Hawking collectible local coasters on eBay
Every year, Russian River Brewing Co’s Pliny the Younger release brings an estimated $5 million plus into the local economy as beer fans from around the globe converge on the breweries and taprooms in Santa Rosa and Windsor, and for good reason. Consistently, the beer earns the highest of ratings from established beer drinkers and influencers alike. Yet, for as many people who travel to taste the beer, traveling to try a beer isn’t within everyone’s budget. So, what’s a beer geek with FOMO (or FOAMO) to do?
Head to the internet, of course.
Early on in the release of Pliny the Younger, sneaky people with entrepreneurial spirit learned they could exploit a loophole in eBay’s rules in which a bottle could be shipped and eBay wasn’t responsible for the contents. Some folks then used this glitch to sell growlers full of the beer, which was only available at the pub itself, to those out of the area for a nice chunk of change. While it may have ostensibly worked (cross country shipped beer in a growler probably doesn’t hold up well), these people ruined it for everyone, as now Russian River only sells glasses of beer at the pub.
Yet, where there’s a will there’s a way, and beer geeks can pretend they were here by buying Pliny coasters on eBay and Facebook Marketplace for as little as $8 a pop and keg collars (the paper around a keg pump) emblazoned with the Younger insignia for a mere $40. Want some empty Russian River Brewing bottles? They’re about $15 a piece, a much better return than recycling can offer. Look, people who are into stuff will pay a lot of money for said stuff. As we tell our kids when it comes to home-packed lunch, “Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.” — Don R. Lewis
