Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How To Sell Homemade Wine Legally

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Do I Need A Business License To Sell Crafts On Facebook

Can You Legally Sell Homemade Wine? | Season 1, Episode 7 | What you need to know to sell wine!

If youre required by law to have a business license to sell your handmade goods, youll need one before you start selling on Facebook. Selling crafts on Facebook is similar to selling crafts through Etsy or craft fairs. Facebook isnt checking to ensure your business has the proper business licenses and permits before youre allowed to set up a Facebook page.

However, when you put your craft business online, it has the potential to be exposed to a lot more people.

This is great for making more sales not so great if you dont have a business license yet and are required to have one. More exposure means more opportunities for your craft business to be caught operating without the proper licenses.

You also must consider that Facebook may introduce your business to customers outside of your state. Its unlikely youre going to turn down a sale because a customer lives a state or two over, so you must be aware of tax laws and charge and remit sales tax properly .

That means following local tax laws as well as the laws of any states youre shipping your products to.

You also want to have a safe and secure way to sell your crafts through Facebook and accept customers money. You may want to look at a platform like Ecwid, which allows you to create listings and then sync those listings with a Facebook page, Instagram account, website, marketplace, or even accept payments in-person.

1 JURISDICTION

2 WHAT YOU SELL

3 BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

4 FINANCIALS

Sell Vintage Wine Online

Vintage wine is a popular niche of the already booming wine industry. The definition of vintage wine is any wine of which grapes were grown, harvested, and fermented in a single year. Some vintage wines have grapes from different harvests, but most are from a single harvest.

Vintage wine generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually in the US with strong growth predicted. Because wine is generally considered better the older it is, this keeps the vintage wine market strong at all times.

Here are our recommended strategies for selling vintage wine online:

  • Get active on collectorsâ forums. Wine is a bit of a collectorâs sport for many adults. Some enjoy buying vintage wine to eventually consume it others buy it to build their wine portfolio. There are many people who will consider your wine if they know youâre selling it.
  • Look for organizations willing to buy it. Some companies purchase vintage wine to sell it at a profit later on. Conduct your own research to ensure that youâre getting maximum value for your wine.
  • Stay persistent. Thereâs a buyer for just about everything in todayâs world if you know where to look. Marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist still offer the sale of wine. These sites are visited by millions of collectors and enthusiasts looking for their next amazing purchase.

Do You Need A Business License To Sell At Craft Shows

You will more than likely need a business license to sell at craft shows. You can go over the list below to determine if your business requires a business license, and if it does, you definitely want to apply for one before you start apply to and selling at craft shows.

You may have the craft show organizer checking to make sure you have the proper business licenses, permits, and tax ID number before theyll accept you as a vendor.

As explained in LAWS FOR SELLING HANDMADE, each state/province will have its own set of rules you must follow, which vary depending on where you operate your business and where you sell your products .

Even if the craft show organizer doesnt require proof of the proper licenses and permits, youll want to be sure you have them for each craft show.

You may have a city inspector stop by your booth and start asking questions about where you operate your handmade business, how you label your products, if youre charging sales tax, etc.

You may even get a competitor who has already jumped through all the license and permit hoops and spent money getting set up properly, and now they want to ensure youre not getting away scot-free. They may report your business to the city if they think youre operating without the proper business licenses and permits.

Read Also: Wine Shipping To Massachusetts

Write A Business Plan

A business plan is a comprehensive document that details and guides all of your core business activities. It prepares you for the multitude of business decisions youâll need to make and uncovers any weak spots that need to be addressed.

An eCommerce business plan is even more important to an online venture than an offline one. Youâll need to establish a clear and compelling roadmap for all of your business activities.

Your business plan should include the following:

  • Business purpose and mission statement
  • Products and/or services offered
  • Sales plan and projected quarterly revenue

Whats The Value Of Your Wine

Can You Legally Sell Homemade Wine?

Collectible fine wine has inherent value and real value. Inherent value comes from the wine itself. The way it was made, including the terroir on which the grapes were grown, the classification of the wine, the producers reputation, and the techniques the winemakers used to process the grapes all give the wine inherent value. Real value comes from what happens after the wine is already bottled, such as how it was stored and how many owners it has had in its lifetime.

A wine must have both of these types of value in order to sell for the highest profit. Look at the list of qualities below, and count how many accurately describe your wine:

Recommended Reading: Lower Calorie Red Wine

Selling Wine Guide To How When Where And Why Of Selling Your Wine

Most people start buying and collecting wine because they love it. Some of those buyers, eventually purchases more wine than they could ever drink. Or they age out of their cellar. Perhaps some wines that you bought in their youth have appreciated so much in price, they are beyond the price you feel OK about opening.

