Your purchase is always protected
Every Vine & Hammer transaction is escrow-protected. You never release funds until you’re satisfied with your wine.
100% Escrow Protected
When you win an auction on Vine & Hammer, your payment is held securely by Stripe — one of the world’s most trusted payment platforms. The seller cannot access your funds until you confirm that your wine has arrived in the described condition.
How escrow protection works
Escrow is a financial arrangement where a trusted third party holds funds until both parties fulfil their obligations. Here’s how it works on Vine & Hammer:
If you don’t confirm within 5 days of delivery, funds are released automatically — so sellers aren’t kept waiting indefinitely.
What you’re protected against
- Non-delivery — seller fails to ship the wine
- Significant misdescription — wine substantially differs from the lot description
- Wrong items received — different wine or vintage to what was listed
- Damage in transit — wine arrives damaged beyond what was described
- Seller fraud — any attempt to deceive the buyer
Raising a dispute
If there’s a problem with your order, contact us before confirming delivery. Once you confirm, the transaction is considered complete.
To raise a dispute:
Email enquiries@vineandhammer.com or call 01502 676110 with your order reference and a description of the issue — including photographs where relevant. We aim to respond to all disputes within 24 hours.
Our dispute resolution team reviews both sides of every case. We make fair, evidence-based determinations and take action against any seller found to have misrepresented their wine.
What isn’t covered
Buyer protection doesn’t cover:
- Change of mind after winning an auction
- Minor cosmetic issues clearly visible in listing photographs
- Normal variation in aged fine wine (sediment, ullage within stated fill level)
- Subjective quality disputes — fine wine is a natural product
- Issues arising from buyer’s own storage after delivery
Verified sellers
All sellers on Vine & Hammer are identity-verified before their first lot goes live. Our team reviews every lot submission for provenance, condition and description accuracy. We reserve the right to remove any seller who misrepresents their wine.
- Every seller’s identity is verified
- Every lot is reviewed before going live
- Seller ratings are visible on every lot page
- Sellers with unresolved disputes cannot relist
Need help with an order?
Our team is here Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–2pm.
enquiries@vineandhammer.com01502 676110