I have been into craft beers for quite sometime now. I enjoy a good microbrew. I like to consider myself a beer enthusiast, some of my friends call me a bit of a beer snob...ha ha. I am always out looking for that "diamond in the rough" brew. I am however new to this beer trading and I'd love to get into it but don't know where to start. If I could get some insight of how to start and some tips and tricks that would be great. Thanks everyone.
Hi, Welcome and good luck! Have you read these? https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/how-to-get-started-with-beer-trading.353318/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/faq-trading.444380/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/beer-trading-rules-tips.229/ They are a good place to start!
Look at the top 20 beers in Michigan on the BA list by state. Try to buy those beers. Then look for beer you're interested in trying. Put up a FT: "michigan beer xxx" ISO: "beer name/brewery name". Since you're new, you will likely be asked to ship first- that's normal. Include some local extras for your trade partner as they will likely do the same for you. IPAs should be fresh (less than a month old if possible). You could also just start by trading local beers for local beers to get your feet wet. Cheers
Use rubber bands around the bubblewrap instead of tape. We all like to reuse packing material for our next shipments so that helps. You can never ever use too much padding. The safer the better. Ship on a Monday so the box doesn't get stuck in the warehouse for a weekend. Most delivery services base the charge to ship on the weight of your box, so be aware of this before you set up a huge trade. I've had boxes cost over $70 just to ship. Tip: Cans are lighter than bottles Good luck have fun man. Opening a trade box is mad exciting!
1. Electrical tape on the cap if it's not covered in wax. 2. Put beer in a zip lock bag. 3. Put zip locked beer in a garbage bag. 4. Wrap in bubble wrap. Don't be cheap, a couple dollars of extra wrap is better than replacing a broken bottle. 5. Tell FedEx your shipping olive oil. 6. Like they said above; ship on Monday. Ground normally takes 4-5 days so it won't sit over the weekend. 7. Buy some local beer that people are trading for and make an offer. Look at other offers to get an idea what it's worth though so you don't get ripped off. 8. DO NOT TRADE WITH ANYONE WHO MENTIONS A SECONDARY SELL SITES VALUE. Those people are assholes and will take advantage of you. They might be in it to profit, but they are defiantly not in it for the sake of promoting amd trying good beer. Also, check out the trading pet peeves forum, you'll figure out what to do by reading what not to do. People reply all day to questions so don't be afraid to ask. Cheers.