Maybe, there are wines you once were quite fond of, but they are no longer the style of wine you like to drink. There are also some wine collectors that just need the money for any number of reasons.

If youre thinking of selling some, or all of your wines, there are several different ways to go about it. What you want is of course, to get the highest price possible when selling your wine This article is going to help you get the maximum amount of money for your wine.

How to Sell your Wine is going to depend on a few things. Most importantly, the type of wine you have collected, the amount of wine you have for sale, the provenance of your wine, the value of your wine cellar and how quickly you need to sell.

When is the Best Time to Sell your Wine? The simple answer is, when you need to money. Or if you have run out of room, or when youre motivated to do so for any number of reasons.

Who Should I sell my Wine to? Part of the answer depends on two things, the total value of the wines you have for sale, and how fast do you need or just want the money?

Do I Need A Business License To Sell Handmade Items

Disclaimer: Im not a lawyer by profession and nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice. Although I strive to provide accurate general information, the information presented here is not a substitute for any kind of professional advice or free from errors, and you should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in the area for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any professional, business, legal, and financial or tax-related decisions. This information is also not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. If you require legal or other expert advice, you should seek the services of a competent attorney or other professional. I am not liable or responsible for any damages resulting from or related to your use of this information.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means Ill receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

Whether or not your handmade business needs a business license to operate is a common question and a topic surrounded by a lot of confusion. And thats becauseit depends.

Im going to shed a bit of light on the subject and related subjects.

If youd like more in-depth answers and a guide to other laws you must follow as a handmade business, you can download:

Read Also: Buy Wine Yeast Near Me

Who Should Consider Trying To Sell Their Own Wine

If you live in the United States, and are still thinking about making and selling your own wine, here are some general questions to ask yourself.

  • Are you willing to pay for a commercial facility?
  • Are you willing to purchase professional, commercial-grade supplies?
  • Are you willing to pay for the licensing required to do it legally?
  • Are you ready to go through all of the legal red-tape?

If you cannot answer yes’ to these questions, than odds are good that trying to sell your own wine is not going to really work out as a side hustle for you.

There are A LOT of people who sell their homemade wine anyway. You might here these people say things like

  • Nobody is ever going to catch me
  • My operation is so small the government won’t even find out about it
  • The government can’t even prove that I’m selling wine
  • As long as I’m not making very much money, I’ll fly under the radar
  • If I just trade’ my wine for other things, or receive donations’ in return for it, that doesn’t count as selling’

But each one of these statements is untrue. The simple fact of the matter is that, yes, some people might get away with selling homemade wine without the proper licensing for a while just like someone might get away with speeding or under-reporting their income for a while.

Avoiding unnecessary legal entanglements is the best idea for any entrepreneur or side-hustler!

Can I Sell Wine On Ebay

HOW TO SELL WINE/ALCOHOL ONLINE LEGALLY- CAN YOU SELL WINE ONLINE, REALLY? ( NEW )

Yes, but only if youre an eBay-approved wine seller.

In order to become a licensed wine seller on eBay, you must first upload a copy of your alcohol license.

You must also abide by all requirements listed on eBays guidelines for selling wine.

Once approved, you must include the following in each listing:

  • Your shipping policy, including which states you can ship to as well as any shipment restrictions
  • Your states buyer eligibility requirements e.g., whether or not buyers can receive shipments directly or have to pick up their order elsewhere
  • The buyers age requirement
  • Indication you have been approved by eBay to sell wine

Also Check: Gluten Free Wine Brands List

How To Apply For A Liquor License In India

As each state in India has its own set of liquor laws, rules, and regulations, it is important to have a thorough knowledge of the liquor laws prevailing in your state before applying for a liquor license. Since liquor laws of the state are laid down by the State Excise Department, anyone wishing to obtain a liquor license can inquire about the same by:

  • Visiting the website of the State Excise Department,

  • Physically visiting the licensing authority

  • Physically visiting nearby liquor shops.

Once you have a fair idea about the prevailing liquor laws, rules, and regulations of your state, you can decide the type and class of license you need to apply for. The general classes of license include:

  • Beer and Wine License

  • Tavern Liquor License

  • Brewpub Liquor License

The third thing you need to figure out is the cost of your preferred liquor license as per your state laws. To have a fair idea about the cost of obtaining a liquor license in your state, along with other relevant information, you can visit the website of your State Excise Department. For example, people wishing to obtain a Liquor License in Delhi can visit the website of the Delhi State Excise Department.

