Extremely new to trading.

Read through this thread:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...ready-for-my-first-trade.166424/#post-2307412

And prepare to be addicted. Hope your bank account can keep up. Haha

 

Wow, a case of PTE? Most people have problems finding one bottle. Start drinking it or trading it ASAP while it is at its best. What is bottled on date?

Good luck!

 

you are going to want to drink or trade that Pliny soon. while i personally dont mind Pliny a couple months old(as long as its been kept cold) most people dont want to trade for it any more than a month old. those sours will keep for years though. good luck, you have some nice beers to start with for trading. if you have anything in mind you are looking for in Michigan then let me know and maybe we can set up a trade. welcome to what can be very fun but very addicting.

 

Most people prefer PTE fresh, those are a month old now and by the time you trade them and get them in the hands of trading partners they will be 5 weeks old minimum. Do your research and get some FT posts up very soon, each day that goes by the less desirable they become.

Or just start downing them today!

 

I am new to trading as well I'm interested in trading for all of those in located in NC/SC area let me know if you are interested in anything from around here

 

Trade with an established trader for your first one...they can help walk you through everything and your're much less likely to get screwed over. Don't forget to use the feedback system!

 

I hate to hijack a thread, but it is better than yet another new one. I'm fairly new to BA (but not to craft beer). I am debating trading, but a few things hold me back.

First, there is still a ton of beer on MA shelves I've never tried, including Coronado, Alesmith, Bruery, Green Flash. Never had Hoppin Frog (expensive), Goose Island ladies (expensive) but we have it on the shelves. I could drive to Treehouse or Trillium, and haven't yet. Still haven't tried every Jack's Abby beer. Our distribution is pretty darned good and so are our locals. So is it worth trading when so much here is unexplored?

Second, when I look for local in person trades, it's mostly people looking for impossible Whales. This makes sense, as we all have mostly the same beer access otherwise (I do have a secret spot with lots of BCBS and BCBW).

So that leaves distant trades, and mostly what I want are solid local beers I haven't had. Jai Alai, Zombie Dust, Westbrook Gose and probably a bunch I don't know yet. I can trade things like Jack's Abby (Hoponious Union, Mass Rising) or Wormtown, which would seem fair. But is that ever worth it with the shipping and hassle? Is there a point to shipping 6-8 12-16 oz beers? What does that cost?

P.S. to the OP, there is a guy in Texas who is new to trading, started a similar thread recently, and is looking for Pliny. Seems like a potential match.

 

after trading heavy for a year, I've realized it's largely a silly thing. like you said, you have world class breweries within an hour drive of you; support local businesses and buy from those guys.

I still trade for stuff that is impossible for me to buy and for which no local equivalent exists (like Cantillon for instance). or vintage stuff I know I like.

otherwise I really try to buy local.

 

Trading becomes very addicting, being able to get all of these different beers from all over the country. I just got in a ton of Cigar City that I've never had before followed by the entire Framinghammer set which I would never see without trading. Before those I got a box full of San Diego beer, Modern Times & Mike Hess which are both phenomenal and I had heard that but with trading I got to try it out for myself.

At this point I don't think you should start trading until you know what is available locally & have enjoyed that first. Know what you have & you'll best be able to make suggestions to people once you start trading. Trading can be expensive but I, like many, find it completely worth it to be able to try out so many amazing beers from around the country

Edit** To give you an idea of how much I love trading, I've only been trading since November & have 40 trades on here with 5 more in process.

 

Yeah, I am leaning this way. Plus my sister is in SC and promises to get me some Mexican Cake, Gose and Two Hearted. I'm getting Heady, Be Hoppy and Jacks Abby for her. My former boss lives in Brussels and I asked him to bring me some Cantillon, I'll trade him wine. Another guy may bring me some Pliny from San Diego, so could get Modern Times too. All with no shipping.

Our distribution is so good here. I can imagine in places that don't get stuff like Ballast Point, Boulevard, Evil Twin etc. or our locals, it makes more sense. But I'm drinking a Be Hoppier right now...not really lacking for anything.

 

Since you appear to be a somewhat attractive female I'm sure you will find a lots of members here wanting to trade with you and help walk you through it lol

 

OP, like just about everyone has said up until this point, prepare for thew addiction to take over... You should have no problem getting started though with a case of Pliny bottles 5 days ago, just jump into the ISO/FT thread with what you're looking for (do some research beforehand to make sure you're on the level) and try to link up with a fairly experienced trader to start with. Best of luck!

 

Big question is why do you want to trade, if you don't have something specific you want to try? This statement is not intended to be off putting, it is a serious question for anyone looking to trade anything. Don't do it just to do it. It will eat up tons of money and pushes the collector mentality. Try all the locals you can, then pick up beers to try when traveling, meanwhile watch the BA forums. When you see something that sounds like something you personally would enjoy (not hype/ flavor of the day) then post an ISO.

 

One downside to trading that is seldom discussed is that it will raise your threshold for what you consider a "good" beer, not just mentally but for how they actually taste to your palate. Raising your standards is arguably a good thing, but after a while you will likely find that some of the locals that you used to think were very tasty will no longer seem so.