Amazon May Be Getting Into the Wine Business

Amazon.com may be trying its hand at the wine business once again, after having shuttered its efforts in that area three years ago.

The online retailer invited around 100 wineries to an event in Napa, Calif., on Monday, Terry Hall, a spokesperson for a regional trade association, told The Wall Street Journal. Derrick Peters, whose LinkedIn profile claims that he does business development for a “new group” at Amazon, reportedly told attendees that Amazon is preparing to launch a third-party Marketplace for wine sellers in the next four weeks. Wineries will be able to list their products through Amazon, but like other Marketplace sellers, must handle shipping and compliance on their own.

Amazon is charging wineries a $39.99 monthly participation fee, plus a 15% cut of every sale, according to Sonoma’s Wine Industry Insight and the WSJ, citing industry sources. The retailer is also negotiating with shipping and compliance companies to provide low fixed rates for vendors, but nothing has been offered at this time.

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