Reselling alcohol has to do with buying alcohol from a brewery or wine from a winery and selling it to someone else. If you intend to take that as a business be sure the state laws where you reside permits you to do that.
It is illegal in most US states to resell alcohol, especially if you haven’t gotten the license to sell it. Both the Federal and state laws are against selling alcohol without a license.
Can you resell a bottle of liquor?
Reselling a bottle of liquor is based on the location where you are. It is illegal to resell a bottle of liquor in many places. There are many states and counties in the United States and each of them has laws that regulate the reselling of liquor.
But in many states, you must have a liquor license before you can resell liquor there and you are not supposed to sell liquor to people you are not permitted to sell it to, for example, minors.
Can I resell alcohol online?
Yes, you are allowed to resell alcohol online in many places in the world. But you need to make sure you are not going against the state laws that regulate the sale of alcohol online in your state. If you want to resell alcohol online you need a license or permit for any ship you intend to shop to and you also need a license from the state you reside in.
Why do people sell empty liquor bottles?
People sell empty liquor bottles for different purposes. Some use it for decorative purposes while some use it to package their liquor. But the Federal laws don’t permit you to refill empty liquor bottles with liquor for people to consume.
How to sell unwanted alcohol
Sometimes you buy alcohol and you discover that you no longer need to consume it for one reason or the other.
You can choose to either sell your unwanted alcohol online or offline. For offline, you could talk to your friends or family members about it and get them to buy it.
Or you could sell it online using either Saucey or Drizly.
Online Laws in All States
If you want to sell alcohol online, you need to be aware of the Federal laws that regulate online sales and delivery of alcohol in your state.
You should know that the laws that regulate selling alcohol directly to consumers are quite complex. But you can sell online using vendors within your state and delivery people as long as you don’t go against the stipulated state laws that guide the sale, and delivery of alcohol. Over the years, many states have permitted the delivery of alcohol but sometimes many restaurants and breweries are quite restricted because of the many alcohol regulations.
If you want to ship alcohol outside your state too, there are state laws that regulate that so, if you have a brewery, you should take your time to meet all the requirements of your state and that of the state you are shipping to.
Check out our list of alcohol shipments and various delivery laws for every state in the United States. You will find them helpful because they are current.
| States | Online laws |
| Alabama | You are not allowed to deliver any kind of alcohol in Alabama because it is a crime. There are about twenty-six counties in Alabama where you cannot sell any form of alcohol, they are considered “dry”. If you live in any of those counties, you should not be caught selling any alcoholic beverage. For any county to go wet (to be allowed to sell alcohol) in Alabama they are required to have a population of over a thousand residents so they can have a referendum. They are also allowed to make petitions on the need to go from dry to wet. |
| Alaska | In Alaska, if you are a business owner that has a winery license, you can sell and also ship wine that doesn’t exceed five gallons to a place where the shipment and possession of alcohol are not prohibited. You are allowed to buy wine, beer, or liquor in any grocery stores but for gas stations and convenience stores, that sell alcohol, by law, they are supposed to create a different section, a different entrance with different cash registers for the sale of alcohol. |
| Arizona | Here, the state law says you should have a license that is solely for the direct shipment of wine that is less than or equal to twelve nine-liter cases. And the license can only be used for a year before it expires. If you are a retailer that has a liquor store or delivers liquor with a bar, or you own a wine and beer bar, you should have a license. |
| Arkansas | In Arkansas, you must show a means of identification when you go to buy wine at the winery. You can only deliver alcohol within purchasing hours stipulated by the law and you are only allowed to ship alcohol to private residences. There are seventy-five counties in Arkansas and only thirty-four of them are dry. You are not allowed to sell alcohol on Sundays and Christmas day too but packaged wines and beer are permitted to be sold on Sundays in Springdale, Springs, Tontitown, Eureka, and Altus. |
