First trades

A recent box from TX to MA was about $35 on Fedex. It was 32lbs and 18 x 18 x 18. That was my most expensive freight so far.

All of my other boxes have been around 20-25 lbs and range from $15-$25 per box.

 

30 pound box from Cincinnati to Oregon for me was $35.70 with FedEx. 20x18x14 box. This was about double what my previously most expensive box was shipped for.

I've paid about $200 over 11 trades in freight, so average comes in around $18 plus packing materials (which go down quite a bit after you start trading).

 

Signup for FedEx and UPS account and create the shipping label at home and just drop the box off. FedEx for sure gives you a slight discount for having an account.

Also I have never had a problem with it, but I also try to put a shipping label just inside the box on top and one on the outside or two on the outside just in case a label falls off.

 

I do this as well and write "Extra label inside." Also I'll write the track # in sharpie on the outside of the box.

 

Overkill would be the way to go. If the bottles or even a single bottle is broken, do you have another to replace it with? If no, then overkill is best. P.S. I also do not ship beer ha-ha.

 

My first trade was answering an ISO:FT for ISO Bells Best Brown FT: locals
Don't be afraid of posting an ISO:FT for non-whales; I've answered & even posted ISO'd for local 4 local trades

 

I agree with everyone and I'll add a couple things: Surly beers are often in cans. I know a guy who puts the cans in a flat rate box with minimal bubble wrap and it saves a lot on shipping.

Second, there are two more new glarus R&D releases this year and you are about 3 hours drive from there. Pick up a few homeless people and plan on hitting two days of the event at two bottles per person, per day.

Drive back home and spend a few days with your Whalez before trading them. Move your refrigerator into your bedroom and buy a home alarm system. Then post your first trade and ask for something like a case of heady for 1 bottle and join the ranks of those who really have no intention of trading they just want to post their FT beers so everyone can see.

After you have swam in the glory of life as a Whale owner for awhile you can post your first real trade and start to acquire other Whalez you previously only dreamed about. After that you are on your own. It's all down hill from there.

 

Definitely hit up NG, especially for the limited releases. The brewery is drop dead gorgeous. Staff is friendly & helpful. It's a lovely drive. Most of their regular lineup doesn't resonate with me but I enjoy a lot of their seasonals, their limited releases are usually awesome & I love their fruit beers.

When shipping expensive &/or hard to replace beers, consider offering Signature Required. My FedEx drop is only a short drive so I've started requesting my boxes be held there for pickup. It's as secure as Signature Required, more convenient since I don't have to be home, & at no additional cost. I read recently where someone has started requiring it when trading rare/expensive beers.

 

I have heard of people using them to ship smaller trades (like a 6 pack or so of cans), but it is much less common. Technically naughty and against FedEx and UPS policy to ship alcohol. Technically illegal to send via USPS (although I am sure no-one has ever gotten in trouble for it)

I have always used Fedex, but I would be happy to use USPS on a little can trade; my trades always end up too big though!

 

My average is about $15-$18 per box if its a smaller trade and around $35 for a 12 bottle shipper. I try not to look at the cost though becasue it really starts to add up.

 

I use the Flat Rate boxes often to ship a one-off beer to my nephew and he does the same in return. They work great for a single/few beer(s) or some cans. I wouldn't ship a super rare beer this way, but if you have some local beer you want someone to try its a really inexpensive way to send it.

 

I prefer FedEx because they seem to be cheaper as a general rule--especially if you have an account. I personally think that having an account also provides a little extra buffer against "hero" FedEx employees deciding they are going to sniff out if you are trying to ship alcohol or not. But that might be all in my head.

That said, when I've used UPS, I think their services are a little better as a default. They can look up my info from a phone number and automatically send out a tracking number email. None of that is standard with FedEx.

