Amazon continues to expand and to promote that expansion in its wine sales program. We recently reported the list of states that Amazon can ship to. There are separate lists for import and domestic wines. [level-members]
This separation is because Amazon isn’t selling wine directly. They are merely the middleman making a market for the wineries themselves. No direct shipping. No storing of the wine in Amazon’s warehouses.
Great news for small wineries, but not for small retailers. Still, there are limitations. Because of the middleman arrangement, there’s no mixing and matching wines from different producers to save on shipping costs. (Though in some instances, shipping is free anyway.) Amazon Prime doesn’t apply, so no free 2-day shipping.
And the news may not be that great for small producers, anyway. Larger producers have been reportedly paying monthly fees to be featured in the Amazon Wine Store, something smaller producers are not likely to be able to afford.
So you, and other small, dedicated shops like yours, may still be the best bet that smaller producers have. That’s good news for you and for your ability to carve out a more interesting niche and personality for your shop. [/level-members]