just moving excess, inexpensive to midrange stuff that I was tired of or had too much of (overbuying of "daily drinkers" - village Burgs, cru Bourg. or 4th/5th growths, Libournais satellites, etc). Mostly 1 to 3 bottles of each. Kind of stuff B&M houses don't bother with (unless in 6+ quantities).
One shipment they picked up from my offsite, other I delivered to their NJ warehouse. Fair prices, reasonably prompt payment (exactly what promised).

PS and estimates were pretty close. A few things went way over high ('89 Fonsalette), a few things took a few weeks to sell (negoce village Burgs, Lalande de Pomerols) but made low estimate.

I would be grateful to learn of members' experiences with Winebid,[/quot]
As Dale said, I buy occasionally from them but only wines that are basically indestructible: Port, Chianti, Irancy. I had a very bad experience buying riesling from them.

as we are trying to get a real response from them.

This sounds like there is a story?

[Jenise]

Oops. Hadn't seen this thread but just recommended Winebid in your Sokolin post.

After a message from WineBid saying that my patience was saintly (alas, it is not), I decided to take matters into my own hands. Apparently 18% is at the high end of their commission range. I found the price for one of our wines, for a magnum, on Wine Searcher and confirmed that the price for a magnum is about twice that for a standard bottle. AS a result, I have decided not to sell any of our wines at this time (The wine is one of which we have a lot). WineBid at least seemed better than various alternatives. Richard L

To Jeff Grossman: I feel certain that i did not post "As Dale said...............Riesling from them." Richard L

[Jenise]

After a message from WineBid saying that my patience was saintly (alas, it is not), I decided to take matters into my own hands. Apparently 18% is at the high end of their commission range. I found the price for one of our wines, for a magnum, on Wine Searcher and confirmed that the price for a magnum is about twice that for a standard bottle. AS a result, I have decided not to sell any of our wines at this time (The wine is one of which we have a lot). WineBid at least seemed better than various alternatives. Richard L

Richard, they're not trying to lowball you on the wine. It must not have been clear that what you were offering was a magnum. You're a math guy, so you can figure it out. Remember, they make a percentage based on total sale--they make it on your end as the seller and as a premium on the buyer's end too. It's a whole different gig than selling for X price to a Sokolin/reseller. It is therefore in their best interests as well as it is yours that every bottle sells for the maximum amount it can fetch in the marketplace.

I don't quite understand the situation, but would offer some thoughts anyway

Magnums usually sell for about 2X 750s, the exception being top collectibles, where magnums (due to comparative rarity and perceived aging advantage) where there's a definite premium,

With the exception of recent release readily available wines, auction results are a far more reliable guide to value than Wine Searcher listings. A WS listing means a retailer has the wine, and no one has bought it through yet. Especially if only a couple entries, often way out of touch with reality.

If you choose to sell, and are in CA, K&L and Benchmark would also be options (both run auctions- Benchmark under Brentwood name) and Benchmark will buy cellars as well.

Jenise, I never thought they were trying to cheat me, just that they took an inordinate amount of time without a real answer. The wines I offered had no magnums: the magnum to which I referred was one listed by Wine Searcher. I am sorry if I did not put things sufficiently clearly. They gave me personally no prices. Richard L

Re selling (or not) our wines: after more research, they seem to sell for about the same amount (or a little more) as we paid for them, before commission, so there is no incentive to sell. One of our daughters loves the wines, so we will probably leave the bulk of them to her, if we do not drink them up before we die, as we hope to do. Richard L

[Jenise]

Well that doesn't make any sense, they have a set procedure. If you filled out the form provided on their site for obtaining an assessment then I don't know why you wouldn't get a real answer. I did, I sold my wine, and was very happy with the result. That you're otherwise convinced your wine doesn't have more value--well, that's a different issue.

Jenise, they still have given me no answer with values. I had a hard time filling in their form in detail and took a shortcut. Two of them replied and gave their extension numbers but they were never in when I made numerous calls in business hours. I spoke to a very nice woman who said 18% (a figure I saw elsewhere) was at the high end of their charges, and confirmed that the price for a magnum was about double that for a full bottle. normally. As I saw a Winebid offer (on Wine Searcher) of a magnum of one of the wines we have in quantity I had enough information to decide not to sell any wine at this time. Despite their extreme delays they seem to be the best alternative of a not very impressive lot, frankly. It is true, by the way, that I told WineBid that I had found enough information to make me decide not to sell to them at this time. Richard L

[Jenise]

Actually, 18% is at the low end of their fee structure. It's higher if you want to sell less than $2500 worth of wine, and goes down to 18% once you're over that threshhold (which I presumed you'd be). There may be another lower number at another tier, like $10K, but I didn't qualify for more so I don't know what that is.

