Explanation and Help

1 Registering or logging into the site

a) How do I log in or register my account?

On each page you will find a 'Log on' button.
Click it if you already have an account and wish to log in. You will then be able to log into our website.
If you do not have an account yet, you will first have to register. After filling in your details and accepting our terms of sale, you will receive a confirmation mail from us. After confirming, you can log into our website and start bidding in the auctions.

b) Do I have to register to bid?

Yes, you can only bid if you have registered and logged into the website with your account.
You can however always browse through the available lots, even without registering.

c) I have forgotten my password

While logging in, you can indicate that you have forgotten your password.
Our platform will then automatically send an email to the address you used to register. In this mail you will find a link to a page where you can choose a new password.

2 Bidding

a) How are the auctions organised?

When an auction starts, you will be informed by mail. It is possible to bid on every lot until the auction is closed. The winning bid is the highest bid for that lot at the time of the closing of the auction.
If someone bids within the last five minutes before the auction is closed, then the auction will automatically run for an additional 5 minutes.

b) How can I place a bid?

You can place a bid for every lot. After you have placed your bid, the total price is calculated and shown by our platform. At that time you will have to confirm your bid. Once you have confirmed, the bid is binding.
Every bid has to be higher than the previous bid. There has to be a minimal difference for each following bid:
You have to take three separate steps to complete a bid
Bid for a lot
Enter your bid
Confirm your bid
During the first two steps you can still cancel your bid. By confirming (step 3) you will agree to our terms of sale. After confirming it is no longer possible to cancel your bid. The bid has then become legally binding.

Bidding steps

For instance:

A new bid ,for a lot costing € 800 ,will have to be at least € 25 higher than the current bid ,to be accepted.

c) What if I am outbid?

If you are outbid you will automatically receive an email with the opportunity to raise your bid.

d) When can I bid?

If you do not have a login, you must first register. Use the following link to do so: 
Once you have created an account, you can enter your bids.

3 Payments and costs

a) How can I pay?

You can only pay in euros by transferring money to our bank account:BNP Paribas Fortis IBAN BE11 0018 4375 1748 - BIC  GEBABEBB

b) What are the additional costs?

Before you confirm your bid, you will always be shown an overview of all the additional costs that will be added to your bid. You will also always be shown the total cost.
The cost of your bid will be augmented with 18,5% buyer’s premium and 21% VAT. VAT is calculated upon your bid and the premium if your bid applied to VAT lots (lots introduced by merchants). When the auctioned wines belong to private persons the VAT will only be calculated upon the premium.
If you can present a valid Belgian VAT number, you can recover the VAT in Belgium.
If you can present a valid VAT number from an EU member state (excluding Belgium), there will be no VAT applied if you can present export documents (EAD).
Lots sold outside of the EU are not subject to Belgian VAT.
Transport costs vary according to the destination and the volume of the shipment. 

c) When do I have to pay my lots?

Lots have to be paid within five working days of the closing of the auction. If they are not paid in time, they will automatically again become property of bvba Best Wine Auctions.

4 Shipment & pick-up

a) Can I collect my own lots?

You can only collect your lots after arranging to do so by telephone. You can call us at +32 3 808 70 70 during office hours.
Pick up is possible on workdays from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 13:00 to 16:30. On Fridays we close at 15:00.
The lots can only be collected if we have received their full payment.

b) Can my lots be delivered to me?

At your request we can deliver your lots to you. The delivery price depends upon the destination and the volume of the shipment.

What are the transport costs?

Transport costs vary according to the destination and the volume of your shipment.
Transport costs for pallets are measured made and added to your proforma automatically after the auction.

c) How will my lots be sent to me?

All lots are carefully packaged. We only work with professional delivery packaging for bottles. They are marked as “fragile”.
Depending on the volume of the shipment, we can also use one or more pallets.
The buyer can choose a courier service, but we prefer to use our current courier service.

d) Are my lots insured during the transport?

You can choose to have your goods delivered by our courier service. CMR insurance automatically applies to this delivery. It covers damages of € 12,50 per kilogram.
If you wish to have your delivery insured for its full value during transport, a 1% additional cost is added to the final total cost of the lot in the auction.
If you should find your delivery is damaged during transport, you have to immediately report this to the courier when you receive the package. As soon as you sign upon delivery, no more complaints can be accepted or processed.

e) Can I have the delivery sent to a different address?

You can have your lots delivered to any address. Please keep in mind that VAT regulations may differ according to destination (see payment and costs).

f) What is the delivery period?

The delivery period will vary according to the destination of the delivery.
Upon receiving your payment, our courier delivers in Europe in 3 to 5 working days. Outside of Europe this could reach 10 working days. We cannot be held liable for possible delays and/or force majeure.

g) What if I do not receive the lots I bought?

If your lots are not delivered to you, please immediately mail us at info@bestwineauctions.com and inform us about your case. We will then take the necessary steps to clarify the situation for you.

i) Are there other local customers duties that I will have to pay?

Every country has its own regulations. It would be best to request information from the customs services of the country that you will have the goods delivered to.

5 Guarantee of quality

a) How do I know the lot is authentic?

All lots are thoroughly checked by our professional team. They will evaluate the label, the capsule, the contents, cork leakage and other possible problems.
Our team has 17 years of experience as experts in buying and selling fine wines.
We will only auction wines that come from a trustfull and authentic winecellars.
Every lot is individually photographed and this picture will be representative of the lot.
Pictures are not reused.

b) What guarantee do I have if the wine I bought has gone bad or tastes like cork?

Because we sell older and more exclusive wines, it is not possible for us to offer any guarantee. We strive to always offer the best quality. When wines are older than 10 years, it is impossible for us to offer you a guarantee.
Should there be a taste of cork, than this problem was already present in the cork at the time of bottling. We cannot recover the damages from the producer, so we are unable to offer you a guarantee.

6 Lots

a) How can I find a lot on your website?

You can use the search engine on our starting page and enter the lot number, the name of the wine, or its region, country or type of alcoholic beverage.

b) How are lots kept during the auction?

Best Wine Auctions keeps all wines stored in a cooled storage space.

c) Can I come and look at the lots of an auction?

Yes, this is possible if you make an appointment by phone.

c) Can I follow specific lots?

Yes, if you are interested in a specific lot, you can add it to your favorites to follow it.
Click the button 'Follow lot' at the top right of the page.

7 Other considerations

a) Can Best Wine Auctions sell my own wines for me?

You can send us a list of wines you would like to include in an auction.
We will then evaluate if your wines meet our standards of quality and send you a proposal if this is the case.

b) How does BWA handle my privacy?

By approving our terms of sale, you agree to let us store your personal details.
We will never abuse your personal details: they will only be used to support the efficiency of our auctions.
You can always notify us if you would like us to delete your personal details from our data records. We fully comply with all privacy regulations.

c) Do you have other specific questions?

Feel free to contact us by using the  on our website. We look forward to hearing from you and to being able to welcome you on our Best Wine Auctions website.