Once you have all the information about the cost and documents required to obtain your preferred liquor license, follow the given steps to apply for a Liquor License in India,

Shipping Via Personal Sales

Furthermore, its important to note that it is illegal in all states for a consumer to personally ship wine to someone else. If you were hoping to sell wine on eBay, you should know that its illegal except for pre-approved sellers. And listing alcohol on Craigslist is forbidden, with no exceptions.

Recommended Reading: Who Sells Total Wine Gift Cards

Create A Brand That Appeals To Your Audience

Your brand consists of all the elements that make up your company’s identityfrom your name and your logo to your about page and website layout. Choose a site layout template that works for your brand. As you learn more about how to build a wines ecommerce website, you’ll find that customers want to create a visceral connection with your company. The more you can inspire that through your branding elements, the more loyal your customers will become.

Choose A Software Platform That Has Aged Well

Is it Legal to sell Homemade Wine in India ?

Experience is an important part of choosing a business partner. As an online merchant, partnering with an experience vendor is absolutely critical for the success of your business. Ecommerce is a relatively young field, and an experienced partner means someone who has been there since the beginning.

Read Also: Gluten Free Wines List

Can I Sell Other Types Of Alcohol Online

Yes, as long as you abide by the laws in the state from which youre shipping as well as the state to which youre shipping.

Every state has its own laws about selling alcohol online, including which certifications and licenses it requires as well as which types of alcohol can be sold and the maximum volume that can be shipped.

Promote Your Wine Store

Once your website has been designed and you have included all the details and photos of your wines, start promoting your online wines store. Try submitting your products to Wine-Searcher.com and to WineZap these marketplaces will help you get traffic right away and start selling online. A Wine of the Day deal is a very effective promotional campaign, where a specific wine is offered at a heavily discounted price with the purpose of growing your customer base. In the same way, a group deal can help your business go viral.

Recommended Reading: Is White Wine Keto Friendly

What You Need To Consider Before Selling Your Wine

Firstly, there are legal hurdles to overcome: primarily that you will find it very hard to sell wine without an alcohol licence. You also have an obligation to go through all sorts of other legal hoops to ensure that the person receiving the delivered bottle is aged over 18.

If you sell a bottle or a case of wine online, you also need to think of how you would get it to the purchaser. You could just sell to people who live locally, who can actually come and pick it up in person, but this severely limits the potential purchasers you can reach.

Offer it to everyone, regardless of distance, and youll have to pack it up and send it via courier to its destination. Every courier has different rules about carrying alcohol and liquids, but you can expect to pay a premium to guarantee safe delivery of delicate glass bottles, as well as having to pack it really well to avoid breakage.

There is also the risk of your purchaser not being happy with what they receive. What if there is a breakage? or the wine turns out to be corked? Maybe the purchaser decides he or she doesnt like what they bought? These are all complications you could happily do without. The London Wine cellar removes all of these niggling hurdles, making selling wine effortless from the free nationwide collection to speedy payment.

Using WordPress With An Ecommerce Plugin

How To Sell Wine Online

Whereas an ecommerce builder sets some creative boundaries through its templates, WordPress when equipped with its top ecommerce plugin, WooCommerce offers unlimited creative freedom, but only if you know how to code. WooCommerce is less of a ready-out-of-the-box solution than a website builder, but it does enable you to create a truly bespoke online store.

WooCommerce is known as an open source software its free to install, but youll need to find and pay for your own web hosting, security, and website themes. Thats really simple to do, however.

If you like the sound of WordPress and WooCommerce, then youll need to find a hosting provider. WordPress itself recommends Bluehost as the best option, and we totally agree. It comes with WooCommerce-specific price plans to make your life much easier, and it boasts a brilliant server uptime to ensure your alcohol website never has any performance hiccups.

Do you wish someone would just tell you exactly which online store builder you should use? Youre in luck! Our quick and easy quiz gives you a personalized recommendation, so youll know exactly which one is best for your needs. Click below to get started

Recommended Reading: Cabernet Grape Vines For Sale

How To Sell Rare Wine

Selling rare wine is best done by going through an auction house or broker. This is because rare wines should be evaluated and priced by professionals to ensure you make a profit. They also take most of the risk on themselves, so you’ll be protected if something goes wrong.

Reach out to experienced companies first to get a rough valuation of your wine or collection. Factor in seller’s fees as well, then pick whoever you feel will do the best job of making you money. Then sit back, and wait for them to do the hard work.

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