As for what you call "extreme delays", you're very impatient. We've only been discussing this for a few days and you didn't submit the form they ask you to complete, so I honestly can't fault them.

Remember, you don't sell your wine to them, you consign it. And if the wine you have doesn't have high value in the secondary market, it's not their fault.

Jenise, I am impatient, but I DID submit the form. Also, as I said, I did get two replies, but I was not able to reach them. They did not return my telephone calls though I left my temporary number. Richard L

[Jenise]

Well you said you took a shortcut. Having filled out that same form myself, I'm unable to imagine what shortcut you took: but I can tell you that it's integral to the process and becomes the basis for the contract you and they make which gets updated for condition once they take custody of the wine. Without that as a starting place, I am concerned that you didn't give yourself a chance to get a proper valuation. (See Dale's comments above.)

Jenise, because I was so fed up with the trouble I had trying to fill in the form accurately, I just listed slightly larger amounts of 4 of my better wines than we had (i did disclose this later). The real value of our total inventory is greater than that of what I put on the form. From when I first started quit a lot of days passed with no useful reply, as they did not return my calls made during business hours, during which the two people who replied to my email never seemed to be there. I would say that the value of our inventory is a few times the $10,000 you mention. Regards, Richard L

[David M. Bueker]

Richard - stop digging.

Dave, what does stop digging mean? I have been trying to get Jenise to understand the true picture as I see it. Richard L

[David M. Bueker]

Dave, what does stop digging mean? I have been trying to get Jenise to understand the true picture as I see it. Richard L

It means you should stop trying.

Dave, that seems extremely unfair as I am only trying, with great difficulty, to get Jenise to understand the true position as I see it. I may be mistaken, but I do not consciously lie (other than white lies occasionally to be kind).

In the spirit of "Quis custodiet custodies?" who moderates the moderators? As I am preparing to be kicked off yet another forum i realize that I am far better suited to other very helpful wine websites. You were one of those on another forum who persisted in sending unpleasant posts about me. You apologized and I forgave you. As many of the posts questioned my intelligence ("befuddled old man" was about the kindest comment) I sent a post about my latest IQ test. The moderators repeatedly removed it and lied about doing so. I would happily take a lie detector test against the lot of them if it was administered by a fair and competent person.

As far as my IQ test goes when I was very tired a therapist a couple of years ago gave me a quiz of 36 fairly difficult questions. At the end of it she said i was only the second person she had seen in 10 years of administering the test to get all the answers right. At the medical center where i now am, they told me that I had gotten the highest marks they had ever seen on their memory and cognition tests. Of course the above may have been white lies, but they seemed sincere. For my latest (fairly recent ) IQ test the result came back as "above 170". Of course that is absurd and I would estimate high by at least 25 points.


The moderator on another forum was called by a poster "A benevolent dictator , like Louis XIV" . I think the poster meant another Louis, King of France. Louis XIV was a dictator but seldom benevolent. All was well on the forum until I was attacked by Tim. a close friend of the moderator. Tim was really bad at mathematics, confused Wine Advocate vintage ratings with Wine Advocate scores, and purported to think I was "trolling". When I defended myself against Tim, the moderator defended him. After I replied after more rude attacks by Tim and somebody else, I questioned how well the moderator was doing his job, and was promptly banned.
As I prepare to leave this forum, I will really miss Robin Garr and Jenise and many of the members. Thanks to all of you, Richard L
P.S. Recently a friend of mine, a retired doctor, said "There are no benevolent dictators." Richard L

[Jenise]

I would say that the value of our inventory is a few times the $10,000 you mention. Regards, Richard L

So is mine, but what I wanted to unload at that time was less so 18% is the only number I can speak to. But none of that matters, the percentage will be what it is--all you had to do was fill in the form correctly and submit it, and you seem to be shooting yourself in the foot with your impatience. I don't think we can be of any more help to you.

Jenise, we will have to continue to differ on how well or otherwise I submitted the form. I saw it and you did not. What I submitted was sufficient to get responses from (I think) Sterling Roig and Elizabeth Harcourt, but they took a long time without following up, were never in when I called during business hours, and failed to return my calls. I found out enough information on my own, as I have described, to decide not to do business with them at this time. (My impatience actually helped me there !) Obviously no further help is needed. Thanks for past info, Richard L