The five main tricks of selling wine online, a guide to breaking them down—please keep this handy

For many alcohol consumers, online channels have become an important sales avenue. Especially in live streaming rooms, when hosts repeatedly bombard viewers with exaggerated claims such as “super low-priced famous wines,” “adding various decades-old liquors,” “certain special supplies,” “can cure illnesses,” many consumers quickly place orders. However, the products they receive often differ greatly from the promotions in the live streams.

To help consumers identify online wine-selling tricks, the Beijing News Consumer Research Institute has summarized the five major chaos phenomena in alcohol product sales in recent years, assisting consumers in sharpening their eyes.

1. “Health wine” boasting “can cure illnesses”

【Chaos phenomena】

Using health wines like Jinjiu and other medicinal or liqueur base wines, combined with beverages to create homemade “health tonics,” has become a new trend in alcohol consumption. However, some products claiming to promote health or nourishment are involved in violations such as illegal additives and false advertising. For example, on secondhand e-commerce platforms, sellers offer “nourishing Yang-enhancing wine,” “King炸 Men’s Wine,” “Ginseng Deer Whip Wine,” and other “three-no” products, claiming or implying to enhance male function. Some wines also add traditional Chinese medicine or health food ingredients like epimedium, cordyceps, and other non-food raw materials, which may involve illegal additives.

Some merchants sell ordinary fruit wines targeting female health needs, with ingredients like strawberries, raspberries, lychee, green plums, goji berries, longan, etc., subtly implying efficacy in their promotions, such as labeling near-characters like “K (anti) inflammation,” “drive away spots,” “magnesium white (whitening).” Some shops explicitly claim their products can improve menstrual pain, acne, dull skin tone, etc. Even more, some claim that green plum wine can inhibit Helicobacter pylori, packaging ordinary drinks as “medicines” capable of curing all diseases without sufficient scientific basis.

【Consumer tips】

The Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that food labels, instructions, and advertisements must not contain false content or involve disease prevention or treatment functions. Experts advise against any form of homemade medicinal wine (including live animals, plants, etc.), as making medicinal wine requires precise equipment and delicate processes. Homemade wines may produce harmful substances like methanol due to improper storage or brewing techniques, posing significant safety risks. Additionally, improper Chinese medicine compatibility, especially without professional TCM guidance, can lead to adverse interactions, such as counteracting effects, incompatibility, or increasing heat and damaging yin.

2. “Old wine” may not actually be “old”

【Chaos phenomena】

Under the trend of “old wine fever,” many live streams sell wines claiming to be from the 1980s or 1990s. However, many consumers find that the packaging shows obvious signs of aging. Recently, a consumer reported to Beijing News that they ordered a box of Luoyang Daqu, 6 bottles for 99 yuan, but the packaging “looked clearly not from that era.” Due to doubts about authenticity, the consumer requested to see relevant certificates such as food production/operation licenses and invoices, but the seller only offered a “refund.” The consumer further appealed to the platform, which responded that the shop had not uploaded relevant licenses or purchase records, only offering a return and refund. This made the consumer very angry, saying, “My demand is that the platform should strengthen shop supervision, verify product authenticity, and prevent consumers from unknowingly buying fake wine.”

Recently, the reporter observed similar old wines being sold in multiple e-commerce live streams, with manufacturers listed as small regional factories, many of which have been deregistered or revoked. Some responsible persons claimed they had never sold such products, had no stock, and could not identify the source. Many sellers said their sources were from community, park, or street recycling, and could not provide source certificates. Further investigation found some merchants even claimed they could produce “fake old wine,” with labels, bottle caps, bottles, and wine bodies all capable of being “aged” artificially.

【Consumer tips】

When purchasing old wine, consumers have the right to request sellers to provide purchase records, licenses, and product qualification certificates. However, for “old wines from thirty or forty years ago,” the licensing system at the time was different from today, and manufacturers may have deregistered, making traceability and verification difficult. Consumers can ask sellers for any proof of source legality and quality assurance they can obtain, such as previous purchase contracts, auction records, or collection certificates, but the evidentiary value of these documents varies and must be judged case by case.

When buying well-known brand old wines for collection, consumers should have a thorough understanding of the wine’s history, brand, and market price, choose reputable channels, and prefer products certified and appraised by authoritative third-party institutions. Also, they should understand related investment knowledge and risks, and purchase cautiously.

