Trading Pet Peeves

if you want to use the other persons packaging say that in advance , but to suggest that they are trying to rip you off $ wise for just that point is an exageration.

 

This is a thread about your trading pet peeves. I am voicing my pet peeves. Not good trade etique to lie about when you're shipping and then use the other person's box. Both parties acquire their own boxes, fill them with beers, ship.

 

I don't mind someone re-using my packaging. I recently had a trade where we were sending some rare bottles. I had a good Styrofoam 6 shipper that I knew would protect everything safely. I suggested my partner wait and use my shipper.
That's totally different than what you are talking about. Someone making excuses so they can receive your box first will find themselves on my do not trade list.

 

Exactly!! If it were agreed upon, then no problem what-so-ever. What I'm describing did happen 2 times and both people made my DNT list immediately. I just want honesty, that, and sending the agreed upon beers.

 

I encountered the old bait and switch today. I sent a PM in response to a very specific ISO:FT post. He listed the two beers he had FT and the one beer he was ISO in the title. The body simply said "2:1". I initiated the conversation saying I was interested in the offer and would even add something to even it out a bit. He responded by saying that he typed it quickly on his phone and forgot to say that he wanted another bottle in addition to the bottle he was ISO. Here was my response:

 

Traders not saying thank you for extras or even mentioning them in either their reply that the box landed or on their feedback.

 

Was going back & forth in my head if the 9+ month old apa lone extra I recently received is just the trader being pretty ballsy or someone that just doesn't quite get it.

 

Me: Puts up ISO
Idiot: Hey, love your list, but do you have some highly sought-after beers that are probably brewery-release only from two breweries on the opposite coasts that are over 1,000 miles from you?
Me: Nope. But let me know what interested you from my list.
Idiot: Doesn't bother to get back to me. But suddenly thinking he has a marketable bottle, tries to trade it locally first, then nationally.

It's people like this, who are in trading for maximum return, & have neither shame nor common decency, that have driven me to the margins of the trading game. As more & more of my old trading partners have retired, I find myself in the twilight of a 10 year trading career. But hey, it gives me more & more excuses to visit local taprooms!

 

This is going to sound pretty ridiculous but bare with me....

Last week I received a box from California. They wanted one 22oz bottle from Cycle that I had and had two bottles that I wanted (1 Firestone 22oz and 1 Bottle Logic 500ml). We agreed and said we include extras. I get the box and I get what was agreed on and there are 4 bottles of Monster's Park Variants, an extra Bottle Logic Stasis bottle, a vintage Firestone limited "box" beer, and a bottle of Black Tuesday. I was blown away by so much included but I immediately felt bad about the 1 local barrel aged bomber and 3-4 locals I sent as extras...

Again, ridiculous to complain but that's a pretty hefty expectation to meet if they wanted a similar return with extras!

 

Ah I love/hate when that happens because I feel super guilty. I usually blow it up with the next trade we make or one day down the line if we don't set something up again (usually a month later since that's how long it'll take me to acquire some goodies) I'll send a surprise box back to him without warning. That always makes people's day, to get an unexpected box full of good beer.

 

While I'm kind of ambivalent about extras in the first place, and I know I shouldn't complain because they're extra, I don't understand sending beers that have national distribution. Just send me your cheapest local breweries or whatever. I can buy Lagunitas, Bells, Founders et cetera and no one should be paying shipping to get those to me.

 

That people take trading way too seriously.

I saw this conversation somewhere else:
A: ISO: Beer 1 or Beer 2; FT: Beer 3 and Beer 4.
(Beers 1 and 2 were a limited brewery only release of a highly rated BA stout, Beers 3 and 4 were also highly rated BA stouts with limited releases that saw also saw very limited distribution within the state).
B: I have Beers 1 and 2. But I also have beers 3 and 4 as do most everyone else that would have beers 1 or 2 for trade. Good luck.

Secondary value is a term that I wish were not part of the craft beer vernacular.

 

Give me the name/handle of this a-hole immediately!

 

Had a similar experience recently: they agreed to the trade after increasing the original ISO once I reached out, only to ask me to sit tight while they worked out another earlier trade offer that they conveniently forgot to mention. Just a total waste of time and an instant add to the no trade list.

