What's With the Lack of Extras These Days?

I'll take your berliners over many other extras.

 

This is pretty much me too. I just sent a Mornin' Delight as an extra today to one of them. Regular trading partners are the shit, but part of building those relationships starts with be an awesome trader which includes (to me) - great communication, packing, being a fast(ish) shipper and including awesome swag (glass?) and extras. Everyone has a different opinion though...

 

Now that's an extra!

 

A lot of my trades anymore are with past trading partners, but I've kind of noticed the same. Lately after a string of no extras, I've started asking whether we are including them or not and had no butthurt since (except from MordorMongo, but that's got nothing to do with extras).

My stance: I'm not necessarily concerned about getting rare crap as extras as long as the person seems to at least have put some effort into the trade. If I like the base trade, then I'm happy regardless of what happens with extras. The thing is though, if I come across some limited beers later and want to trade some, who of past trading partners do I contact first when I only have 1 or 2 up for grabs. The person who knocked it out with cool local extras or the person who obviously mailed it in and sent one bottle of a beer I can buy on my own shelves?

 

Extras are extra - If you are agreeing on sending additional bottles, then it's not an extra, it's part of the trade. I always throw in a couple extra bottles or something I think the recipient might like or is looking for, but I don't advertise, otherwise, I think of it as a component of the trade and not a nice surprise.

 

I think if it's something they don't know what it is, it's close enough to an extra.

If it's somebody new, I tell them I'm throwing in some extra goodies. If it's somebody I've traded with they know how I roll.

 

If I'm trading with someone from 2012 or 13, I try to make it blatantly obvious that I'm sending extras. "Are your wants up to date?" "Any styles you really don't care for?" "Any brewery you've been wanting to try something from but haven't?" Still, I've had 2 trades in the the last year that came in w/ no extras, both 2012'ers. One guy I will not be trading with again because the trade was all together sloppy and unpleasant. The other guy told me he normally sends extras, but just couldn't fit any in the box he used. He assured me that if we trade again he'll make it up to me. I look forward to trading with him again.

If I'm trading with someone from 2011 or earlier that has a good amount of trades under his/her belt, I assume they know the etiquette and will either send extras or let me know up front they don't want to send extras.

Like many have said, extras are extra and are not required. However, I think it's common courtesy to tell someone up front if you are not planning to send extras. I think we did a pole a couple months ago and something like 75% of people always include extras. To me, it seems wrong for people to not say anything about not including extras, knowing full well that there's a 3/4 chance they are going to be receiving extras on their end. It'd be like going to a Christmas party where the spending limit is $25 and it's known that 3/4 people spend right at the $25 limit or even go over it and you only take a gift worth $15. Is it technically wrong to only bring the $15 gift, no, but its kind of rude and it appears as if you're trying to take advantage of the situation to benefit yourself.

If it ever becomes the norm that extras are not included, I might give up trading altogether. Extras are by far more fun that just receiving the beers you traded for, even if it's something I really wanted.

 

I wonder if some people choose not to trade because they cannot afford the extras part? Any thoughts from traders on how much extras typically add to the cost of your trade? Cheers!

 

I Agree sometimes I send extras depending on what I have or can afford at the time, sometimes I don't. But extras are exactly that extra

 

At this point, I do planned trades for beer I really want and don't give a shit about what extras I get. I'll always send extras, but I don't put my expectation of the fun part in those trades.

If I'm in it for the fun, I do bilnd boxes. I have a couple BA's that I have started that with and it's where the fun of it all is at for me.

 

Don't be too proud of that...

 

I've cut way back on extra's just so I could put more packing in to secure the main beer traded for. I ship primarily bombers of LP and or EH when I have it, and would rather secure those than just throw in a few extras. I don't mind not getting extras either, and I do tell the guy I'm trading with when I will not be putting in extra's. Just depends on how much beer is going out.

 

Your not getting killed with extras because you havent traded with me!

 

... where in my post do you read me being "proud" of that?

 

And please tell me how the trader on the opposite side has any clue what "extra" you have had but didnt like?

 

I kind of see extras like tipping. Neither one is required, but both are very customary, and a bit surprising when you don't get it. And if you can't afford the tip, you probably shouldn't be drinking at the bar.

Trading itself is expensive - if it's uncomfortably pushing your budget, I don't entirely see the point. There is so much great beer out there nowadays on everybody's local shelf, and so many new breweries popping up, that trading isn't a necessity for anybody to constantly experience new beer. The cost of shipping alone is typically somewhere between a 12 pack and a full case of beer that you could have purchased locally.

To answer your question about extras cost - it varies greatly, but I'd say the average is somewhere around 25%. So a $50 box might have a $10 bomber and a couple of local singles as extras. I've gotten back everything from 5% to over 100% though (i.e. more extras than trade beer). That's for first-time trades - repeats tend to get even more...

 

No, extras are part of the cultural norms of this community and not sending extras without communicating it will damage your reputation within the community.

If you don't have money for extras or have some other reason not to want to send them, that is fine. But, you need to communicate that to your trading partner. No one reasonable will have a problem if you want to exclude them and tell them so. They will have a problem if you don't tell them and don't include them.

 

Same here. I can't believe some of the responses here. I couldn't care less if I didn't get extras. Like you said, they are just that...EXTRA. If I included a great extra beer and got nothing in return I don't care one bit....I don't expect a thing other than the agreed upon beers.

 

See, you folks aren't listening. It's not that people are getting mad at you, it's that you just went on their list of "people not to trade with again". Which might be a list that's shared with all the other folks they regularly drink with. And, building up regular trading relationships with people is where it's really at.

 

I assure you if the agreed upon beers are sent and you have something else they want, most wouldn't second guess trading with yah. They maybe won't send extras next time if you didn't the first but that's fine that's when you make it up to them.