The Auswine Forum

Hi all,

New to the site and look forward to spending some time on here. I have done some searching first but i can't find any recent posts so i though i might revisit this subject.

What Auction sites are people currently using?

The two I'm currently looking at are Langtons and Wickmans.

Im a huge fan of Barossa Shiraz if that makes a difference to the suggestions.

Thanks for any advice.

Btree wrote:Hi all,

New to the site and look forward to spending some time on here. I have done some searching first but i can't find any recent posts so i though i might revisit this subject.

What Auction sites are people currently using?

The two I'm currently looking at are Langtons and Wickmans.

Im a huge fan of Barossa Shiraz if that makes a difference to the suggestions.

Thanks for any advice.

I've only purchased ex Wickmans, I like his business and the way he operates; a very personalised service. There is some good Barossa Shiraz up on the site at the moment.

I always bought from Oddbins

That business has been put up for sale though... bit sad. I seriously wanted to buy it.

sjw_11 wrote:I always bought from Oddbins

That business has been put up for sale though... bit sad. I seriously wanted to buy it.

Is it still worth a look? or has it changed since the sale?

There are other auctions worth a look - interstate ones will usually do good freight rates

http://www.mwwines.com.au/

http://www.sterlingwine.com.au/

Also http://www.graysonline.com/wine?tab=auctions while Grays sell a huge amount of cheap stuff, they have 'Private Cellar" auctions Mon thru TH nights usually closing at 9pm. These can have all manner of really interesting wines in them - just be aware that commission is 17.5% and freight is $12 per lot, not per dozen.

Certainly Mark Wickman's operation is excellent in all respects!

I haven't tried sterling but someone touched on a key bit that I dislike about MW and Grays..they're just not flexible enough. Paying per lot at Grays means you need to find that one great wine that is worth it after commission + shipping for that lot. MW has no flexibility shipping wise so if got 1 bottle, that's getting shipped at their full rate. They also don't take pictures of all of the bottles...a few (probably 1-2%)..Which means seeing the actual fill level (which they will tell you) or color of the wine is left out of the picture...

Now, that doesn't mean don't go there, it just means you have to keep that in mind. They also haven't been very good with people combining shipping (not when I've asked).

Wickmans will give you the best service...and Mark is on here as well...Greatest level of flexibility and the best provenance checks out of all of the auction houses..Fair buyers premium and reasonable shipping plus he will hold bottles until you have a decent amount ready for shipping. I think the only downside is the selection is not as big as some of the other places...

Another vote for Wickmans.

Oddbins is my preferred house for both high end and quaffers as it's close by in Adelaide. A bonus is they place a "P" symbol for Providence next to those bottles from known cellars/storage conditions. This label is only permitted where the wine's entire cellar history is know. It's more an honour system with sellers so not a guarantee of providence. I have sold some and have not requested the "P" if I have not owned it from original retail purchase (although some retail conditions are less than adequate. Never had a problem with any older wines bought with this way.

Talking to them recently the business is still for sale. I believe it is being sold as the 2 principals are amicably going separate ways. Graham is focusing in on his developing malt whisky business (tough job!)and the other partner planning to retire to the beach.

Carl