First and foremost let's get the legal disclaimers aside. Beer trading, sending beer to a "friend", whether by USPS, UPS or FedEx is illegal. I do not know what the penalties are and have never read about a beer trader being convicted of anything but that does not mean it will not happen to you.
1. If you contact someone about a beer trade you are supposed to inniciate the trade by sending beer to them. Most people are not going to send you beer if they did not contact you seeking beer. I might be the one exception to that rule but in general I do not trade with people I do not get the right vibe from.
2. Send more than you expect to receive. I've always done this and it has always worked. Sometimes the recipient sends you a package of less than stellar brews but other times you get more and better beer than you expected. This will wean out trades that are not worth doing to you. It happens and it is okay to walk away from a trade if you do not see the advantage to it.
3. Expect some packages to arrive broken. This does not happen a lot but it can happen. Two packages I have sent arrived with broken bottles. They were all packed well but these things happen. When I was notified they arrived broken I resent the beer. Should I have done that? Depends on the trade and how well you know the person. You can always apologize that the bottles arrived broken and say you are tapped out and can't resend them. Note, this will probably kill any future trades with this person, especially if you are the latter part of the trade.
4. Be realistic. If you are asking for a beer that is very hard to find and produced in very limited quantities don't offer a 6-pack of staples that are local to you. A bottle of Dark Lord, where the person has waited in line forever for the chance to buy a limited number of bottles, does not equal six 12 ounce bottles of your local brewery's standard fair even when the recipient has no chance of buying any of that beer. Like for like. Many people I trade with just want local beers they cannot get and send the same in return. That is great for me and them but if it is not what you are looking for then that is a trade you do not want.
5. This isn't like buying a Christmas or Hanukkah gift for the aunt you see once a year. Be thoughtful! Do your research and see what might appeal to a trader before offering a trade. If you can get a rare beer and want a rare beer, say, "I have beer A and would like beer B. Any chance you can trade?" Sometimes you will run across a person, such as me, that will say, "Send me anything you can get locally that I cannot get." This is bad on my part but I usually only say that to people I know and who also know what is available in my distribution area. If you do not know reply with something like, "Breweries A, B & C are local to me. Can you get those there? Should I just pick up their better brews and send them to you? Any styles you like better?"
6. Be prepared for the worst to happen. You send beer and get none back. It has happened to me and could happen to you. Does it suck? Sure it does. Which is why in my first trade with anyone I usually limit the trade to $50 plus shipping (which is not cheap either). There are scammers out there. You may never get scammed but when you expect the worst you'll be happy when a box of beer arrives on your doorstep.
7. When you drop the box off to be shipped never tell the company there is beer in the box. They will refuse it unless you are licensed to ship by your state. What can you do to get around this. Paying for shipping online seems to work. Mark the box fragile. If they ask, tell them yes, there is glass in the box but it is packed well. Some people tell me they say they are sending live yeast samples, glass vases, glass bowls, liquid soap, etc. Will those work for you? You decide.
8. On a beer trading forum never offer money for beer. Every forum I know of will ban you for this.
I hope this has not put anyone off from trading that was thinking about it. Please feel free to add your own comments, tales, stories and advice as you see fit.
First and foremost let's get the legal disclaimers aside. Beer trading, sending beer to a "friend", whether by USPS, UPS or FedEx is illegal. I do not know what the penalties are and have never read about a beer trader being convicted of anything but that does not mean it will not happen to you.
1. If you contact someone about a beer trade you are supposed to inniciate the trade by sending beer to them. Most people are not going to send you beer if they did not contact you seeking beer. I might be the one exception to that rule but in general I do not trade with people I do not get the right vibe from.
2. Send more than you expect to receive. I've always done this and it has always worked. Sometimes the recipient sends you a package of less than stellar brews but other times you get more and better beer than you expected. This will wean out trades that are not worth doing to you. It happens and it is okay to walk away from a trade if you do not see the advantage to it.
3. Expect some packages to arrive broken. This does not happen a lot but it can happen. Two packages I have sent arrived with broken bottles. They were all packed well but these things happen. When I was notified they arrived broken I resent the beer. Should I have done that? Depends on the trade and how well you know the person. You can always apologize that the bottles arrived broken and say you are tapped out and can't resend them. Note, this will probably kill any future trades with this person, especially if you are the latter part of the trade.
4. Be realistic. If you are asking for a beer that is very hard to find and produced in very limited quantities don't offer a 6-pack of staples that are local to you. A bottle of Dark Lord, where the person has waited in line forever for the chance to buy a limited number of bottles, does not equal six 12 ounce bottles of your local brewery's standard fair even when the recipient has no chance of buying any of that beer. Like for like. Many people I trade with just want local beers they cannot get and send the same in return. That is great for me and them but if it is not what you are looking for then that is a trade you do not want.
5. This isn't like buying a Christmas or Hanukkah gift for the aunt you see once a year. Be thoughtful! Do your research and see what might appeal to a trader before offering a trade. If you can get a rare beer and want a rare beer, say, "I have beer A and would like beer B. Any chance you can trade?" Sometimes you will run across a person, such as me, that will say, "Send me anything you can get locally that I cannot get." This is bad on my part but I usually only say that to people I know and who also know what is available in my distribution area. If you do not know reply with something like, "Breweries A, B & C are local to me. Can you get those there? Should I just pick up their better brews and send them to you? Any styles you like better?"
6. Be prepared for the worst to happen. You send beer and get none back. It has happened to me and could happen to you. Does it suck? Sure it does. Which is why in my first trade with anyone I usually limit the trade to $50 plus shipping (which is not cheap either). There are scammers out there. You may never get scammed but when you expect the worst you'll be happy when a box of beer arrives on your doorstep.
7. When you drop the box off to be shipped never tell the company there is beer in the box. They will refuse it unless you are licensed to ship by your state. What can you do to get around this. Paying for shipping online seems to work. Mark the box fragile. If they ask, tell them yes, there is glass in the box but it is packed well. Some people tell me they say they are sending live yeast samples, glass vases, glass bowls, liquid soap, etc. Will those work for you? You decide.
8. On a beer trading forum never offer money for beer. Every forum I know of will ban you for this.
I hope this has not put anyone off from trading that was thinking about it. Please feel free to add your own comments, tales, stories and advice as you see fit.
First and foremost let's get the legal disclaimers aside. Beer trading, sending beer to a "friend", whether by USPS, UPS or FedEx is illegal. I do not know what the penalties are and have never read about a beer trader being convicted of anything but that does not mean it will not happen to you.