Ya' ever hear that old cliché ....

[Thumper]

.... ask 10 people the same question and you'll likely get 10 different answers?

I purchased a new, commercial Bunn coffee decanter at a thrift store and am getting ready to list it on eBay. The problem is, there is nothing on the decanter that mentions what volume (number of cups) it holds. No biggie ... or so I thought. I simply googled Bunn images and matched it up. Well, sorta. Some are advertised as 64 ounces and some are advertised as 12-cup decanters. The IMAGES all look identical. Ok, I decide I'll simply fill the decanter and see what it holds. Problem is, it does not have numbered markings ... so what is considered "full"? I guessed at it and came up with 64-ounces ... I think. Ok, how many "cups" of coffee is 64-ounces? Lynn says they have Starbucks at the hotel and a "cup" of coffee is 12 ounces. Ok, ummmm ... that comes out to 5.333333 cups! That ain't right. I decided to Google it. Sheeesh! Now I'm REALLY confused.

Here are the answers that came up:

1) "close to" 4-ounces
2) 5-ounces
3) 5.07-ounces
4) 6-ounces
5) 8-ounces
6) 8.12-ounces


Now, to add to the confusion, in many countries a "cup" of coffee is 8.45-ounces.
Canada? 7.6-ounces.
Japan? 6.76-ounces.
I'll stop with that as out of 20 frigging countries I looked at, they all had a different opinion of what 1-cup of coffee amounted to.

I could have continued my search and probably came up with even more confusing numbers, but I all of a sudden had a stroke of genius. I'll simply look up what is considered a "cup" by the different manufacturers of coffee makers. Here's what I found:

Ounces per Cup in Popular Coffee Maker Brands:

Bunn: 5 oz

Bodum (Vacuum): 5.7 oz

Capresso: 5 oz

Cona: 5.5 oz to 5.7 oz

Cuisinart: 5 oz

Krups: 5 oz

Proctor Silex: 4.5 oz

Technivorm: 4.2 oz

Zojirushi: 5.1 oz

WTF??????? Does ANYBODY drink a 4-5-ounce cup of coffee? To add to the confusion, most coffee maker manufacturers and even the coffee suppliers (like the back of a can of Maxwell House Coffee) have directions which state the amount of coffee grounds to use for every 6-ounces of water! So, is 6-ounces a cup? This should be simple ... the item I have is made by and for Bunn coffee makers. All matching decanters I have seen are advertised as either 12-cup or 64-ounces and are supposedly the same exact decanters. Ok, 64 divided by 12 is .... WTF? 5.333333! The same thing Lynn told me is a 12-ounce "cup" of coffee at Starbucks! Now, if I sell an item on eBay and my ad is incorrect, I can get gigged for the inaccuracy. I can also get screwed if the buyer decides I b/s'd him/her and I have to pay to have the item returned. I also get graded on accuracy on my feedback. So ... WTF is accurate? Do I have a 12-cup decanter or do I have a 64-ounce decanter? They're supposed to be the same and that's how they are sold. The problem is, by all the standards I've discovered, you can't get an even 12-cups from a 64-ounce decanter ... whatever a "cup" is!!

My head hurts.

[Big Muddy]

You have successfully and single-handedly given me a day'um Sunday afternoon headache !!!

[Thumper]

I guess if you ever go out to eat and order a "cup" of coffee, you might want to ask how big a "cup" is. You could end up getting a 4-oz. cup of coffee when you thought you were paying for a 12-oz. cup. It sounds like an easy way to rip off the public to me. Like when you want to purchase a 10-cup coffee maker. If you're comparing 2-3 coffee makers and they all advertise as being 10-cup coffee makers ... one might give you 10-cups, one might yield 8-cups and the other might pump out 6 frigging cups! There ought'a be a law! I'm tellin' Trump!

[Big Muddy]

Just tell ‘em you’re an old fart from Fla., and you old farts have bad kidneys, and can only drink a 4 oz. cup, or you’ll pee your pants.....so, advertise it as a 16 cup Florida We-Gotta-Pee coffee maker.....64 oz. divided by 4 oz. cups equals 16 cups.....problem solved.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Something, and I can’t put my finger on it, but something in this thread tells me somebody has waaaaaaay too much time on their hands.

BKB

[Thumper]

Got's ta' do it ... shoot me for being thorough, but I don't wanna get nailed for "false advertising".

Seriously, it became more of a "curious" type of research after a while. What started out as, what I THOUGHT would be, a quick, simple research project, turned out to be a bit confusing, but "interesting" at the same time. I had no clue there is no official measurement for a CUP of coffee! TBH, that's part of the fun I have on this eBay gig, I learn about stuff I'd never known before. Some are more interesting than others though. Did YOU know there is no standard for a "cup of coffee"? Let's say you want to purchase a 12-cup coffee brewer for large family gatherings. You narrow your search down to three different units at exactly the same price, then decide on one. Once you get it home, you discover it will only make 8 cups! To make matters worse, one of the brewers you decided NOT to purchase, actually made the 12 as advertised and the other one you culled from the list makes 10. Same price, same quality ... would you feel you got screwed? Just askin'.

