Buy Beer Online
Our guide to snagging bargains and finding the impossible
The United Nations of Beer believes that beer is a global pleasure. Our
guide to using eBay to buy rare US or import
beers online will show you
just how
easy it is to get exactly what you want: but you must be prepared to
discard your prejudice about trading on the Net.
Many, many people who use eBay won't even consider buying items from
outside their own country. eBay's power is the huge global market at
your fingertips: why ignore 80 per cent or more of it?
Of course it makes sense to look in your own country first, if only
from a shipping and handling point of view. But the smart online beer
shopper always compares prices with overseas sellers.
In the right column of this page, we show you some sample eBay
searches.
Simply click to see the results. If you want to learn how to search for
rare beer on your own, read on.
How to find and buy beer online
Use the search box below, or by clicking here and type your search.
Begin by searching wide: it's a great incentive to learn how to search niche. Beer is TOO wide, as you'll see if you use the sample searches. You are going to turn up "beer mat", "beer label", "beer sign" and so on.
Once you have see what not to do,
you can begin going niche.
Niche searching means either limiting your research to one category, by
selecting from the left of the search results pages, or using more
keywords. Rare
beer helps. Sealed
beer helps. But a true niche search might be Three Floyds.
Often you will
only see a few very targeted results. Perfect!
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The problem is, you have to think like the seller. Not all eBay sellers are good at describing their merchandise. If you look at the sample search at top right for Russian River, we chose that because Russian River beer missed some of the hits for Damnation and Temptation -- the sellers forgot the crucial word "beer" in their title!
Sure, you have to filter the results and wade through some mismatches, but it's worth it to get that perfect hit on the beer of your dreams.
Once you find the beer you want to buy, contact the seller and get a quote for shipping. If dealing with foreign sellers, be patient. Some sellers are used to dealing with overseas clients and will have English translations and ready-made shipping quotes; others won't. Yahoo's BabelFish can help you translate tricky phrases.
Bid in the usual way. If you win, you'll pay the invoice as normal. Then it's time to wait for your beer to arrive!
Ready to buy beer online?
Use these links for eBay US | eBay Belgium | eBay UK | eBay Australia
Things to consider
- Check the bottom of listings results for similar items for sale by overseas sellers.
- Shipping is a killer for heavy objects like beer. You will pay more than the price of the beer in many cases!
- The VAST majority of eBay traders are honest people. Look for the PowerSeller logo: PowerSellers work hard to build up and maintain their reputations.
- For safety's sake, don't trade with people who have a very low feedback rating (under 50 is my limit). Read customer feedback and avoid people who have earned negative comments.
