7 Things to Check Before You Buy Whisky Online on Black Friday

Before you buy whisky online on Black Friday, check seven things: who the seller is, the total price, whether the bottle is in stock or a preorder, the exact bottle, the condition of secondary market bottles, your right of withdrawal and, for imports, the extra costs from outside the EU. Black Friday 2026 falls on 27 November, and a few minutes of checking can prevent most problems with a rushed order.

Key Takeaways

• A commercial German web shop must show an Impressum under § 5 DDG, naming the business behind the order.

• Compare the total at checkout, including shipping, payment fees and any buyer fee. Spiritory charges a 3% buyer protection fee plus shipping.

• Black Friday is 27 November 2026, which leaves 27 days until Christmas Eve, so confirm a delivery date before you order.

• Check batch, edition, label, ABV and size. US imports can be 75 cl, while 70 cl is the EU spirits size.

• The 14 day withdrawal right covers consumers buying from traders, with exceptions in § 312g (2) BGB. It does not extend to private sellers.

• For bottles from outside the EU, expect customs duty, alcohol tax and import VAT, and check zoll.de.

Tip: Take a screenshot of the listing, the total and the delivery promise before you pay. If the bottle that arrives differs from the page, you then have the exact wording to point to.

Check Who the Seller Is, Because a German Web Shop Must Show an Impressum

Under § 5 of the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG), commercial digital services must keep certain details easy to recognise, directly reachable and always available. The DDG replaced the Telemediengesetz (TMG) on 14 May 2024, and the page is still called the Impressum. According to the text on Gesetze im Internet, the federal legal portal, it covers the provider's name and address, a way to make quick electronic contact including an email address, the commercial register and register number where the provider is entered, and the VAT identification number where it has one. A missing or empty Impressum is a reason to stop before you pay.

Open the Impressum before you open the basket. Check that the company name matches the checkout, that the address is a real street address, and that an email address is given. Black Friday brings many new and short lived sites, so the check is cheap.

Private sellers on marketplaces

On a marketplace you may be buying from a private person or from a business. § 14 of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) defines a trader as someone acting in the exercise of a commercial or independent professional activity. § 13 BGB defines a consumer as a natural person acting for purposes that are mainly neither commercial nor professional. The listing should tell you which one you are dealing with, and the answer changes your rights, as the withdrawal section explains.

Check the Total Price, Not the Headline Price

The number on the product page is rarely the number you pay. Add shipping, any payment fee, and on a marketplace any fee charged to the buyer. Compare bottles by the final figure on the last checkout screen, with your delivery address already entered, because that is the amount that leaves your account.

On Spiritory, buyers pay a 3% buyer protection fee plus shipping. Other shops have their own structures, so ask everywhere what is added between the listed price and the total. A lower listed price with higher shipping can cost more than a dearer bottle with free delivery.

For the kinds of shops that run offers, see where to buy whisky on Black Friday. If you are unsure about timing, read the best time of year to buy whisky.

Check Whether the Bottle Is in Stock or a Preorder, and When It Will Arrive

Black Friday is on 27 November 2026, and Christmas Eve is 24 December, which leaves 27 days. That is enough for a bottle on the shelf that ships within days, but it can be too short for a preorder, a bottle that still has to reach the shop, or a seller who ships only once a week. Look for the words in stock, ready to ship or preorder, and for a stated delivery window rather than a general promise.

If the page gives no date, ask the seller for one in writing before you buy, and keep the reply. For a gift, work backwards and allow time for the carrier, a failed delivery attempt and wrapping.

Check the Exact Bottle: Batch, Edition, Label, Strength and Size

Two bottles with the same name can be different products. Distilleries release new batches, change labels and sometimes change the bottling strength. Compare the listing with the bottle you want: the full name including any edition or batch wording, the age statement if there is one, the ABV, and whether the photo shows the old or the new label.

Size is the easiest detail to miss. Directive 2007/45/EC lists 700 ml, and not 750 ml, among the nominal quantities for spirit drinks in the EU, so 70 cl is the standard spirits size here. United States rules for distilled spirits (27 CFR 5.203) list 750 mL as a standard of fill, so a bottle imported from the US may hold 75 cl. That is about 7% more liquid. Divide the price by the number of centilitres when the sizes differ.

