Trading Etiquette - Extras

Well, "extras" are "extras" no matter how you look at it. Anything sent besides what was agreed to is a "free" bonus.
I'll correlate it to taking a walk in the park. You sit down on a park bench and look down. On the ground you find a quarter. You pick it up because its free and no one is around to claim it. You feel good, as its puts a grin on your face as you go home and put it in your daughter's piggy bank. The next week you go back to the same park bench. This time you find a $100 dollar bill on the ground below the same bench you sat on the week before. Again, no one is there to claim it. This time, your grin goes to a "boyish" smile from ear to ear that doesn't go away for weeks.
Not sure what kinda trader people want to be, but I like to be the guy that brings the "boyish" smile out of the man

 

So I get extra'ed a Prop, but I have nothing near that status to send as an extra? Personally, I would feel bad but be upfront with the trader that I can't offer something like that back. I'm not breaking my back to impress someone with an extra.

I love sending extras, so I usually look at styles that the person likes, and pick something locally that they wouldn't even think to ask/trade for, or if I have something on their wants I'll shoot for that. Extras are just about generosity man, pay it forward and it should take care of you in the long run.

 

Oh, and just because you think they are "bad extras", doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way about a particular beer.

 

I tend to agree with the second post. In my mind, solid extras are nice local IPAs, maybe a BCBS or KBS, something of that nature. If you're throwing a Prop in as an extra, that's a super generous move, but you can't really expect your trade partner to reciprocate that with no warning or understanding of what he or she has to send back to you. The generous move becomes a lot less generous if you're expecting a Prop-caliber beer in return and will be disappointed if you don't get one. Frankly, I think a Ten Fidy and Pt5 would be pretty nice extras and much appreciated, not something to get bitter over. Feel good that you hooked someone up without expecting something back. That's really what an "extra" is supposed to be about.

 

People have different views and preferences on extras, I don't want to enforce mine on them and vice versa. I do what I'm comfortable with. However, I communicate my preference so that my potential partners aren't disappointed when they receive their box. Here's what I have in my profile (which I ask new trading partner to review before trading with me since it contains some additional trading info):

"Extras:
Extras are not expected, but appreciated. I usually do 2 small extras or 1 "big" extra in a trade and ask my trading partner to keep it to 1 or 2. My main concern is to send/receive the primary trade items safely. I use http://seekabrew.com/distro/index.html to see what isn't distributed to the partner's state and/or send beer I enjoy myself and/or that is rated high (close to 90 on BA or higher) and/or something very unique. I would also have absolutely no problem agreeing up front on "no extras"."

For me, the key to extras is being thoughtful. At the rate that I trade, I can spend a time to be thoughtful about what I can send as extras because I usually can't afford to wow you with quantity of rare beers.

 

Yup

 

Exactly. Maybe they think the beer is really great and you simply have a different opinion.

 

Well, I guess I'm a dick then. I've been told that before.

Sure, "I'm totally happy with whatever extras I get regardless of what I sent" sounds really great, but in reality I don't think you would find too many people who would enter into a regular trading partnership with someone and not adjust the extras that they sent downwards if they only ever received Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat from the other guy(which I happen to think is a pretty good beer).

 

someone sends you free stuff on their dime. Be thankful. Remember the lessons you should have learned in Kindergarten.

 

I got a few free zombie dusts in my last trade. I purposely didn't look at the date on the bottle because I wanted to have an open mind. Poured it and drank about half of that disgusting shell of a beer. It was over a year old haha. Not complaining, just sharing an experience.

 

So why are you sending extras at all? Is it to make someone happy or is it to get something in return? Why "downgrade" your extras if the other traders extras suck? Isn't the point of extras just to make someone a bit happier? Why do we expect that someone else must the return the happiness, to a standard we deem appropriate no less?

 

Well said.

 

I think most people would agree that it's a little bit of both. If you're content with getting shit in return for gold just because you made the other guy happy then you're a sucker.

Let's be clear, I have been the giver and recipient of generous extras in the few trades I've done. Yes I send the extras that i do because I think my partners will be happy with them and that in turn makes me happy. But to have this happy go lucky attitude where "any and all extras are just swell and if you don't think so you're an asshole" is not true.

I seriously doubt there is anyone on this site who would be happy receiving 4 bud lights as extras after they sent 4 Heady Toppers, if they are then they're in fantasy land. My position is the guy who sends the bud light is a dick, especially if he got the Headys first.

That's all, have a good weekend.

 

If you're this hung up on the extras you're receiving not meeting your standards you should probably just tell the people you trade with to forgo them.

 

I had a trade the other day where I tossed in 4 extra bottles with one of them being a Bomb. Nothing huge but probably an extra $25 worth of beers. I didn't receive any extras. Didn't care one bit. If we trade again I'm sure I'll get something next time. I like to throw stuff in as a.) a kind gesture because I genuinely love sharing beers with people and b.) hopefully it helps to establish a trading relationship going forward. It's not about "winning" with extras or "winning" trades or whatever assholes are turning this into. It's about making the dude on the other end smile because god knows getting a beer box in is like Christmas to us.

 

And this is the way the game should be played....

 

If I send someone a kick ass extra and then send me crap as an extra I don't feel like a sucker at all. I feel the same as I would if I bought someone a beer at a bar and they didn't buy me one in return. Sure, I would have bought a beer for someone that bought one for me and sure, I would send something awesome to a person that gave four Heady's as extras. But those are my own values and to assume everyone will operate in the same manner is ludicrous. So call me a sucker all you want, but I wouldn't blink an eye if someone sent me a box with four bud lights as extras after I sent four Heady's as extras. The purpose of the Heady's was to make her/him happy. Assuming they did make her/him happy, then my goal was reached. I don't know what their goal of sending the four Bud Lights was and so I'm not going to pass any judgement. Maybe they wanted to send better extras but couldn't afford it? Maybe they really like Bud Light? Maybe they saw this thread and are just busting my balls? A million possible explanations.

You wished me a good weekend. Thank you for that. I suppose I better wish you a good weekend as well, I wouldn't want you to feel like a sucker

 

Fair enough.

 

If we ever trade, I know what someone is getting as extras

 

I've received some incredible extras and gotten none at all. My first trade I got a whopping 4 bombers of outstanding beer. I had sent a couple of far less beers as extras and felt bad about it. But as was explained to me by the other guy, an extra is just that. His words have rung true with me. @NooseJustice had it right. Sending out great extras should make you feel great. If you get them back in return, then that's awesome, but nothing to get worked up about. For me, the star of the show is always the original trade subject. That's what gets me really excited. That and sending out a few extras to put a smile on the other guy's face.