Trading Pet Peeves

My pet peeve when trading is tapping bubble wrap. It just makes it unusable. In addition to being a pain in a$$ to unpack, with chance of puncturing a can if scissors or a knife is used. Is it just me ? Thoughts?

 

When shipping cans I generally do not use tape. I have a serpentine method that uses less wrap and packs everything up nice.

If I am packing a bomber that I can't easily replace I have no problem taping it from end to end. I would rather waste the wrap than lose a good bottle.

I punctured my first can two weeks ago. I was at the office and on the phone while unwrapping a well taped can with a scissor. I ended up with a face full of warm BDCS. What a mess. It was all over the walls. My shirt and tie ended up in the garbage. Pro Tip: Keep the pointy side of the scissor away from the can

 

I agree. I use elastic bands instead. Bought a big pack of them over a year ago and just starting to run low.

 

One that has not been covered is when people want to give me a list of specific beers they would like for me to get them as "extras". I generally drop in fresh local hops or a style they enjoy or something off of their "wants" list if it is easy for me to get. Occasionally, I have had someone send me a shopping list of local extras they would like me to find. Yes, I want a person to be happy with their box. No, I don't want to go running around to local breweries/bottle shops looking for the specific beers that were not part of the agreed upon trade.

 

The funniest part of this post is that you're from Indiana. Unless it's 3 floyds they are specifically requesting (which it sounds like is what you probably are including, or something from chicagoland hops), I can't think of what people would really ask for as extras from Indiana with that type of specificity. I thought for sure you were from California or New England when reading this post.

 

That's bizarre. I'm closing in on 400 trades & never had this happen to me. If it did, my response would be along the lines of "If you want something specific, let's expand the trade". Extras should be good, but by definition, they're, well, extra.

 

This has happened more than once when someone finds out I live near FFF and they want me to drop in some fresh Zombie Dust. If I have it, it is not a problem. If I don't, it means waiting in the line when it is released at the kiosk.

"Occasionally" is an overstatement of fact I guess, other than the above Zombie Dust thing (which has been more than once). A guy once gave me a list of what he liked that was available at the FFF kiosk and wanted to know if I could check bottle shops in Illinois for some specific Pipeworks and Mikerphone beers he wanted to try. The same person specified to not send doubles of anything as well.

 

That's pretty excessive. If you OFFER to go out of your way if they have something specific they want - that's one thing. But for someone to just summarily ask you to is something else entirely.

In fact, I am someone that frequently offers to go out of my way, and this just rubs me all the wrong ways. Less so if it was just 1 specific thing you'be been jonesing for and you know it can be gotten down the street. Entirely something else for it to be not just 1, but multiple bottles, and it would require multiple stops.

 

That's pretty crazy. I've never had that happen to me.

The one time someone did ask for something specific as far as 'extras' (and it was FFF stuff), they threw in a ton of high quality extras on their end too and we were both happy at the end of it.

 

Sorry. I use tape. Not a ton, just enough to adhere the wrap so it doesn't unroll. But I don't use regular bubblewrap. I use the tiny closed cell foam sheets as I have a lot of them, and the tape peels right off of them. Wrap, tape, ziplock.

Even the guys that use tape that doesn't peel off great, it doesn't bother me. Slit it with a knife at the seam, never once have punctured a can.

 

I tape my bubble wrap and some of my trading partners do as well. I usually use brute force to rip them open. I have tons of spare bubble wrap and I don't care. I have never had a taped and wrapped and bagged can burst or puncture on me. Without the tape the bubble wrap can get loose and lose effectiveness. Just my thoughts.

 

Yea at that point the language should probably include "expanding" rather than extras. I've always thought of extras as unexpected gifts w no strings attached

 

I use the blue painter's tape which usually holds well and peels off pretty well. I'm the same way though, I don't mind if people tape. But I've never had someone go crazy on tape where I've actually had to cut through, so I could see where that'd be frustrating.

 

May seem silly but not letting me know how you are shipping until you send tracking. I request FedEx for every trade and let the other person know I am shipping fedex before we finalize. UPS leaves packages either on my porch or by my garage and I have had 3 packages "stolen" in the last 6 months and one destroyed. USPS has destroyed 3 of the 4 beer shipments I have had this year (which in my eyes is the shippers fault for even thinking about using USPS). FedEx will open a side door to my garage and set it inside the door for me.

 

I've sent 50 plus via USPS priority 2 day shippers. 0 issues. Something must be fishy in your location. For brews I can't replace I use FedEx, but due to the fact that it won't fit in the large USPS priority shipper.

 

I use USPS all the time. Never have a problem.

If you require that your incoming box be shipped FedEx, I think it is on you to let that be known up front. Having to go to FedEx is a pain for me I rarely use it.

 

Was

Looking through some threads/posts and saw yours. I can't believe someone wouldn't atleast say "No thanks but thanks for checking with me" if they didn't want to do it and if they do, say "awesome, thanks so much". How hard is it to respond quickly and take 5 seconds, you are probably already on BA if you are seeing the message that was sent.

 

I don't like it when someone tries to manipulate the trade. Want everything on their terms, try to pass off less quality beers. Want fresh beers but want to give me 2 month old IPAs. I don't like when someone doesn't actually say they want me to ship first and then they will ship. Instead they lie about why they could not ship on time and then ship me back my box that I sent to them and reuse all my packaging!! So I had to wait longer and I spent more on the trade bc I actually paid for my packaging. I absolutely hate it when we agree on a trade and what was agreed upon is not in the box!!! That's the worst. Communication is the key and it's so easy!

 

If they ship you back your packaging surely you still have your packaging to use again and you did not pay more as you paid for things and you still have them.

 

Right, I have my packaging to use a second time. However, the person that does that isn't paying for any packaging and they also lie and don't ship when they agree to. Not good trading techniques. Good traders either pay for packaging or reuse packaging that another person sent to them.