Why Cavacave?
Cavacave was born four years ago with the ambition to "disintermediate" the exchange of fine and collection wines. Indeed, an exceptional bottle spends an average of 10 times hand-to-hand before being consumed. With Cavacave.com, we want to bring the seller closer to the end customer, in a cordial and friendly environment.
We talk about wines, which is the most beautiful product in the world for bringing people of all cultures together to share in an experience. As a result, our service, although 100% digital, includes a significant proportion of direct relationships with our buyers and sellers customers on a daily basis.
What sort of clientele do you have?
Initially, the service's clients were private amateur collectors. Our Chinese customers, among others, were enticed by the idea of acquiring bottles straight out of the cellars of French individuals who had carefully preserved their bottles, for years, with the greatest care. Today, professionals are increasingly present on the platform, both as buyers and sellers.
Our buyers are from more than twenty countries. 70% of the value of sales come from Asia with the majority coming from Hong Kong. Europe and then North America follow.
How do you ensure transactions are secure?
Each buyer or seller creates an account on Cavacave.com, automatically opening an online account. After the auction, the buyer pays by credit card or bank transfer. The funds are secured on their digital account. The seller ships their bottles and is paid only when the bottles are received. Thus, the seller is guaranteed to be paid and the buyer to receive his bottle.
How do you position yourself in relation to traditional auction houses?
We show great agility and velocity. For example, a novice seller contacts us on a Friday because they want to sell a 2013 bottle of Romanée Conti. By Sunday, the bottle is online with the sale lasting one week. The seller is then paid within 2 weeks.
· Our catalogues are kept small (around 100 lots) and frequent (3 sales per month).
· Our commissions are reduced to 9% buyers and 9% sellers. There are no hidden fees.
· Bottles are only transported once sold to ensure good storage and limited travel.
What types of services do you offer around sales?
We assist buyers and sellers throughout the sales process. Whether it is helping sellers in publishing their lots, taking in-situ photos or shipping the lots sold.
For our foreign buyers, it is not uncommon to group lots they have successfully bid on at auction, store them for free in a professional and secure cellar in Paris, and organise group shipments anywhere in the world, upon request.
Our mission is to make transactions quick, easy and secure.
If you had something to say to the users of Barnebys?
I invite you to visit Cavacave.com to discover our online catalogue. The current sale will close next Monday, 13th February at 11:00 (CET).
Our teams are at your disposal to answer all your questions in French and English in a personalised way thanks to the chat proposed on the site or by email at auctions@cavacave.com.
