"You know you can just buy them, right?"-Mini Rant

I disagree wholeheartedly. If OP does not want to buy beer online, OP will disregard comment. However, I'd like to know if I'm ISO a beer that I can buy online. I just may use that option or at least know I shouldn't be giving up extremely limited beer to get the beer I'm ISO.

 

Shouldn't the trader at least know of their options and have the choice to trade?

 

I don't mind if someone (politely) points out to me that a beer I'm searching for is available online. But, I'm in the same boat as you and I'd much rather receive it via trade. I get just as much satisfaction by helping others out as I do by getting to try a new beer.

 

If I'm buying beer online, I'm paying for bottles and shipping. I end up happy.
If I'm trading beer, I'm paying for bottles and shipping. Two people end up happy.

(I fully understand that some prefer the 'safeness' and less hassle involved with buying)

 

disagree completely. If you want to be super technical about it, wouldn't you rather support the brewery than a trader (ie, without the brewery, the trade wouldnt happen). You're basically saying you would rather not contribute to the brewery's growth, in order to make another trader happy.

If its available for purchase, I'll do whatever i can to buy it (again, through legit sites). Support the breweries, not the trader. And hell, if you say, well I rather just trade this beer away for it, then fine go ahead, I am not saying that is bad. But to say its the "wrong setting" (imo, your assumption is what is wrong) or that it "discourages trading" (who cares?)

Aren't we all here for the love of the product?

/rebuttal

 

Wouldn't the beer still have to be purchased? I won't trade for stolen beer.

 

of course, but in theory its 1 bottle of sales vs 2 bottles of sales

 

Both traders would have to buy beer, correct?

 

I'm confused. Isn't it one bottle of sales either way?

 

oh so the asumption you are taking is that the beers being traded are from the same brewery?

 

No, I'm saying that 2 different craft breweries are being supported.

 

I dont think so. hahah, am i way off here ? Let me think about this.

 

...wut? No it's not. Either you get the bottle from a trader (who may or may not have already bought it) or you get it from a distribution, who definitely already bought it. Once it's in stock on a website the brewery has been paid. That's why it's in stock. A trader may or may not have the bottle, but either way the brewery will be getting the same amount of money.

Actually, that's not necessarily true, with a trader the brewery could get more money because they could buy it at the brewery, depending on the trade/trader, and the margins at the brewery should be better than the wholesale margins.

 

Personally, I'd rather trade than buy online. Even if online buying has less hassle, then I have to start factoring in what they're going to charge me for materials up and above the cost of trading. And if we're talking about Etre Gourmet or similar Belgian shops, then there's the whole customs/overseas shipping aspect.

 

Well, I guess I'm thinking of a locals 4 locals type trade, where I would just go in and buy the stuff off the shelf a day or two before shipping. In that scenario, had it not been for the trade, I wouldn't be buying the beer, but the other person would (online), so it's still just one sale.

 

[holds up white flag]

 

Part of the love is sharing the love.
The beers I trade are beers I buy for the purpose of trading away. I wouldn't have bought them otherwise.
Say a person wants some Oak Aged Yeti and sets up a trade with me. I go out and buy one for him, one that I would never have bought otherwise.
If he buys it online himself then the trade never happens but the brewery still makes that one sale they would have from me.
The brewery isn't losing sales due to trading.

If breweries are worried about losing out on the value of rarity and age they should stash some of their own bottles for a decade and release them at a raised price like vineyards do.

 

[holds up different white flag]