Merlot 101

How do I legally sell and ship two bottles of Marilyn Merlot wine?

I was given both a 1992 bottle and a 1997 bottle (740 mil) of Marilyn Merlot wine by a friend. She wants me to sell them for her to fund her move to Mexico. Ebay and all other sites tell me I have to be an authorized alcohol seller and go through mounds of Texas legislature paperwork. Does anyone know an EASY way for me to sell her bottles of wine? She needs the cash more than she needs to have a collector's item. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Varies from state to state. CLICK ON: http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/LegInfo/Wine/Default.htm
2. You can sell her a pen *for the cost of the wine*, and she gets the wine as a free gift.
3. put them in your car - get in the car yourself - drive it to her house - give her the wine - ask for $20 for gas - wa la - done deal
4. Newspaper ad. ATF is not going after you over two bottles. Advertise them as "collectors item" not to be consumed if you are really worried about it. Don't want to disappoint you, but the two bottles aren't worth a whole lot. Good luck.
5. eBay used to allow anyone to sell wine up until 1999 when they finally got tired of fighting the Government over shipping laws. A new website was born called the wine commune. It is structured exactly the same way eBay is and is very easy for you to list, sell and ship your wine to the high bidder. Follow the link below to register and post your wine.
6. Basically, there is no legal way for you to sell wine without a license to do so. Alcohol is heavily regulated. You may indeed be able to sell your wine on winecommune.com, but not legally. A look at their site will tell you that by registering to sell with them you are basically telling them that you are already licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in your home state. They take no responsibility for your status, nor does selling through them make you legal. Maybe you could find a wine store that would let you sell through them for a piece of the profits. The idea that you could sell something else and give the wine as a gift is a good one except for the fact that you can't legally ship wine without a license either. Any way you look at it, some law (or laws) will be broken in order to accomplish this favor for your friend. Good luck!