 

Just recently I sent a box with a 750 ml New Glarus Belgian Red and a Cassian Sunset as extras. I stated what I was sending as extras and he sounded excited. In return as an extra, I received a single 12 oz can of a porter. I was a bit taken back. I was kind of expecting something of the same level of what I sent. I think next time I trade with someone, we should skip the extras. I don't know how to do it these days....

 

I am unsure how I feel about this.

Living where I do, i don't have access to very much cool stuff. What I do have access to, is mostly expensive sours (Upland). What I have had to do frequently is just give something away as an extra that I traded for or purchased that I really wanted and only have 1 of. I fee that I have to do this because I have received some really nice extras. At the same time, I don't really feel like I should HAVE to do that. Kind of sucks to give away something that you wanted and have not had a chance to drink just because you received some awesome beers that you did not intend to trade for.

I have given some really awesome stuff away before because I wanted to. I wanted them to have nice stuff. I did not expect anything in return.

I feel like your post is outside of the pervue of what extras are supposed to be about. They are supposed to be something that you think the other person would like. I always ask about style, and always try to make sure i am staying out of Distro. The exception is when someone says they have not had (say) a founders BA series, and that's something they wanted. I'd give them that if I knew they liked it and did not have enough or wanted to try it.

I think, unfortunately, that I usually don't do as well for extras as some of my trade partners. I just don't have as much quality beer as they do. If I lived someplace else, or traded like crazy, I'd love to give them more. But I just don't. I'd hate to lose a trade partner because of this. I would feel like they should have just made it part of the trade if that's how they really felt.

I do understand why you are frustrated, though.

 

More and more I see the requests of 'no extras' as part of trades I make, especially when making trades with people that are quite a distance away from me (like the west coast states). That's fine with me.

If nothing about extras is mentioned, my preference is to send something that is out of that person's distro that they might like. Sending extras shouldn't serve as an opportunity to clean out the fridge of old beer or things you personally don't like. At that point I don't even understand why you'd pay extra for shipping to just to ship 'bad' beer. Then the understanding should be 'no extras' and just send beers in agreed upon trade.

But if a person agrees to extras and then sends out bad/old ones just in hope of getting better beer back, well then that person is just a PoS and they know they will be screwing the other person. I'd put that person on my personal do-not-trade list and move on.

Having said all that, I never go into a trade expecting much from extras. This way it prevents me from being disappointed and only makes me happier when something nice comes my way.

 

The earlier trade was presumed dead prior to you reaching out, he messaged me back days later. The iso was not "increased". My desired iso was not allowed to be posted as it contained a complete set of a release which included a 375ml liquor. This was stated in the very first message.



And the trade I thought went dead

 

Well since you commented...

Your ISO didn't say "5+:1, PM for details," it said 5:1. It's your prerogative to trade for what you want, but forgive me if I feel bait and switched when somebody ups their request after the first PM goes out offering the beers being requested in the ISO. I don't have any reason to doubt your timeline on the other discussion, but it'd be cool to mention that you've got something else going during negotiations before saying "yes I'll do it for this year's 5 piece and the '16 regular," only to back out for the other deal. Otherwise, you tell the first guy that you had another offer and you're taking it. You didn't do anything that breaks the trading rules, and again, you're under no obligation to take a trade just because it's offered, but not being open about what's going on is, IMO, poor communication at best, and a kind of lame auction attempt at worst. It's not a huge deal, just an annoying situation that won't make me seek out trades with you going forward. Everybody's gonna be fine.

 

I'm sorry it worked out as it did. I didn't mention the other trade because I thought it was long dead after he didn't reply after several days of regular communication.

After three full days of not hearing from him his reply came in 12 minutes after I said yes I'll do the trade with you at 9:07.

I'm sorry things didn't work out, and that I did say yes to trade becayse i thought my other one was long since dead... but understand from my side that almost literally when I did he resurfaced after 3 days of being AWOL. It wasn't like I was in active discussion while we were discussing options, and even if I were, what business is that of yours? But I have screenshots to show that's not how it went down.

And regarding the thread title, you're right, I could have added something additional like pm for details and you're right, I probably should have. I apologize for not.

I did however immediately disclose my intent of iso up front. At which point you could have said "thanks but no thanks". You can't blame me for any "total waste of time" after that point.

Anyways. Cheers and enjoy the rest of your weekend.