Hypothetical: if every FT and ISO offer were reversed

Beer Advocate is for sharing great beer, not winning the trade. Good post OP, maybe a few will change their idea of trading. Fingers crossed!

 

As you probably know most of the best trading is going on behind the scenes.

I would not think a 50:50 ratio happens anymore on the forums with all the maximization that goes on.

I think it is about time to stick a fork in the forums.

 

If every ISO:FT were reversed, there would have been at least 200,000 bottles of Bourbon County Vanilla released!

 

I think is it mostly about beer education. In the threads that you posted, the traders obviously don't know the value/rarity of some of the beers they are requesting. I don't think it's greed, I just think those traders are so afraid that they're going to get screwed that they make ridiculous requests.

I think another aspect is the question of "how rare is rare?" They know they beer that they have in their hands is rare, but they don't know that actual production of what they have or what they are asking for.

 

In the last year, rare gas gone from a 150 bottle count and less to a 10,000 bottle count and less. If a store only allocates one bottle per customer of a 10k distributed beer, apparently that makes it rare.

 

I don't even do ISOs anymore. Have 4 trading partners and I'm done with the bullshit. Behind the scenes 100%.

 

I'm lucky to have my trading partners. I've done a bunch of trades, but there are some people that I find that are a lot more like myself ( or what I'd like to think of myself I should say) that have become not only trading partners but friends. the reason im active in my area in getting the more harder to get releases is for my trade partners and myself, it seems like some do the same but make a big score on the forums.


That being said there are still good trades and traders on the ft forum, I wouldn't have great partners now if it weren't for the trade thread to begin with right?

Some days you have to search hard but they are there. Good trades dont get attention, they get done. The more optimistic trades get a lot more attention.

 

All of this information is only relevant for those who trade in terms of "value" for "value", as though such things could be effectively established objectively. If someone has something you want, and you have something they want, just trade the bottles and be happy. Who the hell cares how many bottles there were if you're willing to trade it anyway? Knock off the "value" and "worth" nonsense and just swap some beers, people!

 

This is the way to go, but it does take a few ISOs to establish permanent trading partners and people you want to trade with on a regular basis. A lot of the ridiculous ISOs are from people who haven't traded.