As far as shipping goes, I prefer to use some kind of shipper if I have one available and I have enough bottles to send. Whether it's the styro kind where the bottles all stand upright or the particle shippers where the bottles lay on their sides end-to-end, those keep all the bottles separated and secure, which makes breakage very unlikely. But if I don't have one of those, I do the following:

1. Line the entire bottom and sides of the box with a layer of the big bubble wrap (or two layers of the smaller bubble variety).
2. Snugly wrap each bottle individually in bubble wrap. Usually one "sheet" does the trick for 12 oz bottles, but I use two "sheets" for bombers and 750s, using the extra material to reinforce the neck and cap area.
3. Lay the bottles flat and snug, offsetting end-to-end. They can touch the sides of the box (well, the bubble wrap on the inside of the box), but not the ends of the box. Fill the space between the ends of the box and the tops/bottoms of the bottles with (preferably) styro peanuts, or alternatively, crumpled up newspaper or bubble wrap.
4. Put a layer of big bubble wrap on top of that layer and do the same thing again, with the second layer opposite of the first. In other words, if the bottle on the bottom layer has a neck pointing one way, have the bottle above it point the other way. Take advantage of the natural contouring of the bottles to minimize space for shifting.
5. Once all my bottles are in or the space is filled, I leave a few inches at the top to put in more bubble wrap or paper. Then I put a layer of bubble wrap over the top and tuck the edges down into the sides of the box as best I can.

But as a general rule, if you follow these three principles, you will be fine:

1. No glass-to-glass contact anywhere.
   
2. No room for things to shift. Shifting = momentum = force = possible breakage.
3. Don't stuff anything in too tight. You don't want things to shift, but you also don't want them so tight that any amount of force exerted on the outside of the box is transferred through to your bottle. Shifting is bad, but some minor give is good.

I've never ever had a break or leak with almost 50 trades under my belt (plus some additional boxes sent that weren't logged).

 

My first trade was for a sixer of Zombie Dust from a veteran trader. My advice is that you trade with the Vets first, communicate with them often, get their advice and offer to ship first. As for shipping...as someone mentioned above, I go OCD and follow what these guys say. Ziplock each bottle, bubblewrap each, put in smallest box possible, fill all voids for no movement, put box in trash bag, all this into another box packed with newspaper,peanuts etc. Some traders will use electrical tape to secure the bottle cap. Easy right? Hah. The first time was hard but I guarantee you'll get hooked, especially if you get great trading partners. One mistake I learned was FedEx not only charges by weight, but also by size of box. So go with smallest box possible without endangering the contents. My first shipper was around $50 for tens pounds of content. After that lesson, cost went down to about $25. Another tip...reuse the the shipping materials you get. Your first trade is going look expensive, especially if you can't "Borrow" work office supplies. But when that first box of beer hits your doorstep, its like Christmas for adults. Have fun

 

My first trade was about 2 years ago. A 4 pack of Heady for 3 KBS. I still have one of the bottles of KBS which to me is like a collectors item. I'll probably drink it as a 5 year vert when next year's is released.



As for shipping, there are dozens of successful ways to pack but there are only two rules that I go by when judging the finished product.

1. Can you lift up and shake the hell out of the box without any movement?
2. Would you feel comfortable dropping the box from chest height on all 6 sides?

If I can confidently answer "Yes" to both of these questions, I'll slap a label on it and never look back.

 

Locals for locals is a great way to start. Maybe specify that you're looking for $4$ just to be clear that it's not an auction (which is against the rules here). I always use my FedEx.com to print the shipping labels. I've sent a styrofoam UHaul 6-shipper from Chicago to the East Coast and West Coast a few times, and it's been about $15-20 each time. I try to do "adult signature required" when possible, just to make it a little safer. I think those styro 3- and 6-shippers are worth the money.

That alewatcher new-trader link above has great advice, but I've had more than one more-experienced trader partner tell me not to bother with the noise-makers (tic-tacs, rice, pennies, etc.). They said it's not really necessary (it's noisy in most fedex dropoff spots and on the trucks, so they probably won't hear the sloshing) and if anything, it's more likely to attract attention, because it will sound like something is broken. Also, I've been told it's not worth the trouble of putting electrical tape around the bottle-caps... that if they're going to come off, it's going to happen either way, and it's more important to have the bottles in zip-locks so the box won't look wet if there's breakage. Also, put a garbage bag around the styrofoam inside the box.

My first trade was just last year... it was a 2011 Pappy Van Winkle Dark Lord for BA Abraxas + Assassin. I was pretty nervous about that one... but it was IP, and the guy was a friend of a friend. I've since realized that he's a cool guy and pretty generous trader. But I might have been lucky. I would not recommend starting with whalez. :-)