So when did "extras" become mandatory?!

For the record, the person who WINS in a trade is the person that made the other person feel like they won.

 

I dont care as long as i got the beer I asked for.

 

I'm new to trading but I see 5 clear people I wouldn't want to trade with and a few others who are borderline. All that said, is it so difficult to communicate and say you won't send extras if you can't?

Maybe I'm trading wrong, but I don't want to have a bunch of 1 and done trade partners, I would rather have 5-6 solid partners and share what I get locally with them and help them out with their wants. Granted I can't get whales on a normal basis but if I can give them locals or shelf whales, then they'll get them plus more.

 

That's fine if you feel that way, just lay it out clearly to your partner. Fact is, like it or not, extras are customary in the trading community. Most people send them, in fact, an overwhelming majority do it. So if you know that you're probably going to get extras, but choose not to send any in return and don't say anything, how does that not make you feel bad?

 

Over 150 trades here. I do agree that extras are technically extra. It only becomes a DICK MOVE to not include extras if you don't let your trading partner know beforehand. To me, it comes off as kinda sleazy. It's like you are being sneaky and keeping silent just to get a couple more beers out of me without having to send any more. People who do that (and surprisingly, a few 'veteran' traders have done this to me) just go on my don't trade again list. I don't BM to complain or anything, just take a mental note. Read this: I don't put them on my don't trade list because they didn't send any extras, but because they didn't tell me they weren't going to...just puts a bad taste in my mouth.

Also, especially take note new traders, my personal policy is this:

If you are easy to deal with, have good communication, and I don't get the feeling you are trying to squeeze me; I will send you awesome extras. If you are difficult to deal with, nickel and dime me, and have poor communication; you will get regular extras and a ticket to the don't trade again list.

 

Way back in the day when Younger growlers were still going on, my buddy sent out a few growlers to some traders. Since he was still new to trading, his rep wasn't very large, so he sent first on two trades, sending a growler out for each one. He sent out the growler, and included extras of a couple Elders and a couple sours in each box. The other traders got his boxes, and they both only sent back the trade they agreed upon. Let's just forget about the 25$ worth of extras they each got. Assholes will anus I say. To know you got some killer extras, and then not even send back a few extras on your end, is anus behavior.

In 50+ trades, I have received extras in all, and sent extras in all. If you don't plan on sending extras, please let the other trader know so they don't spend more time and money on trying to hook you up if you won't do the same back. Don't be a jerk.

 

Ah, trading. We had a few long discussions about this back in the old forums... I believe that people think about trading in (at least) two fundamentally different ways -- as a social act, and as an transaction. People who view trading beer as a social act understand extras implicitly (as a way of conveying social capital via a common love of beer), and trying to translate that implicit justification into language that a transactional trader will understand is a flawed exercise -- they're working from within different frameworks. Analogizing it to tipping is legitimate but typically just results in people arguing about tipping.

Send extras if you want to. Don't if you don't. Be clear, in your profile and in your communication, about which you're going to do, if you don't want people to get upset with you due to mismatch of assumptions.

 

customary is different than mandatory.

i lay out clearly "i am sending X and nothing else. all i want in return is Y."

i don't feel bad if some guy knows that and then sends me a 9 month old pale ale. and i certainly don't want to be "forced" to send extras because of the views of BA's.

the only beers i'll trade for are those i will never be able to get my hands on. don't have to be uber-limited releases, or "whales". it can be off-the-shelf beers in North Carolina or Oregon. i'm not expecting the guy to kick in anything else because he's already doing me enough of a favor sending me the beers i have requested.

it's the "mandatory" entitlement that bothers me. why does anyone deserve extra? if you want extra, then ask for it.

i've heard/read plenty of stories/posts about people being pissed off that the extras they sent were superior to the extras they received. so, where's the line? what are we supposed to send as extras? only our finest, most expensive, barrel aged wonders? is it local only options? only barleywines?

 

link to the right forums?

 

I send extras unless we mutually agree to not send them. It does not bother me in the slightest if I do not receive any in return.

 

i'm solid. just expressing an opinion to counter the ridiculous notion that something like extras should be mandatory.

cheers!

 

All of you Advocating extras are Entitled and Gouging the community.

Cloying.








(I even capitalized 'em for the soul-less)

 

I just recently shipped out my first trade. I was going to include a couple nice misc. locals as extras, and then I thought back to a comment my trading partner made that most of his cellar was sours. I knew a small local brewery had a limited release sour out now so I made some calls, drove to a store and bought the bomber and that was the extra I shipped. It made me feel great to share something he would never get unless he trades for it. When I receive my shipment shortly I only hope it includes what we agreed upon. That is all I'll need to be a happy camper. Anything in addition to that would be, well "extra."

 

If you don't plan on sending extras let the other person know before they ship. Simple as that.

 

THIS, exactly.

 

Your (justified) confusion stems from the word 'extras' not really being the perfectly fitting word for the act. Really, 'extras' is just a short placeholder for "random beer I want to give you that I think you'll like beyond what we specifically agreed to trade for". Thus when two parties agree upon 'extras' in advance, they are both just making it clear that they would each enjoy some "random beer that the other thinks I will like".

I think you are also in a bit different boat than most. International trading is very expensive and very capacity/weight limited. Thus it makes sense to me that people would try to maximize the specific bottles of the trade and then only worry about extras if there is any room leftover.

 

There's a fuzzy line. Generally I have no idea what extras might show up in a box, and generally I don't give people any indication what extras I might be sending them. Sometimes there might be a mention of using a 6 or 12 bottle shipper and filling up the remaining space. Sometimes someone might ask me if I've had anything from a particular brewery, or about what breweries from their home state get distributed to Oregon. Rarely, someone tells me they're going to include something specific, which always feels a little odd, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

 

I don't expect extras, but I am always grateful for them. Extras my trading partners have sent have opened my eyes to many breweries and many styles I would not have had the chance to try. The Bruery, Highland Brewing, Duck-Rabbit, just to name a few.. I would have missed out on many great beers if it was not for the generosity of other traders and their extras. I try my best to return the favor.

 

I send extras and expect none in return.

The extras make me feel good. Sometimes its a few 12oz bottles/cans I think they will appreciate. Sometimes its a couple of bombers worth almost as much as the agreed trade. It all boils down to my gut feeling an how pleasant the trade negotiations have gone. If it's a normal partner, it's going to be a lot of extras. They know you once you've made a few trades and understand the level at which you extra.

I try to stick close to $4$ when negotiating, but it's not to win, it's a guideline, especially for new trading partners. I enjoy when I send a beer and someone messages back saying how awesome and extra is. That's what makes trading fun.

If I get something back, I'm grateful, if not, no big deal.