The Best Trading Platform: Why Choose LiveTrade

Interested in buying and selling fine wine on market transforming trading platform, LiveTrade? The following guide tells you all you need to know.

Keen to shake up the traditional wine merchant model and revolutionise the way fine wine is bought and sold; Bordeaux Index was ahead of the curve when it created LiveTrade back in 2008. Since then, the platform has grown to become the most active fine wine marketplace in the world, picking up a collection of awards in the process. Transparent, intuitive and constantly updated, LiveTrade offers you a competitive price and the ability to sell your wine in minutes, revolutionising the world of fine wine trading.

With the goal of making buying and selling fine wine easier, quicker and more streamlined, along with bringing much-needed transparency to wine pricing, LiveTrade became a fully-fledged trading platform in 2017. Over the last six years, the platform has grown to become the most active fine wine trading marketplace in the world for Bordeaux, Champagne and the Super Tuscans, dwarfing its closest rivals. In 2022 some 244,000 bottles were traded on LiveTrade with the total price of transactions reaching over £130 million.

What makes LiveTrade unique?

LiveTrade is the only fine wine trading platform of its kind that offers transparent, instant pricing on 1000’s of the world’s top wines. It provides a level of market access which helps the fine wine market operate efficiently and accessibly by allowing any LiveTrade user to instantly buy, sell and place bids and offers on sought after wine producers and vintages. Open to all market participants on the same terms and offering full supporting logistics, any top wine in pristine condition and with guaranteed provenance can be added to the platform.

Another USP is the ‘market-making’ activity that takes place on LiveTrade+, a distinct list of wines which Bordeaux Index deems as a market making wine 24/7. LiveTrade+ provides instant buy and sell pricing on 100’s of top wines from regions such as Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Tuscany, the Rhône and the USA. Bordeaux Index constantly deploys millions of pounds of its own capital to increase activity on the platform, guaranteeing a firm bid price on all of these actively traded wines, typically at a better instant price than you would be able to achieve through a broking process with a merchant. This means that if you have a classic Bordeaux collection or an investment portfolio that’s Bordeaux-heavy, you could sell your wine in a single day on the platform, which wouldn’t be possible if you were selling it through a traditional merchant or broker.

Adding to LiveTrade’s appeal is that you don’t need to store your wines with Bordeaux Index in order to make the most of the platform. If your wines are in pristine condition and are stored in a professional bonded warehouse in the UK or EU, then you can sell them on LiveTrade. LiveTrade is now the only trading platform that allows you to manage your entire wine portfolio, including those outside of the Bordeaux Index warehouses.

With no joining, membership or subscription fees, firm buy-and-sell pricing on wines with impeccable provenance (LiveTrade+), and quick settlement on receipt of sold wines, LiveTrade has been hailed as an “addictive game changer”, and has scooped a slew of coveted industry awards, including being named Wine Trading Platform of the Year for three years in a row at The Drinks Business Awards.

Its secondary market-focused model has proved a hit among investors seeking 24/7 two-way market access to fine wines just as they do for mainstream assets. Part of the platform’s appeal lies in the fact that it provides guaranteed liquidity on numerous wines and is the only platform that creates a buying price as well as a selling price, making it easy for collectors to sell off their stock as they wish.

Since it was founded, LiveTrade has forced tighter trading spreads across the wine market – its narrow bid-offer spreads have been an important component in increasing trading volumes and liquidity in the space, giving collectors and investors the confidence that comes with liquidity.

Open door policy

An appealing aspect of LiveTrade is how convenient and accessible it is, being open to all fine wine collectors, investors and enthusiasts, rather than solely targeted at a trade audience. As the wine world opens to a more diverse audience, LiveTrade is well placed to offer this new generation of oenophiles a fast and intuitive trading platform where you can trade with négociants, wholesalers, merchants, investors and private clients. The LiveTrade model isn’t replicated anywhere else in the fine wine space, making its offering compelling and unique.

Using the LiveTrade marketplace

LiveTrade is the ultimate way to buy and sell the world's most desirable wines and the marketplace is your portal to this vibrant arena. All the action happens on the marketplace, where you can browse, search and filter all LiveTrade wines in one easy location complete with price graphs, critic scores and recent trade data. It also offers the option to see the marketplace by different filters, including Trending Wines and Tight Spreads. LiveTrade can of course be traded in all major currencies.

Through the marketplace you can buy and sell wine instantly at the prevailing quote and enter your own targets with a view to enticing other users to deal. Target levels are adjusted for Bordeaux Index’s margin and published on the platform. This automated process immediately flags up your interest to Bordeaux Index’s entire global client base.

Buying wine on LiveTrade

When using LiveTrade you can buy with confidence as Bordeaux Index guarantees the perfect condition of every case of wine sold on the platform and ensures efficient deliveries and bonded transfers of the wines that are purchased. With LiveTrade, you have the security of a trusted partner with 25 years of experience.

Selling wine on LiveTrade

It’s equally easy to sell your wines on the platform, with Bordeaux Index offering quick stock handling, fast payment for the goods and the offer to liaise with your storage provider and collect wines that aren’t stored with Bordeaux Index to ensure a smooth sales process. In order to make the grade, wines need to be stored in bond in their original 12, six or three-bottle cases.

Get in touch

If you’re looking to buy or sell wine, Bordeaux Index’s team of expert advisors are on hand to walk you through the ins and outs of wine investment, and how to register, log into and start trading with LiveTrade.

Ready to get started on LiveTrade?