When looking around online for beer to buy (particularly eBay), I almost always come across this disclaimer that states: The value of the item is in the collectible container, not its contents. – The container has not been opened and any incidental contents are not intended for consumption. Now, I know I'm being ridiculous here since it clearly says the container has not been opened, but these things are usually just disclaimers, yes? If I were to actually buy or trade with a person with this sort of disclaimer, I wouldn't just get a beer bottle with either nothing in or something completely different than beer, yes?
Buyer beware on Ebay. I'd be shocked if many of the bottles on there aren't just refilled and capped with another cheaper/similar beer of less rarity. Or "cellared" in a person's 80 degree sunroom year round... The prices there are obscene and the quality is questionable - get involved in trading and you'll have access to the same beers at reasonable costs.
i think we're at or near the point where re-capping bottles and selling them for $200 is common. don't think enough people cared or bothered a few years ago, but at this point the climate is pretty easy to read. speaking of which, those of you who criticize all the hand-holding "great trader" love fest aspects of trading, that kind of community stuff is the only thing between you and your next "impressive whale" trade being old rasputin in a bourbon county rare bottle.
ebay sales give you no control over the storage of the bottle or the contents of a bottle. At least with a brick and mortar retailer you can be reasonably sure that he's not refilling bottles in the back and you can generally view the storage conditions of the bottles in question. Ebay sellers are known leeches off the beer community.. it'd be foolish to think there's not some active refilling/recapping sellers on the 'bay these days. You get what you pay for, and sometimes you pay for a $75 bottle of refilled old rasputin with a shot of bottom shelf bourbon added in.
I can't wait for the first "So I bought this bottle of Black Tuesday the other day at this little bodega in downtown LA - I don't get the hype..." post.
Ive often wondered how far off are we from having people refilling bottles with homebrews (esp clones) and selling counterfeit beers.