| California | In California, if you want to be a direct shipper of alcohol, you must apply for it and be given a permit that allows you to deliver within the state. You can make shipments of alcohol that is within two nine-liter cases to any California Resident that is an adult every month. Also, your shipments should be legibly labeled and you must deliver them to an adult that is not intoxicated. |
| Colorado | If you want to ship alcohol here, you must make sure you label it properly and you must deliver it to someone who is over 21 years old. You can sell and deliver wine here as long as you have a permit from the state. |
| Connecticut | You can only be allowed to ship beer as a gift basket if you have a retailer permit. You can also sell mead, cider, or wine to consumers in Connecticut it you have a manufacturer permit. |
| Delaware | You need a direct shipper’s license to be able to sell and deliver wine or beer in Delaware. |
| District of Columbia | You can sell beer, spirits, or wine directly to consumers in Washington D.C. but you need either a wholesaler’s or retailer’s or carrier’s license to do that. |
| Florida | If you have either a wholesaler’s or a manufacturer’s or an exporter’s license or registration, you can sell and deliver alcoholic beverages directly to consumers in Florida. |
| Georgia | If you have a special order shipping license, you are permitted to sell and deliver wine directly to consumers in Georgia. |
| Hawaii | As a customer, you are allowed to receive up to six nine-liter cases to your household every year. To receive the shipment of liquor to you as a consumer, you need and an individual permit for every shipment. With a wine shipper permit, you can send wine to Hawaii. |
| Idaho | If you want to sell and deliver wine online in Idaho, you need a direct shipper permit. As a shipper, you also need to get registered with Idaho’s state tax commission so you can pay Sales and Use Taxes for the wine you sell. |
| Illinois | You need a winery shipping license for you to sell wine directly to consumers in Illinois. As an adult, you can only consume 12 standard cases of wine annually. |
| Indiana | As a manufacturer, you are only allowed to ship wine in Indiana if you have a direct wine seller’s permit. As a consumer, you can’t receive more than 216 liters of wine each year. |
| Iowa | If you are a manufacturer of native wines in Iowa, you need a Class A wine permit to do that and you need to label it adequately. You also need a wine direct shipper license for you to ship wine directly to consumers as a manufacturer. |
| Kansas | You need a special order shipping license to be able to ship wine in Kansas. As an individual, you can only receive 12 standard cases of wine every year. |
| Kentucky | Here, malt beverages, wine, or distilled spirits can only be sold and shipped to consumers that are adults and have all the required licensing. |
| Louisiana | You need adequate licensing for you to deliver wine or sparkling wine in Louisiana. All deliveries must be well labeled and accepted by someone who is 21 years old or more. |
| Maine | Each shipment must not exceed 12 cases to an individual every year. In Maine, a direct shipper license is needed for wine to be shipped to consumers. |
| Maryland | In Maryland, pomace brandy and wine are allowed to be sold and delivered to consumers if the shipper has a direct wine shipper’s permit. |
| Massachusetts | With a direct wine shipper license, wines can be shipped to consumers in Massachusetts. And one consumer can receive only nine-liter of wine per case. |
| Michigan | If you have a direct shipper’s license, you can sell wine directly to consumers in Michigan. And you can’t ship more than 1500 nine-liter cases of wine each year. |
| Minnesota | Wines are allowed to be sold and delivered to people in Minnesota but it is not supposed to exceed two cases each year for each person. |
| Mississippi | Wines can be shipped to people in Mississippi. You can or buy more than ten cases of wine each year as a consumer. |
| Missouri | As a resident of Missouri, you can receive close to two cases of wine each month. A wine direct shipper license is required for you to ship wine to consumers. |
| Montana | As a resident of Montana, you can receive up to 18 nine-liter cases of wine each year. Montana allows the beer to be shipped into the state with a connoisseur license. |
| Nebraska | As a consumer, if want to consume liquor, the Nebraska statutes require you to have a manufacturer direct sales shipping license. You can receive close to nine liters of liquor each month. |
