eBay and Beer Sales

I think it's just a small niche that seeps through. There are technically still plenty of beers on there too. Remember, these people are doing everything they can to get around any programmatic filters that Ebay has in place, so ultimately removing a lot of these listings is going to require manual intervention. I bet many of the liquor bottles up there get pulled down before completion. But if the volume is small enough and complaints are low, they probably don't care. Beer volume was simply spiraling out of control, and I'm sure the actual brewery complaints eventually had an impact.

As for the rest of this thread - this argument is just getting circular and has been played out a million times on other threads. I don't really feel like pounding my head against the pro-Ebay sand anymore... I believe this is a good thing for beer geeks, and that is pretty much that.

 

I believe e-bay selling and trading should be scrutinized equally. They both price-gouge, the shipping laws are the same, they both cause profiteers to hoard the special beers, and they both actually have some fair people involved in selling and trading. If you shut e-bay down, shut the trades down!!!

 

While I bet there would be a similar reaction from customers if a brewery did this, the Jack White comparison isn't really apples to apples here. Jack White is intentionally limiting supply. In this day and age, the marginal cost of producing one additional copy of an album is very small. And it's very close to zero if the product is released digitally. Jack White is making the choice (which I'm sure he'd call "artistic") to only sell a specific number of copies of these albums. To most music customers these days, an artificially limited supply doesn't make any sense.

For a brewery the marginal cost of each additional bottle is not insignificant. Sure it is possible for a brewer to make more, but there is a cost associated with the additional ingredients, bottling/packaging materials, potentially cellar space, and time (depending on the size of the brewing equipment). I think most customers understand that it is more costly to produce additional units of beer than it is to produce additional units of music.

 

The difference between trading and eBay is traders generally love beer and the industry and trade for the love of beer. People selling beer on eBay have no interest in beer, only making money. It is a scummy thing to buy something you have no interest in to just turn around and sell it for a profit at the expense of others who have interest in the product.

 

So those who trade their Ann ( never on eBay ) for 5x what they paid are in it for the love of beer? Those who trade a $12 KH for $100 of beer are in it for the love of beer?

All the "whats the trade value of X" threads are beer lovers - not people trying to MAXIMIZE their return as ebay sellers?

 

Of course there are some who do this, but by and large I have found most people I trade with interested in just trading beer, not looking to make a score. The hate on traders on here lately is out of control, every trade I have made has been fine and have made some really good relationships on here.

 

I have had great trades too, but there is no difference between trading and eBay. Both provide an avenue for beer lovers to get beer they otherwise could not. Both are optional.

 

Of course there is, the ebayers are into to make money, the people I trade with do it to get beer they could not normally get. The traders drink the beer, the ebayers treat it as a commodity to be sold.

 

I think the point most people are missing when they equate ebay selling with trading is that the only purpose of selling beer on ebay is profit. The ebay market is inherently exploitative, whereas the trade market, while potentially exploitative, also promotes community and goodwill. The morality of ebay beer sales can be debated ad nauseum, but describing ebay and trading as equivalent transactions simply doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

 

eBayers afford people the opportunity to drink wAlez for less than it would cost them to trade for on BA in many cases.

Brewers are into it to make money. Why not stop buying beer in protest?

If people think the loss of eBay will mean people will no longer hold beers for ransom here and will trade their King Henry's for other $12 local bombers, they be trippin'!

Beat B5: 12,000 bottles, $15
KH: 12,000 bottles, $12

So, trade 1for1 right plus a local on the KH end since he was cheaper? OH WAIT - KH is RARE because it will never be made again!!! Need 5 beats now!!! Sounds like someone is trying to inflate value - like eBay.

 

I have read about 100 comments on this thread comparing traders with eBay sellers. They are the same, one is better, the other is better. Who the hell cares? Point is, eBay sales are going away. Some people are happy, some are whiny and pissed. I am interested in thoughts about what the effects and practicality will be, but I do not need to hear people whine and complain about traders (or encourage the whiners by defending trading, either).

 

Did you click the thread on your own free will?

You're whining.

 

You needed to hear it.

 

Doesn't bother me!

 

Personally shipping beer is illegal. Businesses shipping beer without a valid permit is also illegal.

 

Murder is illegal. So is jaywalking. Same same?

Human trafficking compared to shipping beer?

LOL

 

I'm not even sure what point you're trying to make here. It's probably contextual based on a post you made 2 or 3 pages ago, if I had to guess. But I'm not gonna go back to look for it.

Comparing violation of a shipping law to human trafficking is just dumb though.

 

FT: People

 

You didn't list an ISO - your post is illegal.