3. “Open-cap wine” hidden risks of adulteration

【Chaos phenomena】

“Open-cap wine” and “replaced-cap wine” have been popular online. These products generally refer to bottles where the host has opened the cap, taken the red envelope on top, then re-sealed and sold at a lower price—almost half the market price. Some online sellers claim these are “lossless red envelope wines,” attempting to conceal that “the box or bottle cap has been opened,” with only a few honest sellers admitting they sell “open-cap head wines” or “damaged packaging wines.” Some even direct inquiries to other channels for purchase and payment. To gain consumer trust, sellers claim “no opening of the inner lid, no contact with air,” but in reality, these products pose safety hazards and leave room for adulteration.

Since 2025, the reporter has continued investigations exposing the covert sale of open-cap wines on online platforms, involving popular brands like Yuanshijiu, Jiannanchun, Langpai Langjiu, Taiyuan Liquor, etc. Currently, searches for “open-cap wine” on multiple e-commerce platforms show a significant decrease, with only a few shops still selling on some secondary platforms.

【Consumer tips】

Once a bottle of liquor is opened or its outer packaging is removed, production information and labeling become unverifiable, making traceability impossible, and increasing the risk of adulteration. Market regulators and consumer associations in many regions warn that buying open-cap wine carries food safety risks. Multiple liquor companies, including Wuliangye and Xijiu, have explicitly stated they do not provide inspection or after-sales services for such illegal products.

4. “Imported wine” is actually domestically bottled

【Chaos phenomena】

In recent years, the reporter focused on online imported wines and found many scams. In December 2024, the reporter discovered some red wines claiming “French imported” or “Australian imported,” but in fact, they are “original wine imported” products—meaning the wine juice comes from abroad, but bottling and operation are handled by domestic companies, using domestic production license SC numbers and standards.

In June 2025, the investigation revealed some shops claiming to sell imported Scotch whisky, but the barcodes on the products did not match the actual items. For example, a shop called “Cadrain Wine Cellar” listed as “UK original imported whisky,” but the actual origin was Yantai, Shandong.

【Consumer tips】

Chen Yanjing, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, believes that such wines, although the juice is from abroad, the actual production, bottling, and standards are domestic, so they should be considered domestic products. When a product is labeled as “French imported red wine” or “Australian imported red wine” with full English labels on the front, it may be misleading or borderline imported wine.

Consumers should distinguish between “bottle-imported” and “original wine imported.” “Bottle-imported” wine means the grape planting, harvesting, pressing, fermentation, aging, bottling, labeling, and packaging are all completed in the country of origin. “Original wine imported and domestically bottled” is not strictly imported; the juice is from abroad, but bottling occurs domestically, with a domestic license starting with “SC.” Therefore, strictly speaking, these are domestic products. Sellers emphasizing only “imported” without clarifying the type may be intentionally misleading. Consumers should carefully identify to avoid being deceived.

5. “Special supply wine” is all fake

【Chaos phenomena】

In March 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation deployed efforts to crack down on five major illegal behaviors in alcohol products, including falsely claiming “special supply,” “exclusive supply,” or “internal supply” under the names of Party and government agencies or military, and false advertising or commercial propaganda. This was also a reason for the re-mentioning of “special supply wine.”

Fake “special supply” wines have been packaged as scarce high-end products to deceive consumers. In 2024, the Ministry of Public Security launched special operations to crack down on crimes involving counterfeit “special supply” and “exclusive supply” alcohol using government or military names; the Market Supervision Administration issued a notice strictly prohibiting the production and sale of “special supply wine.”

In recent years, the reporter has continued to investigate and report on the chaos of “special supply” and “internal supply” wines. As of September 2024, some secondhand platforms still listed “internal supply wine,” with some shops operating covertly. Currently, searches for “special supply wine” or “internal supply wine” on multiple platforms show no relevant results. However, in live streams, some sellers still use vague or suggestive language to mislead consumers into buying white wines under the guise of “special supply.”

【Consumer tips】

Market regulators and police have made it clear that any claims of “special supply wine” or “internal supply wine” on the market are fake. Consumers who encounter illegal promotion or sale of such products should resolutely resist, report promptly to local market supervision authorities, provide clues, and actively safeguard their legal rights.

Beijing News Reporter Qin Shengnan

Editor: Li Yan

Proofreader: Yang Li