Just Whisky Auctions made one decision that sets it apart from most whisky auction houses: it takes nothing from the seller at all decided to take nothing from the seller at all. Sellers pay 0% commission and a flat £7.50 per bottle, and that single decision is the main reason the platform keeps turning up in conversations about where to offload a collection without watching the fees eat the upside.
This is a specialist whisky auctioneer, not a general marketplace with a spirits category bolted on. If you are trying to buy a bottle of Macallan, Springbank, Dalmore, or a hard-to-find Japanese release, or you want to sell one without giving away a chunk of the hammer price, here is how it works and whether it is the right room for you.
Who is Just Whisky and why the 0% model matters
Just Whisky Ltd is a UK-based auction house that has been trading in whisky since 2007. It runs one specialist online auction every month and has put more than 158,000 finished lots through its database, so this is an established operation with real depth, not a new entrant testing the water.
The headline is the fee structure. On most rival platforms a seller pays a commission of anywhere from 5% to 15% of the hammer price. At Just Whisky the seller commission is fixed at 0%. Instead you pay a flat entry fee of £7.50 per bottle (plus VAT for UK sellers), and an optional reserve costs a further £7.50 per item if you want to set a floor.
The maths is straightforward. On a bottle that hammers at £600, a 10% commission house takes £60. Just Whisky takes £7.50. On a large collection that difference compounds quickly, which is why the model appeals to people clearing a cabinet or an estate rather than flipping a single bottle.
How the monthly auction works
Auctions run once a month and stay open for roughly five days. Bidding typically opens at 5pm UK time, and lots are scheduled to close from 8pm UK time on the final day. Time-extension software pushes the close back if a bid lands in the dying seconds, so the platform behaves fairly when a lot gets competitive at the end.
To bid you need an account, which carries a one-off £5 registration fee paid by card. That gives you lifetime access to bid in every future auction.
What it costs to sell
The selling process is built to be low-friction. You send your bottles in, the team handles photography and lot descriptions, and your whisky goes into the next auction.
Seller commission: 0% Entry fee: £7.50 per bottle (+VAT for UK sellers) Optional reserve: £7.50 per item (+VAT for UK sellers) Payment: typically 7 to 10 days after the auction, guaranteed within 21 working days Payout options: direct to your bank, or into a Just Whisky Wallet to spend on future lots
Getting bottles there is flexible. You can arrange a courier collection through the platform’s shipping partners, DHL and DPD, or drop bottles off in person, where there is free parking. For casks, the team handles the paperwork and ownership transfer, the sale is conducted anonymously, and cask sales also carry 0% seller commission.
What it costs to buy
Buyers pay a buyer’s premium on top of the winning bid, historically around 12% of the hammer price, alongside the one-off £5 registration fee. Confirm the current rate at checkout, as the premium is the number most likely to change.
A few details worth knowing before you bid. A 3% surcharge applies to credit card payments made with non-UK and non-EU cards. Optional shipping insurance is available at 3% of the winning bid, which is worth taking on anything rare or fragile. Payment for won lots is due within three days of the auction closing.
What you will actually find in the catalogue
The focus is rare and collectible Scotch, with bourbon and Japanese whisky alongside it. Expect the names that drive the secondary market, Macallan, Springbank, Dalmore, and a steady supply of Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings, identified by the society’s distillery-coded numbering. With a monthly cadence and a catalogue that routinely runs to hundreds of lots, there is enough turnover that patient bidders can wait for the right bottle rather than overpaying on the first one they see.
Buying and selling from outside the UK
Just Whisky ships worldwide, with insured shipping available on all lots, and sets monthly price records partly because the bidding audience is international rather than purely domestic. For sellers outside the UK that global reach is the point: a wider pool of bidders is what pushes hammer prices up.
On VAT, the usual auction-house logic applies. No VAT is charged on the hammer price of the whisky itself. VAT and local import duties depend on where the bottle ends up, so international buyers should factor in customs charges in their own country before bidding.
Is it worth using?
For sellers, the 0% commission model is the strongest argument on the UK market, and it is most compelling when you are selling more than one bottle or clearing a collection where the saved commission adds up. The flat £7.50 entry fee and fast payment make the economics easy to understand, which is not always true elsewhere.
For buyers, it is a credible monthly room with genuine depth of stock, and the buyer’s premium sits in the normal range rather than undercutting everyone. You are coming here for the catalogue and the international reach, not for a fee advantage on the buying side.
Who is it not for? If you are selling a single mid-value bottle, the flat entry fee and the effort of shipping may not beat a quick private sale. And if you want a glossy editorial experience wrapped around the auction, this is a working platform that prioritises throughput and price over presentation.
Register and browse the current catalogue at Just Whisky Auctions.
Frequently asked questions
What is Just Whisky Auctions? Just Whisky is a UK-based specialist whisky auction house trading since 2007. It runs one online auction every month, focused on rare and collectible Scotch, bourbon, and Japanese whisky. Its defining feature is 0% seller commission, with sellers instead paying a flat £7.50 entry fee per bottle.
How much does it cost to sell whisky at Just Whisky? Sellers pay 0% commission and a flat entry fee of £7.50 per bottle, plus VAT for UK sellers. An optional reserve price costs a further £7.50 per item. There are no hidden percentage cuts, so on a bottle hammering at £600 you pay £7.50 rather than a percentage-based fee.
How long does Just Whisky take to pay sellers? Payment to sellers is typically completed within 7 to 10 days of the auction ending, and guaranteed within 21 working days. You can choose a direct bank payment or credit a Just Whisky Wallet to spend on future auction purchases.
What does it cost to buy at Just Whisky? Buyers pay a one-off £5 registration fee for lifetime bidding access, plus a buyer’s premium on the hammer price, historically around 12%. A 3% surcharge applies to non-UK and non-EU credit cards, and optional shipping insurance costs 3% of the winning bid. Confirm the live premium at checkout.
Does Just Whisky ship internationally? Yes. Just Whisky ships worldwide with insured shipping available on all lots, and a large share of its bidding audience is international. No VAT is charged on the hammer price, but local customs duties and import charges may apply depending on the destination country.
Can you sell whisky casks at Just Whisky? Yes. Just Whisky handles cask sales as well as bottles. The team manages the paperwork and ownership transfer, the sale is conducted anonymously, and cask sales also carry 0% seller commission, so the seller receives the full hammer price minus standard fees.
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