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WineCommune
is its own dot-com marketplace where special wines that attract
a cult-like following can be found via the world connection,
when the shelves at your best known liquor store have not seen
them for months. The far reach of the Internet gives sellers
access to the largest possible audience, and buyers access to
the wine they might not otherwise find locally or for the right
price.
Wine lovers have long been using
the Internet to share tasting notes, learn about new and different
wines, and trade amongst themselves. As participants in the
wine community, the creators of WineCommune.com witnessed the
popularity of selling wine through public auctions and new on-line
auction houses and realized that the true power of the Internet
was underutilized. Thus, WineCommune has evolved organically,
like a true community does, where the momentum of the technical
industry has spawned a means of connecting an international
wine forum. Established in 1999, WineCommune is now the number
one wine marketplace on the Web. |
How it works:
Sellers from
across the world can post their wines in any number of categories
for auctions lasting from one to 21 days. Buyers then log onto WineCommune
at their leisure, review the available wine lots, then bid on those
that interest them. The far reach of the Internet unites wine lovers
from different continents giving sellers access to the largest possible
audience, and buyers access to the wine they might not otherwise
find locally or for the right price. Says CNN Correspondent, Rusty
Dornin in the May 19th article titled, Small vineyards
attract a cult following with pricey vintages, "If nearly
nobody else has it, then someone will pay a lot of money for it,
which is why Internet wine auction sites like . . . Winecommune.com
are full of speculative sellers. "
WineCommune is its own
dot-com marketplace where special wines that attract a cult-like
following can be found via the world connection, when the shelves
at your best known liquor store have not seen them for months. Jim
Laube, Senior Editor at Wine Spectator, says, "It's a classic
case of supply and demand, where you have a very finite supply,
you have people willing to pay for the wines. [Some of] these wines
are very small productions, very small lots of land and usually
all Napa Valley Cabernets."
Competitive Advantage
The auction house is one
of the oldest and most traditional methods for conducting sales
of precious goods. However, participating in a live auction is both
cumbersome and costly. Some of the newer on-line wine auction sites
and standard auction houses use the Internet to implement an old
style auction charging 25% commissions (12.5% each to the buyer
and seller). And since some auctions are not open to all buyers,
the price of entry often outweighs the value of participation. Now,
the power of the Internet eliminates this obstacle by bringing the
auction house to the comfort of your own office or living room.
WineCommune does that, plus goes one step further by lowering the
barriers to entry that often deters the otherwise participant---the
commission. Click here to review the full fee schedule. Registration to browse
and collect information is at no cost to the bidder or seller.
Some public auctions,
while efficient, ignore wine entirely, providing no category or
system of organization with which to find the wine. WineCommune
offers an easy to use table index where friendly icons help you
quickly scan the items you are looking for. Our powerful sorting
feature enables a fast means of pulling up the information you want
in the order you’d like to view it. Our search-by category feature
lets you narrow down the color, variety and region you would like
without having to weed through a broader selection. And if you don’t
find what you’re looking for, chances are, our Advanced Search tool
will give you a more narrow means of finding the right bottle.
In the past, auction
houses offered a clientele and credibility to justify their costs.
Now, however, the number of people using the Internet and the use
of feedback ratings to weed out unscrupulous sellers makes their
services outmoded and overpriced. On WineCommune our user ratings
count more than the sale of the wine. Because you want to know that
the vendor you are dealing with not only provides quality wine,
but quality service. And if they don’t, the feedback from the buyer
helps protect other users from poor service. Likewise, those vendors
who provide exceptional service are rewarded by the community with
a highly visible rating.
How much does it cost to use WineCommune?
WineCommune does not charge you any fees or commissions to use our service to buy wine and only a small listing fee and 3% commission applies to sell. Click here to review the full fee schedule. Traditional auction houses cost up to a 25% commission
on the 'hammer' price for each lot. Even so-called Internet auction
houses still charge full fees despite how easily the efficiencies
of the Internet can cut costs for everybody. And your confidence
is with us. WineCommune makes no money off of your registration,
nor do we pass your email on to advertisers for promotion or spam
marketing.
On WineCommune, low fees means better returns for sellers and lower prices
for buyers. This is the true power of the Internet. We increase the number of buyers and sellers, thus
creating more inventory and more transactions. The competition this
creates is beneficial to all involved. It’s good for you, the buyer,
because with all that inventory, the chances are higher that you
will find the wine you’re looking for. It’s good for you, the seller,
because chances are, with all those buyers, you are more likely
to get the price you want for your wine.
Why are we here?
Wine lovers have long
been using the Internet to share tasting notes, learn about new
and different wines, and trade amongst themselves. As participants
in the wine community, the creators of WineCommune.com witnessed
the popularity of selling wine through public auctions and new on-line
auction houses and realized that the true power of the Internet
was underutilized. Thus, WineCommune has evolved organically, like
a true community does, where the momentum of the technical industry
has spawned a means of connecting an international wine forum.
At WineCommune, we continue to exist because we are proof that this
remarkable technology continues to bring the wine loving community
together, while saving people the large commissions charged by traditional
auction houses.
We want to hear from you!
If you have feedback
you believe would enhance the power of this service, we want to
know about it. If you have questions, would like to provide your
comments on the site, suggestions for how we could improve it, or
things you like best about WineCommune, please feel free to contact
us.
Thank you for your Membership
We welcome you to WineCommune
and hope that you like your community experience here, above all,
while enjoying the freedom of buying and selling.
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