Auction style trades. I'm finding this to be more and more prevalent. I'm wondering if this is a maximizing strategy or simply bad trading tact? I do realize that be too specific can be detrimental, but to just say, " I got X beer, come at me, dude ", seems borish. To do this to a certain extent when fishing for something you might like, but are open to suggestions, might be helpful, but I have seen where it just becomes a lazy way of saying you don't have a clue. Comments?
As a fairly new trader I dont like the auction style posts. You should know what you want when you post. if you want a few different items our you are not sure put a list in the post.
Auction style posts are againt the rules of trading here. Report them when you see them. <<No auctions (even for charity) or "best offer" style posts. Be as specific as possible>>
It isn't being lazy, it's trying to maximize what you can get a little more covertly than just putting "best offer" as your ISO. You'll notice that the OP will often come back later and say something like "I've got some solid offers but nothing I'm willing to do yet." or some other similar shit. Don't trade with these folks.
Don't worry as much though, usually these ISOs don't get "done" (unless what they're offering something very rare"). As much as people complain how trades are done on this forum, I have been involved in various other non-beer-related forums before (watches, sneakers, vintage clothing, etc... yes I have addiction issues) and BA is one of the most civilized, generous, and "ethical" forums I have ever been to... where people are "in it" for more than just beer...
Damn, I just saw "lazy" and "fishing" in the title an thought someone wanted to talk about what to drink on a lazy day of fishing. Oh well, to post something on-subject so this doesn't get flagged (and because posts like the OP pointed out bother me to no end), just flag something that seems to be an auction-style post. Don't threadshit, don't engage the OP of the thread, just flag it. This type of crap is going to continue, either way. However, we can make it much more difficult for those who don't want to follow the rules to operate and make this site that much better for those of us who do want to abide by the rules.
I used to think there was nothing wrong with this, as long as the person just took the BM offer they wanted the most, without leveraging the top offers against others. Kind of like a silent auction. But the more I think of it, the person offering the beer should have some idea of what they'd like to land. Why should the initial offer come from people who weren't even creating the trading thread? In addition, even if people played fair, the forum would be a mess of people holding these silent auctions, just to see what they could land with the bottles they had.
If we are a community that is driven by our passion for beer, admiration for those who produce it and respect for those around us, I just do not see where maximizing value fits in there. Once we start viewing beer as a simple commodity, and become overly concerned about trade value I feel we have lost our focus.
im fairly new to the "trading" part of this site but i have been in the industry for years. I like beer and i like trying new things. With that said i sort of have a different take. for someone like me, i just want to try new beers. its as simple as that. theres a huge list of beers id like to try and and even larger list of beers i dont know i want to try yet. i end up with a stockpile of beer i like but want to try something new, i think its within reason to post up a [ft: xxxx iso: "let me know what you got"]. it doesnt mean im trying to auction my way up or that im being lazy, i simply have a beer that i want a break from and am in search of something new. maybe i dont know of this amazing local beer that someone else has stockpiled and wants a change of pace too? either way there a few stipulations to this mindset: now if someone does this though i expect them to be pretty open to whatever (basically a beer of quality and that i havnt had it would be my criteria). turning down trade after trade is when id get suspicious someone was auctioning rather then just wanting to try new things. i would expect $4$ roughly or the trade to go in the other persons favor. when i want to try new beers, getting the absolute best trade is not my priority.
Interesting to see different sides of this. I do agree that flagging works best, though I'm not the only one who posts respones to the ISO posts facetiously.
I've taken to flagging these recently. They are annoying and clog up the trade forum which is already clogged enough. At the very least, list a couple beers in the same range you are looking for. I have no problem with "ISO: Beer A, Beer B, other similar beers or wants" "ISO: West Coast IPA's" "ISO: GI Barrel Aged stuff" etc. Offers could range from anything from a 12 pack of Bud Lite Lime to BCBS Rare.
So they can eat your ass, but you refuse to massage their prostates? Ever hear of reciprocity, bro? Seriously, though, I too am tired of the relatively new trading "strategy" of being intentionally vague and then leveraging competing offers against one another. Anytime someone gets back to my offer with a "can you add something? I've got lots of great offers," I simply delete the conversation and make a note never to trade with that person again.
I think a contributing factor to the vagueness of ISO/FT posts is the disconnect between user profile/old site and the new forum. Maybe not the major reason, but for me personally I find it cumbersome to jump back and forth and actively manage wants and gots. To a new user the process of building and maintaining the lists is not intuitive at all.
No. The process involved in managing wants and gots may be a little a little cumbersome, but that doesn't excuse someone writing a ISO/FT post that includes "ISO: Best offer" or some similar bullshit.
Wasn't that quote originally about slaves? Let's try it: If we are a community that is driven by our passion for slaves, admiration for those who produce them and respect for those around us, I just do not see where maximizing value fits in there. Once we start viewing slaves as a simple commodity, and become overly concerned about trade value I feel we have lost our focus. -Abraham Lincoln
When that happens I tell them to eat a fat **** (I'm sure I've pissed plenty of people off that way). I let them know they should accept the other offer rather than turning it into a private auction.
