"As a general rule, these laws are just so complex and contradictory, that we just decided that in the best interest of our users to prevent that situation from ever occurring,"
"Domestic laws are complex. Six states still ban retail spirits sales on Sundays, to start. Seventeen operate as "control" states with a government monopoly on liquor sales. And while 47 states allow wineries to ship directly to consumers, only 11 extend that same privilege to distillers, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States."
"But since launching in 2020, a company called Unicorn has expanded to serve the continental U.S., logging over six million bids across half a million lots, totaling $125 million in sales. Its Chicago vault holds more than $100 million in inventory, with weekly and monthly auctions that ship purchases to pickup locations nationwide."
In the internet's early days collectors traded rare whiskey and wine alongside toys and sneakers, but eBay banned alcohol and tobacco in 1999 because laws were complex and contradictory. More than 25 years after Prohibition, regulatory fragmentation persists and online spirits resale remains scattered across niche forums, gray-market Facebook groups, and high-end auction houses. U.S. liquor laws vary: some states ban Sunday retail sales, 17 are control states, and only 11 allow distillers to ship directly to consumers. Industry groups seek USPS shipping authority. Few firms have scaled nationally, while Unicorn has grown rapidly with large inventory and nationwide pickup shipping.
Read at Fast Company
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