Buyer Protection

The four steps of Buyer Protection

1. Find your desired whisky

2. Purchase securely with Buyer Protection

3. Receive your new whisky

4. 7 days to check it, then the seller is paid

Two possible outcomes

On a deal paid with Buyer Protection, a buyer ends up in one of two scenarios:

You receive the bottle you ordered…

The seller ships the bottle or hands it over, and 7 days after it reaches you, we pay the seller. If everything is in order, you can release the payment sooner.

…or you receive your money back.

If the seller cannot deliver the item, or if something goes significantly wrong with the transaction, the payment we are holding is refunded to you.

In both cases, the goal is the same: a safe, predictable outcome.

Using Buyer Protection

Every listing from a seller who has verified their identity offers it; in the listings overview they carry a gold shield on their photo. You choose it as the payment method when you make an offer, and you can switch to it at any time until the terms are accepted. The choice is yours: the seller cannot change it, only decline the deal.

It costs the buyer 3% of the item price, added on top of the item and the shipping, and the seller 3% of the item price, withheld from the payout once the sale completes. Neither is charged on shipping. Both of you see the fees in the negotiation as soon as Buyer Protection is chosen.

With a private payment you pay the seller directly instead — by bank transfer, in cash at the handover, or however the two of you agree — and neither fee applies: the money never passes through WannaWhisky, so there is nothing for us to hold, to release or to refund. A seller who is not verified cannot offer Buyer Protection, and if you agree to have such a seller ship the bottle, the negotiation warns you that the payment is not protected.

How long we hold the payment

From the moment you pay until 7 days after you receive the bottle, counted from the delivery date you give when you confirm receipt. After an in-person handover, the 7 days run from the agreed time of the handover, and you are expected to examine the bottle there.

If the seller has shipped and you never confirm delivery, the seller is paid 14 days after the shipment date they confirmed. Not confirming does not give you longer to inspect: the 7 days still run from the day the bottle arrived, and in a dispute we may ask both of you for evidence of when it was delivered, such as the carrier’s tracking.

If you report a problem before the seller is paid, the payment stays held until the dispute is decided.

Releasing the payment early

When everything is in order, you don’t have to wait. Once you have confirmed receipt, or after an in-person handover once you have both confirmed that it took place, you can press All good, release payment on the order page.

That finalises the sale: the seller is paid straight away, and you can no longer open a dispute on that order. Do this only when you are confident that the order was fulfilled correctly.

Where your payment is held

Your payment is processed by Stripe, our payment provider, and held by Stripe on WannaWhisky’s behalf until it is paid out to the seller or refunded to you. Wherever this site says that we hold your payment, that is what it means.

What the refund covers

If a refund is issued, it includes:

• The purchase price of the bottle
• The original shipping costs, if the seller was at fault

It does not include:

• The Buyer Protection fee — 3% of the item price — which covers the costs of providing the service.

Where the bottle was delivered, it goes back to the seller first, and the full refund is paid once the seller has confirmed that it is back. The return shipment is paid by the seller if they were at fault, and otherwise by you. The decision says when the refund is made.

When Buyer Protection applies

Buyer Protection helps in situations such as:

• The seller cannot ship the item
• The item is lost during shipping
• A dispute arises and the case is resolved in the buyer’s favour

Our Refunds, Returns & Disputes policy and Terms and conditions apply, and both parties must follow the necessary steps and instructions.

When something goes wrong

Report it from the order page before the seller is paid, with photos. We review what both of you provide and decide: the payment goes to the seller, or all or part of it comes back to you. We do not read your conversation with the other party, so if something you agreed there matters, include it in your account. Both of you receive the decision with our reasoning in writing, on the order page and by email.

There is one appeal per dispute, which either of you can make within 48 hours, with a reason. No payment goes to the seller within those 48 hours, and the decision on appeal is final as far as the held payment is concerned. Our issue resolution guide explains each step.

Once the seller has been paid, we no longer hold any money and cannot refund it. Your legal rights against the seller remain, for example if a counterfeit only comes to light later.

What it does for the seller

Buyer Protection is named after the buyer, but sellers gain from it too.

• The money is there first. The buyer has paid, and the payment is held, before you ship the bottle or hand it over.
• A sale is more likely. A buyer who knows their money is safe is more willing to go ahead, especially with an expensive bottle.
• A dispute is decided on evidence. A refund needs a valid reason, and a delivered bottle comes back to you before a full refund is paid.

Your listings offer it once you have verified your identity. Your fee is withheld from the payout, so you only pay it on a completed sale.

Why holding the payment matters

Holding the payment ensures:

• Sellers know payment is secured before shipping
• Buyers know their money is safe until the bottle has arrived
• Disputes can be resolved fairly, with clear documentation

This approach significantly reduces fraud risk and provides peace of mind throughout the transaction.