Your safety is our top priority. Learn how to protect yourself and trade with confidence.
For in-person handovers, always meet in busy, well-lit locations — a wine shop, restaurant, or post office. Never alone in a stranger's home.
For in-person handover: cash. For shipping: only use protected payment services (e.g. PayPal "Goods & Services") or an escrow service for high-value bottles.
Check the label, capsule, fill level, and provenance documents. For rare bottles, verify the serial number or auction record. Only pay once everything checks out.
Message through the sellawine.com inbox as long as possible. The conversation history stays traceable and can be reviewed if a problem arises.
Use a unique, long password. Enable two-factor authentication if available. Log out from shared or public devices after use.
Flag unusual listings, odd requests, or fake payment confirmations via the report button — we investigate every report.
Never pay via Western Union, MoneyGram, crypto, gift cards, or bank transfer to unknown sellers abroad.
Never send bank details, ID copies, account passwords, or TAN codes via email, SMS, WhatsApp, or phone.
sellawine.com, your bank, and PayPal will NEVER ask for SMS codes, authenticator codes, or passwords. Anyone who asks is trying to scam you.
Be wary of links to unfamiliar shipping or escrow companies that supposedly hold your money. It's almost always a trap.
If a seller or buyer pushes you to WhatsApp, Telegram, or an external website to pay — stop and walk away.
Scammers create urgency: "Other buyers are waiting", "only available now." Legitimate sellers give you time to verify.
These scams have appeared in new variations for years. Once you know them, you\'ll recognize them instantly.
The buyer asks to send payment as "Friends & Family" — supposedly to save fees. Problem: there's no buyer protection, and the buyer can later reverse the charge via their bank, leaving you with nothing.
Insist on "Goods & Services" or cash on collection. Better to pay 2% in fees than lose 100%.
You receive a link to a supposed "delivery platform" that will hold your money in escrow. The site looks real but is phishing. As soon as you enter credit card or banking details, they're stolen.
Ship only with DHL, DPD, Hermes, Swiss Post, etc. — directly through their official website or branch office.
A rare bottle at an unbeatable price. The label looks authentic, but the wine is counterfeit — refilled, relabeled, or a replica. Without provenance documents or original purchase records, you have no recourse.
Request provenance documents, original receipts, or auction records. For high-value bottles, use a verified merchant or professional authentication service.
A buyer "accidentally" overpays and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is later reversed (e.g. stolen card) — you're left with the loss.
Never send money back until the original payment is 100% credited and non-reversible. When in doubt: ask your bank.
You receive a message that looks like it's from sellawine.com, your bank, or PayPal: "Verify your account", "Confirm the payment." The link leads to a fake login page.
Don't click links from emails or SMS. Always open platforms directly in your browser and log in there.
A buyer abroad wants your bottle and sends "their own courier." You're asked to pay shipping or insurance fees upfront — which you'll never see again.
Don't front anything. For valuable bottles: hand over in person or use an established, insured shipping service that the buyer pays directly.
Two simple lists for more safety. Print, screenshot, or just keep them in mind.
Screenshot all messages, the listing page, the other party\'s profile, emails and payment receipts as evidence.
Via the report button on sellawine.com or through our contact form — we investigate and block fraudulent accounts.
For transfers, call your bank immediately and try to reverse the payment. The faster, the better.
File a police report online or at the nearest station. With evidence, it takes just a few minutes.
If something feels off, it usually is. Better to miss a deal than fall for a scam. sellawine.com is big enough — the next buyer or seller will come.