Check the Condition of Secondary Market Bottles: Fill Level, Box and Photos

A bottle that the producer no longer sells, or that comes from a private collection, is a secondary market bottle. Its value depends on its condition, so the listing should show it. Look for the fill level, usually described by where the liquid sits against the neck or shoulder, the state of the label and capsule, and whether the original box or tube is included. Clear photos of the actual bottle matter more than a catalogue image.

If something is not shown, ask before you pay.

On Spiritory, all bottles are authenticated by Spiritory's experts from photos before the buyer pays, typically within 60 minutes to 48 hours. Read How to Spot Fake Rare Whisky before you spend serious money on an older or limited bottle.

Know Your Right of Withdrawal, and Where It Does Not Apply

For distance purchases from a trader, EU consumers have a right of withdrawal. Article 9 of Directive 2011/83/EU gives 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason. In Germany this is § 312g BGB together with § 355 BGB, where timely sending of the withdrawal is enough. Under § 356 BGB the period for goods starts when you receive them, or the last one if an order is delivered in parts.

The exceptions in § 312g (2) BGB

§ 312g (2) lists contracts with no right of withdrawal. Three matter for whisky buyers.

• Number 3: sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, but only if the seal was removed after delivery. The text does not name whisky or spirits, so a dispute over a particular bottle is a question for a consumer advice centre or a lawyer.

• Number 5: alcoholic drinks whose price was agreed at the time of the contract, which can only be delivered 30 days or more after it, and whose current value depends on market fluctuations the trader cannot influence. All three conditions must be met. This is the en primeur kind of sale, where wine is bought long before it is bottled and delivered. An ordinary preorder with a fixed price and a delivery date a few weeks away does not automatically qualify.

• Number 10: contracts concluded at a public auction where consumers can be personally present.

Directive 2011/83/EU lists the same exceptions in Article 16, in points (e), (g) and (k).

Private sellers

The withdrawal right is a right of a consumer against a trader, as § 13 and § 14 BGB show. A private person selling a bottle from a collection is not acting as a trader, so do not assume the 14 day right applies. Read the seller's terms and the marketplace's buyer rules before you buy.

Official sources: § 312g, § 355 and § 356 BGB at Gesetze im Internet, and Directive 2011/83/EU on EUR-Lex.

Check the Extra Costs When You Buy From Outside the EU

The UK and the United States are outside the EU, so a bottle shipped from there to Germany is an import. Expect customs duty, alcohol tax and import VAT on top of the price and shipping, and expect the carrier or the customs office to ask you for them. The rules and rates change, so no figures are given here. The guide to German customs rules for whisky imports in 2026 explains the process.

Before you order, check the current rules on zoll.de, the website of the German customs authority. Ask the seller whether the price includes these charges or whether you pay on delivery, and who handles the customs paperwork. A cheap bottle from abroad often stops being cheap once the charges arrive.

Tip: Do the checks in order of the cost of a mistake. Seller and exact bottle come first, because a wrong bottle or an unreachable seller is much harder to fix than a late parcel.

FAQ

What must a German web shop show about itself?

Under § 5 DDG, which replaced the TMG on 14 May 2024, a commercial provider must keep its name and address, quick electronic contact details including an email address, register details where it is registered, and its VAT identification number where it has one easily accessible and always available. This page is usually called the Impressum.

Can I withdraw from a whisky purchase within 14 days?

If you are a consumer buying from a trader at a distance, the right of withdrawal is 14 days under Directive 2011/83/EU and § 312g and § 355 BGB, unless an exception in § 312g (2) BGB applies, such as sealed goods unsealed after delivery where return is unsuitable for health or hygiene reasons. Private sellers are not traders, so the right does not apply in the same way.

Is a 75 cl bottle the same as a 70 cl bottle?

No. A 75 cl bottle holds about 7% more than a 70 cl bottle. 70 cl is the EU spirits size, while US rules list 750 mL as a standard size, so US imports may be 75 cl. Compare the price per centilitre.

Do I pay customs when I buy whisky from the UK or the US?

Both are outside the EU, so imports can bring customs duty, alcohol tax and import VAT. Check zoll.de for the current rules before you order.

What fees does Spiritory charge buyers?

Buyers pay a 3% buyer protection fee plus shipping.