Just wondering since I am still relatively new and also have not seen anything that directly addresses this (other than don't be a dick) but what is the etiquette for entering into a trade only to have someone come back and say they got a better offer? Then when you rework your trade to add more and it is again agreed to, the same guy comes back and again pulls the rug out? To put the icing on the cake, the guy does not have ISO:FT privileges so was pretty clearly trying to move the same stuff to multiple people at the same time, but then why not be honest and straight up about that and don't agree to do the deal then. My loss and it sucks but just wondering how often this type of thing happens etc.
my take, fuck him. Since it seems like the negotiations weren't stellay, then the rest of the trade possibly wouldnt of gotten better. Flush it, move on. Just know you probably dont want to trade with them any way and go hunt for another trader.
You are relatively new to trading, and you're setting up a trade with someone who is also new, and doesn't have ISO:FT privileges? I like your style. Live dangerously!
If he's agreeing to a trade and then coming back saying he got a better offer, total dick. True, the trade wasn't finalized, but this is the auctioneer type of trader that you want to avoid at all costs. There are plenty of great traders out there. Don't sour the experience of your first trades by dealing with a dick like this. Just move on and keep trying.
That's called douchebag 101. I see them every now and then with those I haven't traded with before or with little history. I will respond to there ISO: thread with the bottles they are asking for only to have them come back and tell me they looked at my cellar and want X,&Y instead. They also magically don't need the bottles they have up in their ISO list anymore now that you offered them. I just leave the convo and chalk it up.
Rule #3: if a trade smells bad, walk away. I wouldn't trade with this person. Anybody who does something even slightly shady should receive a polite message saying you're no longer interested.
trader: (settles on trade) me: (settles on trade) trader: sorry i got a better offer me: (offers no counteroffer, never trades with this person again) --- don't be fooled about what this shit is. as ever, you don't become the beer king when your lips touch that rare cantillon. if you want the company you keep to be greedy assholes and believe 10 year old BA barleywines are worth* > $100, that's your choice, but know that this is not the general point of trading. don't be a sucker. * i mean really worth, not "i'm just having fun, i have a huge cellar, i really don't care if [hot shot beer] is disappointing, i'll go all in with the expensive trade," worth.
Thanks for the advice. I didn't mind re-hashing the deal the first time to get it done but I thought that was the end of it then. It raised some red flags so I got him to agree to ship first and figured we'd wrap it up but then when again this morning I had a message saying he got a better offer I politely told him to go eff off since that seemed like a total dick move to keep peddling the same stuff you already agreed to trade. Now if he would have been upfront with a hey I've got something I'm moving for best offer then fine I would have known the terms but to just pull that seemed ridiculous to me. And since it seems ok to post, his handle is Cusetown but I get a sneaky feeling that he isn't really as much of a noob as it would appear he is.
Run away as fast as you can from people that do this. Beer auctions are generally frowned upon as it is, but once you've agreed to a deal, backing out because you got a better offer is trading for all the wrong reasons. Don't support those kinds of people. I'd be cautious of trading with this guy anyway, even if he wasn't pulling these shenanigans. Zero activity on the site and just signed up a couple of months ago is a giant red flag that he might pull something. I mean, if you're going to get into trading and can't be damned to even take 5 minutes to fill out basic profile info...
What? Didn't you know that Wooden Hell was worth $300+ dollars of Bell's BA 9000? Just ask Cam: http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/ft-wooden-hell-iso-case-of-bourbon-barrel-9000.47748/
That is an asshole move for sure. Ideally trading is making relationships and sharing beer with others that they cant get, not finding the best offer. After he dicked me with first agreed upon trade, there was no way in hell I would up an offer to meet the better trade he got.
Yeah, fool me once shame on you and fool me twice shame on me. The first time I was like fine, whatever, I really wanted the beer and thought I had probably gotten the better end of the initial deal so I had no problem bumping it up since I planned on being super generous with the extras. But to do it twice in 24 hours, just a dick move.
I had this happen to me a while back. I was looking to set up an IP trade while traveling. We agreed to a deal, then he decided some beers were worth a little more, fine, it was a good size trade I would throw in a few more bottles (which I was planning on extras anyways). Then he decided the bottles were even more dear to him. I pulled out of the trade. Found someone else who I did an even bigger trade with and he was VERY generous. From my perspective for every douche-bag there are 5 great BAs. If someone seems like a jerk, ditch them and move along, I am sure you can make the deal happen with a stand up BA. Also, as noted, since you are new to trading try to find a trading vet with a good reputation.
I don't treat the trade forums as an auction. If I'm looking for something and someone has it and will do it for something I feel is comparable. I make the trade. If I get BMed after that, I don't solicit offers, I respond and say "sorry, already have a trade in the works" This isn't e-bay. This is meant to be a site where beer fans can exchange opinions and beers. I've been able to get some great beers (locals and limited release stuff) from all over the country that I can't get in my area because of the forums. In short, don't be dicks. Don't be trading to make a profit, trade because you want beer. Also, I've got a sixer of Yeungling I'd be willing to let go for a BA dark lord. Just saying, get in now, value will only grow!!!
This is really the best advice. I've only completed a few trades, but the BA's I traded with successfuly were ontop of communications and didn't do anything sketchy. The one trade that I had a weird gut feeling about went bad. If the BA I'm dealing with seems to lack common sense or drops out of the conersation for days at a time while still loggong on, I'm out.