| Nevada | As a vendor, you are permitted to ship up to 12 cases of wine each year to one customer and only one gallon of alcoholic beverages each month. |
| New Hampshire | If you have a direct shipper permit, you can sell and deliver wine, beer, and liquor in New Hampshire. Annually, you can only receive close to 60 one-liter containers and 12 nine-liter cases of wine as a consumer. |
| New Jersey | As a customer, you can receive up to 12 cases of wine annually. Only mead, cider, or wine with correct licensing can be delivered to residents of New Jersey. |
| New Mexico | As the sender, you need a direct wine shipper’s permit to be able to ship cider or wine to customers in New Mexico. As a customer, you can only receive two nine-liter cases of wine each month. |
| New York | With a direct shipper’s license, you can only ship up to 36 cases of wine in New York. |
| North Carolina | Only North Carolina residents have valid wholesaler’s permits that alcoholic beverages can be shipped to. As a consumer, you can only receive two cases of wine every month. |
| North Dakota | A direct shipping license is required for shipping wine and beer in North Dakota. As a customer, every month, you can only purchase 288 fluid ounces of beer, 27 liters of wine, or nine liters of other alcoholic beverages. |
| Ohio | You cannot buy more than 24 cases of wine every year in Ohio, as a household. With a Permit S, you can sell and deliver wine directly to residents of Ohio. |
| Oklahoma | To ship wine in Oklahoma, you need a direct wine shipper’s permit. Every year, as a licensed winery, you are allowed to ship close to nine-liter cases of wine. |
| Oregon | If you have a direct shipper’s permit or an off-premises sales license you can ship cider, malt beverages, or wine directly to residents of Oregon. |
| Pennsylvania | You are allowed to ship a maximum of 36 cases of wine to various customers that reside in Pennsylvania every year but you need a direct wine shipper’s license to do that. |
| Rhode Island | If you are a wholesaler that sells alcoholic beverages in Rhode Island, you need a wholesaler license for you to be able to get a shipment of alcoholic beverages. You should not deliver alcohol after legal hours. |
| South Carolina | You can ship close to twenty-four bottles of wine each month directly to residents in South Carolina if you have a winery permit. |
| South Dakota | You can only deliver twelve standard cases of wine every year to one customer in South Dakota. You need a wine direct shipping license to ship wine in South Dakota. |
| Tennessee | You can ship wine directly to residents of Tennessee if you have a direct shipper’s license. But in a year, you can only sell up to 27 liters and only nine liters to one customer for a month. |
| Texas | With a winery permit, you can ship wine to Texas residents but it must not exceed nine gallons every month for each person or thirty-six gallons each year for one person. |
| Utah | You are not allowed to sell alcohol directly to residents of Utah. But you can carry out home delivery of wine if you are part of the wine subscription program. |
| Vermont | Here, you need either in-state or out-of-state holders of consumer shipping licenses to help you deliver your wine or malt beverages to consumers directly. Every year, those with the licenses are allowed to ship close to twelve cases of wines or malt beverages to any consumer. |
| Virginia | To ship wine directly to consumers in Virginia, you must have a wine shipper’s or beer shipper’s license. But you can’t deliver more than two cases of beer or wine in a month. |
| Washington | In Washington, wines are allowed to be delivered to its residents but it is compulsory you do it with a wine shipper’s permit. |
| West Virginia | Here, when a wine is delivered to you, your electronic signature would be needed to show that you received it. You need a direct shipper’s license for you to be able to ship wine. In a month, each individual cannot consume two cases of wine. Also, for you to deliver wine, you must have an alcohol transportation permit. |
| Wisconsin | If you have a direct wine shipper’s permit, you are allowed to deliver wine to consumers who want to buy it. But within a year, you are not allowed to buy wine that is more than 108 liters. |
| Wyoming | Here, wine is only allowed to be delivered directly to residents of Wyoming. Also, within a year, each household should not purchase wine that is more than 36 liters. |
Conclusion
Always make sure you adhere strictly to your state laws so you don’t get imprisoned or pay a large amount of money as a fine. We are sure the online state laws we listed in this article would guide you appropriately if you have plans of selling alcohol online.