Below we have a selection of the most common questions that need answering. Should you have an additional questions please do not hesitate to contact us directly here

Who are Irish Whiskey Auctions?

We are just like you, we love all things whiskey and have decided to build a website that will allow you to trade in a safe and secure environment. To find out more about the team behind Irish Whiskey Auctions Ltd. go to our about us page.

How do I participate with Irish Whiskey Auctions?

To participate as either a buyer or seller on our website you must first register on our platform. To register on IWA you must fill in the registration page and pay the registration fee. You cannot make a bid on or submit a bottle for auction unless you register on our website.

How does it all Work?

We hope that we have built a simple to use website that makes it easy to buy or sell whiskey items. To help understand it all we have outlined the process to sell here and the process to buy here. Any additional questions you have you can ask us here.

When are the Auctions?

One auction will take place every month and will start on a Friday evening at 5pm (17:00). The Auction will last 9 days and the initial closing will be on a Sunday evening at 7pm.(19:00) We will be utilising anti-sniping software (link to explained here) which will extend the closing item of an individual item should last minute bids be placed.

Who is responsible for the bottles at each stage of the process?

It is your responsibility as the seller to ensure the bottles are safely delivered to our offices or depots in good time for listing for the next auction. The seller will be liable for any damage caused during transit to us. After we have received your items at our offices safely we will send you an e-mail to let you know they have arrived safe and sound. From that point on we have full responsibility for your bottles which will be held in our secure storage and fully insured. When the item is sold at auction the buyer will become responsible for the bottle as soon as it leaves our premises.

What If I’m not happy?

We are human and sometimes things happen that you may not be happy about but its how we handle it will make the difference. So if for some reason you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of dealing with Irish Whiskey Auctions, do not hesitate to contact us directly by phone on 01-5242142 or email our admin team at office@irishwhiskeyauctions.ie

What are the fees and charges involved in trading through Irish Whiskey Auctions?

We charge a once off €3 registration fee to use our website, this ensures that your identity to us and you are over 18 years of age.

Sellers Auction Fees
Seller: 5% Commission charged on the final selling price
Listing Charges:
• Listing Fee – €4
• Optional Reserve Fee – €8
• Additional charges may apply for account settlement featuring 3rd party providers

Buyers Auction Fees
Buyer: 10% Commission charged on the winning bid
Non EEA Credit Card Surcharge – 3% / Credit Card payments from countries outside of the European Economic Area will be subject to a 3% surcharge
Shipping Charges: please see our shipping and delivery charges page. (link to shipping)

Please note VAT is applicable to all fees, carriage and surcharges.

What happens when the bidding process or auction is interrupted? 

If something were to go wrong during an auction, we may enact a number of security procedures and protection plans.
In the unlikely event that an auction becomes unavailable or the auction integrity is compromised, we will take the appropriate action to ensure that all users have an equal chance of using our platform. In the event that security procedures and protective contingencies are implemented, we shall notify all users of such changes.
Financial and banking information is never saved on our platform for security concerns.

Why Must I register on Irish Whiskey Auctions?

You must register to use our website to be able to either bid or sell items. It is also so that we can assure all users that you are a legitimate user and that all transactions are fully traceable by the admin team. The small registration fee is to verify a payment method and to ensure that you are over 18 years of age which is the legal age for sales of alcohol in the republic of Ireland.

How Do I Register?

The registration process is very simple with the form that is here. Please complete all required fields paying particular attention to the email and home address field. The payment portal can accept all major credit and debit cards.

Are my payment details secure?

Yes absolutely, our payment portal is handled by Stripe who are world leaders in processing all payment methods. The majority of websites use a third party payment processor like stripe to handle all payment details. The payment details are not held by us at any stage.

What happens once I register?

Once you have completed the registration form and verified your email address you are free to bid on any item or submit an item for auction. The registration process is a once off procedure so once you have registered you are welcome to use our website whenever you like for either buying or selling.

Can other users see my details?

No. We use an anonymous system where no other users can see who they are bidding against or who is selling through our auction process. This prevents any users collaborating to fix or control the price of any auction item which results in a fairer system for all.

Can I edit my details after registration?

Yes absolutely, when you have registered on our website you will have access to the “my dashboard” area. In this area you will be able to edit all your details and also view the status of any items you have listed for auction or any bids that you may place.

I registered as a bidder, but I now want to sell. How do I change?

If you initially registered as a bidder but would like to now list some items for auction then it is a simple process of contacting us at Irish Whiskey Auctions here and asking that we change your account to a seller account. There is no additional charge for changing your account type.

How do I bid on an item in the auction?

Once you have completed our registration process (linked to registration page) you are free to bid on any item listed in our live current auction. Once you find something that you like and have satisfied yourself thoroughly that it is an item that you would like to buy you can enter an amount into the numeric box and press the “place bid” button.

How does the bidding process work?

We list items on our current auction page for selling by other users. The bidding process is simple with a numeric box where you type the amount that you would like to bid for the item. We utilise a proxy bidding process which will automatically bid on your behalf up to a maximum amount that you have entered into the numeric box. Please remember that a buyer’s commission is added to the final price if you win.

What is proxy bidding?

Proxy bidding is our system automatically keeping you as the highest bidder up to your maximum amount. The increments that it increases by are linked to the current price of the item and any other bids placed by other users. The steps that it increases is set out in this table here.

How will I know if I am the highest bidder?

On the item listing page you will see a notification of your bid status, so whether you are the highest bidder, have been outbid or have yet to bid our system will have a small notification just above the current bid price. You will also receive an email notification for each bid that you make and also if you have been outbid by another user.

