Published by Press release
SEATTLE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — WineBid, the world’s very first and largest online wine auction marketplace, proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary this year in the autumn of 2021. With twenty-five years of innovating in the wine re-commerce market, WineBid continues to expand with new team members with experience in both fine wine and ecommerce, and extends its long-standing commitment to authenticity, quality, trust, innovation, and a mission to help everyone, everywhere share great experiences through wine.
Founded in 1996 by Chuck Parsons, a wine and auto racing enthusiast, WineBid began in a garage with two employees and Parson’s 10,000-bottle collection of wine. Fortuitous timing matched the rise of internet commerce that saw Amazon and eBay founded at the same moment, and WineBid immediately attracted a dedicated clientele.
As the company grew, Parsons moved WineBid from his Chicago garage to Napa, California where its growth took off near the turn of the millennia. WineBid recruited experienced auction professionals and expanded to Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia. In 1999, WineBid partnered with the Napa Valley Wine Auction to help raise millions for charity and created the first online wine futures marketplace featuring top Napa Valley wines.
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Today, WineBid is among the top wine auction companies in the world, with the broadest ranges of sellers and wines, and the most online bidders of any platform. Its success is built on a commitment to implementing new technologies to make the selling and buying experience both seamless and enjoyable for clients. For private individuals wishing to sell wine, WineBid has created the largest global online audience and buyer base of wine enthusiasts who bid weekly on wines with an individual bottle value of up to and over $10,000.
For these “sellers with cellars,” WineBid also offers the most comprehensive and up to date wine cellar valuation information, the most convenient concierge logistics services, and the fastest time to market and time to cash. For buyers, WineBid has led with authenticity and trust, including the most detailed condition inspection notes and provenance descriptions, and the most high-resolution photos and 360 BottleShots for most wines on the site. WineBid originated the idea of weekly wine auctions and continues to introduce new auction gamification features like Overtime Bidding. Beyond the auction functionality itself, the company has continued to innovate around the end-to-end experience, including highly customizable online cellar valuation tools, as well as some of the most advanced storage and shipping functionality in the wine business.
“Over the past 25 years, WineBid has continually set the standard for online wine auctions, and created processes and technologies for inspection, authentication and pricing now imitated in other luxury re-commerce marketplaces,” notes WineBid CEO Russ Mann. “The next 25 years will be equally eventful and rewarding for wine collectors and enthusiasts globally, as WineBid supports and promotes both an increasing diversity of wines coming to market, an even broader and more diverse base of customers seeking those products, and even more convenient, engaging, and fun buying and winning experiences.”
Now headquartered in Seattle and owned by Third Leaf Partners, a global beverage and luxury hospitality investment company, WineBid continues to pursue its mission with weekly online auctions of 5,000+ wines, a French Direct import program, and a growing team of account managers working with consignors across the country and globe.
SOURCE WineBid
