Homebrew Deals

**Austinhomebrew** · 05-10-2008, 05:11 PM

What if there was a website where Homebrew stores could list their specials?
A website that makes it easy for small stores to compete with the bigger stores.

A website where you could go as a homebrewer and find great deals on supplies and equipment. A website where you could tell Homebrew stores what items you would like to have a deal on.

If you like this idea, go to the following website and register. The more people that are registered and use the forum, the more retailers will list their specials.

www.homebrewdeals.com
(Sorry the link option is not working)

Thanks for your support.
Forrest

**Austinhomebrew** · 05-13-2008, 04:52 AM

http://www.homebrewdeals.com

**Lil' Sparky** · 05-13-2008, 03:47 PM

No disrespect, Forrest, but don't we already have that here?

blacklab · 05-13-2008, 03:58 PM

Hmm. I might be missing something, but this looks very much like HBT.

**Bobby_M** · 05-13-2008, 04:18 PM

I can imagine something like a reselleratings.com (to report and track homebrew supply experiences) or a pricewatch.com (to track commodity type homebrew items like bulk grain, hops, and extract).

Funkenjaeger · 05-13-2008, 06:29 PM

As it stands, it looks like little more than an entry page for the forum section, which seems to be by far the main focus. I can understand having a forum for discussing the deals and whatnot (kind of like the user comments section of woot.com), and in fact I think that would be a great benefit by inviting active discussion of the deals and thus maintaining interest... But it looks like you're going for a completely general forum which is essentially the same thing as HBT or any of the other existing home brewing forums - and given the quality of the existing forums (HBT in particular) that's probably a tough 'market' to enter.

Which are you really trying to make - another forum with a front page filled with sales ads as a 'hook', or a deals site with a supporting forum? The connection of the broad-spectrum forum and the deals site (which seem unrelated as they stand currently) is really just confusing, at least to me.

I would think that by far the most difficult part of a deals site would be attracting retailers to actually post deals on it. Seems like you'd need quite a steady flow of fresh new deals on a daily basis to make the site self-sufficient.

Best of luck with the deals section - I'll certainly keep an eye on the site if any actual deals show up on it, but personally I'm not interested in being a member of another home brewing forum - I already stopped reading the green board (which was a popular forum already) long ago simply because I was tired of visiting two forums all the time.

**Austinhomebrew** · 05-14-2008, 03:51 PM

The forum on the site is just a bonus but the point of the site is to bring better prices to the homebrewing community. I am not trying to compete with HBT. If you feel that this thread is a conflict of interest you can remove it. My intention is just to help out the homebrewing community.

Thanks for your support.
Forrest

Soulive · 05-14-2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinhomebrew

The forum on the site is just a bonus but the point of the site is to bring better prices to the homebrewing community. I am not trying to compete with HBT. If you feel that this thread is a conflict of interest you can remove it. My intention is just to help out the homebrewing community.

Thanks for your support.
Forrest

I don't think it is competitive. HBT'ers have to remember there are other homebrewers out there. I think the site you mention would be beneficial for the entire homebrewing community, not just the HBT community...

**Lil' Sparky** · 05-14-2008, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinhomebrew

The forum on the site is just a bonus but the point of the site is to bring better prices to the homebrewing community. I am not trying to compete with HBT. If you feel that this thread is a conflict of interest you can remove it. My intention is just to help out the homebrewing community.

Thanks for your support.
Forrest

No, I don't think it's a competition thing. And I really don't mean to bash your idea. You seem like an upstanding guy who is always trying to help the homebrew community.

The thing is, from a homebrewer/consumer's perspective, what incentive do I have to sign up and participate at another site like that? I just think it would be better if vendors would let us know about specials here (like you do). We already frequent here, and if a vendor posts a special, people will see it. Some of those may decide to buy a product even though they weren't "looking" for it. I would have to be looking to buy something to go to the other site. I guess I just prefer the ease of a one-stop-shop.

Evan! · 05-14-2008, 04:15 PM

My concern, Forest, is not competition. It's complexity versus simplicity. If you ask me, what I'd prefer is something vastly more simplified; I come here for the discussion on beer in general---and I'd like a place to focused more on homebrew supply deals, sales, price comps, etc., without all the other stuff that I get here. It's the focus that I desire!