Terms of Service & Sale Consignment Agreement

1. The Consignment Service & Licensed Seller of Record

Southwest Spirits ("SWS", "we", "us") operates as a UK-licensed alcohol retailer under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003. Private individuals in the United Kingdom cannot lawfully sell alcoholic beverages to consumers without holding a Personal Licence and an appropriate Premises Licence.

When you ("Consignor" or "Seller") list a bottle through our platform, you appoint Southwest Spirits to act as your authorized licensed seller of record. Legal title transfers through Southwest Spirits to the buyer only upon successful physical verification and completed purchase.

2. Pricing Structure: 0% Commission & Flat £4.99 Listing Fee

Unlike traditional auction houses that deduct 15% to 25% in seller commissions and buyer premiums, Southwest Spirits operates a fair, transparent pricing model:

• 0% Sales Commission: We deduct zero percentage commission from your bottle's sale price.
• Flat £4.99 Listing Fee & Payment Processing (Deducted Only Upon Successful Sale): You pay £0 upfront to list your bottle. Upon a successful sale, our flat £4.99 listing fee plus direct payment processing costs (£0.20 + 1.9% via Stripe) are deducted from your final payout, eliminating upfront risk while keeping our marketplace curated for genuine collectible spirits.
• Direct Website & Social Syndication: All approved consignments are published directly to the Southwest Spirits marketplace and syndicated to our collector Facebook Group and Instagram channels.

3. Evri Single-Bottle Only Policy (Mandatory Transit Rule)

Under UK courier terms (including Evri and royal mail carriers), parcel insurance and transit regulations strictly restrict glass spirit shipments to a maximum of one (1) bottle per parcel carton.

Sellers must list bottles individually. Listings containing multiple bottles, bundles, sets, or cases in a single package are prohibited and will be rejected to protect consignors against transit breakages and uninsurable losses.

4. Two-Stage Delivery Process & £11.99 Flat Shipping Fee

To safeguard authenticity and eliminate counterfeit or altered spirits, all purchases operate via our two-stage transit model:

1. Leg 1 (Seller → Cornish Hub): Upon confirmed sale, Southwest Spirits generates an automated prepaid Evri tracked return label and Print-In-Store QR code sent directly to the seller. The seller drops the packaged bottle at any Evri ParcelShop or Locker.
2. Physical Verification & Repackaging: Our specialists physically inspect the capsule, seal, fill level, label, and packaging against photographic records. The bottle is repacked into specialized, drop-tested inflatable air cushions.
3. Leg 2 (Cornish Hub → Buyer): The verified parcel is dispatched to the buyer via tracked age-verified delivery.

Postage Responsibility: The flat transit fee of £11.99 covers both delivery legs. By default, the buyer pays this fee at checkout. Alternatively, the seller may choose to offer "Free Shipping" to the buyer, in which case £11.99 is deducted from the seller's final sale payout.

5. Seller Representations & Bottle Authenticity

By listing a bottle, the Seller warrants and represents that:

• They are aged 18 years or older.
• They are the sole legal owner of the bottle with unencumbered right to sell.
• The bottle is duty-paid UK alcohol, authentic, sealed, unopened, and matches all submitted photographs.
• They will securely retain the bottle in a temperature-stable environment until sale and dispatch it promptly within three (3) business days of being notified of a sale.

6. Payout Timeline

Proceeds are disbursed to the seller via direct UK bank transfer following physical verification at our Cornish premises, successful age-verified delivery to the buyer, and the conclusion of the statutory 14-day returns period.

7. Mandatory Age Verification (18+)

In strict compliance with the UK Licensing Act 2003, alcohol will never be sold or delivered to anyone under 18 years of age. Couriers are instructed to require an adult signature and verify government photo identification (Challenge 25) upon delivery.