How long do I have to bid?

Listed along with each item there is a countdown clock until the bidding closes at the end of the auction process. The auctions will end at 7pm (19.00 GMT) on the closing date with a system that prevents last minute bid sniping by extending a single lot by 20 mins if a bid is placed in the last 10 minutes of bidding.

What is anti-sniping?

As part of the final stages of an auction we have implemented anti sniping software, which prevents a bidder making a last second bid on an item leaving you with no time to counterbid them. If a bid is placed within the final 10 minutes of an auction then that individual lot is extended by 20 more minutes allowing you to increase your bid should you wish. The auction will end when there is no bid activity for more than 10 minutes.

Can I retract a bid?

If you have made a mistake and made an error in bidding you can place a new lower bid, that is not lower than the current price, and it will reduce/remove your max bid. If you have a problem with this or want to retract a bid then please contact the admin team as soon as possible at admin@irishwhiskeyauctions.ie to advise us of what the error is.
If it does not affect the current process then we may, at our discretion, retract the bid. User’s bidding is all logged within our system and all bids are recorded. Ultimately you are responsible for all bids made from your account.

I have won an item, what next?

If you have been successful as the highest bidder you will receive an email notifying you that you have won, you will also see the items that you have won in the “my dashboard” area. You can make payment in the “my dashboard” area or alternatively follow the link in the won item email and make payment through your chosen method. The final price will include the buyer’s commission, shipping and any applicable VAT charges.

What is the buyer’s commission?

The Buyers commission is 10% of the final price that has won the auction. VAT is chargeable on the commission rate and also any shipping costs incurred.

When will I receive my won item?

When we have received your full completed payment we will endeavour to ship your items to your chosen address as soon as possible. We guarantee to ship all items within 5 days of full and cleared funds received. Any additional notes or questions on shipping please contact our office team by email to admin@irishwhiskeyauctions.ie or call us on +353 (0)1 5242 142.

Can I collect my item?

Yes, you can collect your won items from our offices in Dundalk by prior arrangement. Please contact our office team to make an appointment to call. Items will not be released until all outstanding balances have been settled.

What are the delivery charges?

We have worked hard to get the safest and most competitive delivery rates to ensure that you receive your won items. We can arrange delivery to most countries but some restrictions do apply as we are sending alcohol. Please see our shipping and delivery cost here for our current delivery charges. Should you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us.

How do I sell on Irish Whiskey auctions?

We have a clear explanation of what is involved in selling your items by auction on our website here (Sell Whiskey). We hope that we have made the process as simple as possible but if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us.

How much is my item worth?

Because this is an auction process, it can be difficult to put a value on some items. All it takes is two buyers wanting your item and it can go above any estimates we may give, but also the reverse is true. Perhaps the item is not so sought after or is just not clicking with the buyers and may fail to reach your expectations. We can furnish you with a guide price by referencing previous sales of your item but nothing is guaranteed.

Can I place a reserve on my item?

Yes of course you can. We do charge a small administration fee of €8 for placing a reserve price on an item. We recommend that you do not set too high a reserve as this can sometimes dissuade potential bidders.

Can I bid on my items?

No, our system does not allow you bid on any item which is listed on your sellers account. We also have systems in place to watch for shill bidding which is if friends and family members bid on your item to artificially increase the price of your item. Any users found to be artificially increasing the value of their or others items will be excluded from participating in the rest of the auction process and removed from the website.

What happens if my item does not reach its reserve?

If your item fails to reach its reserve price you have the option to include the item in another upcoming free of charge or to request that we return the item to you. The cost of returning the item is borne by the owner and will only be released when all fees are discharged.

When I receive payment for my sold items?

We will endeavour to make payment to you by your chosen method as soon as possible. We allow time for the item to be received by the buyer and for them to register any issues they may have. We will always make payment within 21 days from the end of the auction. We reserve the right to deduct any outstanding fees from the balance of your sale items.

How do I know if my items are selling or are sold?

At all stages of the process you can log into “my dashboard” and see exactly how your items are progressing. Our system will also notify you by email of any changes to your items or when your items are sold. If you have any questions at any stage please do not hesitate to contact our office for assistance.

How do I send my items for auction?

When you have registered your items for auctioning, you must then ensure that the items are received by our offices at least 1 week before the next auction. There are 3 methods of doing this. Please note you are responsible for ensuring the safe delivery of your items to our offices.

1. The most common way is by sending Via courier or post. Please ensure that you package your item appropriately with plenty of protective packaging. Irish Whiskey Auctions accepts no liability for any damage that may occur in shipping the item to us.

2. You can deliver your items to our offices personally during our opening hours, Please note we do not accept liability for your items until they are assessed by our team. You will be notified by email when are accepted by us for auctioning purposes.

3. At one of our designated drop off points(link to page). For your convenience we have agreed with some of our partners to allow items be dropped off for the next available auction at their premises. Please note you must complete a drop off form and only deliver during the designated drop off days. Irish Whiskey Auctions accepts no responsibility for your items until they are assessed by our team.

Who is responsible for the bottles at each stage of the process?

It is your responsibility as the seller to ensure the bottles are safely delivered to our offices or depots in good time for listing for the next auction. The seller will be liable for any damage caused during transit to us. After we have received your items at our offices safely we will send you an e-mail to let you know they have arrived safe and sound. From that point on we have full responsibility for your bottles which will be held in our secure storage and fully insured. When the item is sold at auction the buyer will become responsible for the bottle as soon as it leaves our premises.

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