USWineAuction.com (USWA), a licensed peer-to-peer auction platform, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Yahoo Auctions to serve as its exclusive seller of wine on the site. Yahoo Auctions will provide USWA with distribution and promotion across the Yahoo Shopping network, the second largest e-commerce site on the Web.
USWA hosts both online and offline auctions and has relationships with wineries, retailers, wholesalers and individual consignees. Individual consignees must first send their wines to the USWA's temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouse for visual inspection and condition assessment prior to selling through USWA. This adds a level of professional assessment and authentication to the consignment process. Wine enthusiasts and collectors can register to sell or bid on wine by going to USWineAuction.com or by linking directly from the Yahoo Auction site. Founded in 1998, USWA has conducted 14 live auctions and began auctioning wines over the Internet in 1999.
In November 2001, eBay announced a test of wine-selling on its site using New Vine Logistics and Winetasting.com.
