Sell your fine wine & spirits with K&L
The only number that matters is what reaches you. Commissions and fees vary from one auction house to the next, and hammer prices move. What counts is how much ends up in your hands. Our rates are listed below, with a calculator to estimate your proceeds.
Why sell with K&L?
10%
Buyer’s premium on wine
Lower than many auction houses (15% on spirits). Bidding costs less here, so more people bid, and they bid higher.
0%
Seller’s commission with store credit
Take your proceeds as K&L store credit and pay no seller’s commission. Consignments above $50,000 also earn a 5% bonus. The $8 lot fee still applies.
10 days
To receive payment
Once the buyer has paid for your lot, request payment whenever you’re ready. It arrives within 10 business days of your request.
$0
Charged on unsold lots
If a lot doesn’t sell, you pay no commission and no lot fee.
Estimate your proceeds
Enter what you expect your wine to sell for at auction (the hammer total) and how many lots it will be listed as. Figures use K&L’s wine rates. Spirits have a flat 5% seller’s commission. An industry-low 10% buyer’s premium on wine means bidding costs less, so more people bid, and they bid higher. Buyers pay the premium on top of the hammer price (15% on spirits). It is not deducted from your proceeds.
$
Paid in cash
$89,200.00
Less 10% seller’s commission ($10,000.00) and the $8 lot fee × 100 lots ($800.00).
Taken as store credit
$104,200.00
No seller’s commission. Plus a 5% bonus ($5,000.00), less the $8 lot fee × 100 lots ($800.00).
An estimate, not an offer. It assumes every lot sells. Your advisor confirms per-bottle price ranges and reserves before anything is listed.
Two ways to sell
Not sure which option is right for you? Our Auction & Acquisition advisors can recommend the best approach for your collection.
Auction consignment
Reach K&L’s established audience of wine and spirits buyers through competitive bidding.
Direct purchase
Receive a purchase offer from K&L for qualifying wines based on current market conditions. K&L buys wine only; spirits are sold at auction.
How it works
Your advisor keeps you updated at every step.
Tell us what you’re selling
Upload your spreadsheet or cellar-tracking export, or start from the K&L template. Just a few bottles? Enter them one by one.
Confirm your email to send it
We email you a one-time code so your advisor can reach you. If you have a K&L account, sign in with it instead.
We estimate and propose terms
An advisor contacts you within two business days, then sends a free estimate with per-bottle price ranges, suggested reserves, and a recommendation on auction or a direct offer.
We collect the wine
We arrange pickup or shipping, or you drop it at any K&L store. Wine already stored with RareStorage, our storage partner, stays where it is.
We inspect, photograph and catalog
Every bottle is inspected and individually photographed, and condition is described honestly.
Auction lots go live
Wine lots are open for bidding for 7 days, and spirits lots for 14. Follow each one on klwines.com.
Take payment, or take credit
Once the buyer has paid, request payment and receive it within 10 business days, or take store credit with no seller’s commission.
Request an estimate
Send us your list, however rough. A K&L auction advisor will review it and recommend auction or a direct offer. Estimates are free and commit you to nothing.
Prefer to email? Send your list to [email protected].
Selling is rarely the whole conversation
Most collectors releasing part of a cellar are still building the rest of it, and most are paying someone to hold it. We can help with both, which is why the proceeds rarely have to leave.
Still collecting? Take store credit with no seller’s commission, and let our Private Client team source what’s next.
A named advisor, direct imports, producer allocations and the old and rare bottles that never reach a shelf.
Not ready to sell it all at once? Keep the rest in storage, ready to list whenever you are.
Full-service wine and spirits storage through our partner RareStorage from $9.50 a month, with the first 60 days complimentary on anything you buy at K&L. Wine held there sells without ever being packed or shipped.
Reserves, terms and what we accept
K&L Wine Merchants accepts sought-after wine and spirits that have been properly stored. A K&L auction advisor may ask for receipts or documentation, and K&L inspects and photographs every bottle before listing it.
As of November 2026, K&L Wine Merchants has no minimum collection size or value. Single bottles and items received as gifts are generally not accepted. If a collection is better suited to another seller, a K&L advisor will say so before accepting it.
On wine, K&L’s seller’s commission is 17%, 15% or 10%, set by the total value of the consignment, plus $8 for each lot that sells. Spirits carry a flat 5% seller’s commission. Taking proceeds as K&L store credit reduces the commission to 0%, with a 5% bonus on consignments above $50,000. The $8 lot fee applies to every lot that sells, however the seller is paid. Nothing is charged on lots that do not sell.
| Consignment type or value | Seller’s commission |
|---|---|
| Wine, under $10,000 | 17% |
| Wine, $10,000 to $50,000 | 15% |
| Wine, over $50,000 | 10% |
| Spirits | 5% flat |
| Paid as K&L store credit | 0%, plus a 5% bonus on consignments over $50,000 |
| Lot fee | $8 per lot that sells, on cash or store credit |
Buyers pay a premium on top of the hammer price, 10% on wine and 15% on spirits. It is not deducted from the seller’s proceeds.
Nothing is charged on an unsold lot: no commission and no $8 lot fee. The seller can relist the lot or have it returned, and K&L may offer to buy it.
Drop it off at a K&L store with the auction lot drop-off form, and K&L takes it to the auction department. For sellers near a store, that is usually the most cost-effective option. K&L is adding drop-off and pickup locations; a K&L auction advisor can say what is closest and schedule a drop-off.
Sellers can also ship to K&L at their own expense, and an advisor can recommend shipping services and rates. Require a signature on delivery. Any shipping K&L arranges for a seller, including returning unsold lots to a seller who is not local, is deducted from the proceeds. Wine already in RareStorage does not need to move.
Before K&L accepts a collection for auction, the seller signs the Auction Consignment Form and agrees to the K&L Auction Terms and Conditions of Auction Sale. The Seller’s Agreement sets out every cost, term and condition, and is the entire contract between the seller and K&L.
K&L catalogs, photographs and lists wine already held by RareStorage, K&L’s storage partner, where it sits, with no packing, no freight, and nothing crossing a state line to be sold.
K&L wine lots open daily and run for 7 days. Spirits lots list on the 1st and 15th of each month and run for 14 days. Once the buyer has paid for a lot, the seller can request payment at any time and receives it within 10 business days of the request.
A reserve is the lowest price a seller will accept for a lot. The seller’s K&L advisor sets each reserve based on current market pricing and trends, and the seller approves it before anything is listed.
Yes. K&L Wine Merchants buys wine collections directly, priced against current market conditions, K&L’s sales record for the wine, and its condition and provenance. Payment is by ACH, check or store credit once the wine is received and inspected, and any price adjustment is put to the seller for approval before it is made. K&L is not currently buying spirits outright; spirits are sold at auction.
Estimates are free. A K&L auction advisor contacts the seller within two business days of receiving a request. The estimate itself, with per-bottle price ranges, suggested reserves and a recommendation on auction or a direct offer, may take longer depending on the size of the collection. Requesting an estimate commits the seller to nothing.