How often have people got burned?

I never traded with him but there are a few on here that did and did not receive anything from him. I think they are holding out hope to receive something, but at some point you just gotta put the guy on the list. I will ask a couple to formally report him to the list.

 

I was burned on my very first trade because I didn't know the better practice of trading with established people. We were both new and I agreed to send some Pliny for FBS. It. Ever came and he never responded to my BMs. Go to hell Landonreto.

 

Only done 5 or 6 trades + 4 BIF's in the 3 years I've been here and luckily all have been great guys.

I don't have any whales to trade, so the deceitful scumbags are usually in a bigger pond than I am.

 

I've done three trades, all of them smooth (well, still waiting on the box I shipped to arrive on his end, but I know I packed it in good faith and did so well, so I'm tentatively counting that). My first was unloading a PiaPT, so I was nervous as hell, but it went down perfectly and everyone was happy. I think there are telltale signs of whether you're dealing with someone on the level -- are they responsive to Beer Mails, do they volunteer their address quickly, do they either take action by when you agree to or offer a legit reason why it's taking longer, etc.

Be wary of anyone who tries to change what you're trading after the deal is done or drops off the map when it's time to do the deal.

 

i've said it before and i'll say it again: 2011+ join dates are the subprime mortgages of beer trading.

i've negotiated with a couple of newbies, and it was like pulling teeth. it scares me when i see someone with a couple of months on the site going after beers like damon and ba hunahpu's and the like; the adamjackson incident only affirms my suspicions instead of alleviating them. not everyone new is interested in being part of a community.

 

(Checks when I joined)

Um...yeah, those 2011 guys suck!

(Seriously, I was a member for a looooooonnnnggg time before I ever contributed to the conversation, reviewed or traded)

 

that's the point. i'm looking at guys from february 2012 who are yammering about hundred-bottle-count releases. have they even bought a six-pack of anchor porter? these guys are missing the point of beer appreciation entirely.

 

It horrifies me that I'm cranky and old at 30, but I mean, I was a huge New Holland Brewing fanboy for two years before I ever tasted anything world-class (which was more than 7 years ago), and I think that makes me appreciate the beer that I've had a lot more than a 20-year-old who's trying to track down 1982 Dirty Horse. Could just be me.

 

One can not truly begin to appreciate beer until one creates a BA account.

 

yes, given the recent explosion of craft beer into the mainstream, i suppose odds are fantastic that these are old veterans coming out to play and not, y'know, real newbies.

 

I have done around 20 trades I would say in the last 9 months and so far (knock on wood) I have never been burned. It might help that I usually trade with the same handful of people and don't reach out that often to new people.

 

Don't worry about shipping first. I am actually about to message a partner not to send until mine arrive safely due to what I am shipping (LeBleu).

It isn't an insult. I have done it more as a vet than I did as a noob.

 

^ great trader.

 

I've had like 115 trades and no problems yet. I make new traders ship first. When I started trading I was asked to ship first and did so. I just made sure I traded with established vets. I just felt better having boxes "in the wind" with known reputable traders. Some people with less than a dozen trades asked me to ship first but I decided to go with established traders for my first few.

 

I'm less concerned about 2011 join dates as I am with the people who immediately jump right into slinging harpoons in their first couple of trades. Plenty of great 2011 people out there, you just need to be a little more careful.

 

i'm not saying they're all bad. i'm saying, like subprime mortgage derivatives, there are enough bad apples in the group to make it toxic.

 

I've got 50 or so trades and have never been burned. Did get burned in a BIF once. (N00B BIF, burned by an veteran trader, hows that for irony)

When I was first starting to trade, I was asked to ship first for my first 3 or 4 trades. I had no problem with this, and have asked for the same when trading with people without trade references. I've also had no one complain about it either.

Also, it is easy to get in over your head with trades. I've done 6 or 7 in a week before, and its a major expense and not a small amount of work to get it all packed and shipped. I agree that new traders should take on 1 or 2 trades at a time, especially till they get in the hang of it.

Chris

 

Never been burned in around 35 trades.