In my case above, if I simply listed my decanter with no volume mentioned, one, it simply would not sell because any potential buyer would have no clue what he's buying. OR ... I'd receive a bazillion emails from potential buyers asking how many cups the decanter holds. I'd have no answer for them other than ... "Duh! I don't know."

[quercus alba]

I’d just fill it up with a measuring cup and list it as xx ounces but what do I know, I’m not an entrepreneur just s dumb ole country boy from Arkansas. They could do their own cup calculations

[Thumper]

Just tell ‘em you’re an old fart from Fla., and you old farts have bad kidneys, and can only drink a 4 oz. cup, or you’ll pee your pants.....so, advertise it as a 16 cup Florida We-Gotta-Pee coffee maker.....64 oz. divided by 4 oz. cups equals 16 cups.....problem solved.

Ha ha! That would kind'a work Mudward. The problem is, this would most likely be purchased as a replacement decanter for someone who broke their existing decanter. If they have a 10-cup coffee maker, they'd be looking for a 10-cup decanter. Heck, I suppose ANY size decanter will theoretically hold 10-cups. If it's a 64-ounce decanter, it'll make ten 6.4 oz. cups. If it's a 40-ounce decanter, it'll hold ten 4-ounce cups. Etc, etc, etc. It just baffles me that there is NO industry standard. You can produce a coffee maker and put anything you want on it. Heck, market a 64-cup coffee maker ... just don't tell 'em a CUP of coffee is 1-ounce!

[Thumper]

I’d just fill it up with a measuring cup and list it as xx ounces but what do I know, I’m not an entrepreneur just s dumb ole country boy from Arkansas. They could do their own cup calculations

QA, that's persactly what I'm doing as it's the only thing that makes sense to me. The problem I have is, MOST coffee makers ... or coffee POTS for that matter, are sold by the number of cups it makes. Look at the ads. You have 10-cup coffee pots/makers, etc. etc. Now, if a potential buyer had a 10-cup coffee maker and broke their decanter, they'll type in a search for "10-cup coffee decanter". Mine is advertised as a 64-ounce decanter. Guess who's listing will NOT show up in that search?

[BarryBobPosthole]

I’ve not traveled to europe but in Argentina they have a lot of european customs. Mixed in with their own, of course.

They drink coffee in tiny cups. And most of it is instant too. In our break room at the office there, was a coffee machine that dispensed little plastic cups about the size of one of those paper cups you see by water bubblers here. And shitty ass instant coffee to boot.
Of course they walked around all day sipping mate’ out of a teapot that looks like a bong that hung around their neck. Strange.

I guess they thnk we are strange for drinking out of a soup bowl sized cup.

BKB

[Thumper]

True P-hole. Personally, I don't even drink coffee, never have, but in my travels I have seen those tiny cups. I just don't pay much attention to stuff like that because I don't drink coffee and don't even think about it.

Here in the states, it just baffles me that there is no industry standard on what constitutes a "cup" of coffee. Coffee maker ads always state how many cups they produce with one brewing cycle, but it doesn't mean squat. Wouldn't it make more sense ... and better yet, be more HONEST, to advertise by the number of (fluid) OUNCES one full brew will produce? It can trickle down to restaurants. If you order a "cup" of coffee, and PAY for a cup of coffee, how much coffee are you paying for? It's a scam I tell ya'!

[BarryBobPosthole]

It’s The Man. Always got his foot on the neck of the common man.

BKB

[Thumper]

I think all'o youse coffee drinkers should protest by refusing to drink the stuff until the industry decides to tell you what a CUP of coffee really is!

Advertise in fluid ounces. That really means something. You buy gas by the gallon, milk by the gallon, etc. etc. Can you imagine a sign at a gas station advertising their gas by the tank? I can see it now, the local Shell station shows their prices at $40/tank! The problem is, they don't tell you a "tank" is 10-gallons!

[Big Muddy]

I guess the same problem could occur with other types of cups, too.....i.e., sports "nut cups".....how many nuts will fit in a nut cup???.....normally, there would be 2 nuts per cup.....however, if there's only one HUGE nut in the sack, then it's possible that one BIG nut might not fit in the nut cup......or, it's possible that there could be 3 or more nuts to hassle with......the possibilities are endless.

(see what you started, Thump???)

[Thumper]

Nice try Mudward, but it don't work that way. Nut cups are sold like shirts, tighty-whiteys, etc. Small (in your case) to XXL (in my case).

[quercus alba]

according to the U.S. dept of weights and measures, a cup is 8 fluid oz.

Nuff said.

[Thumper]

according to the U.S. dept of weights and measures, a cup is 8 fluid oz.

Nuff said.

And I agree. Problem is, evidently a "cup" of COFFEE is whatever you want to say it is. I think that's what I've been trying to explain here.

[Big Muddy]

Nice try Mudward, but it don't work that way. Nut cups are sold like shirts, tighty-whiteys, etc. Small (in your case) to XXL (in my case).

Ha, I'll take your word for it.....no pictures, PLEASE !!!

[BarryBobPosthole]

If you combine a buck fifty with all of this research you can go to Micky D’s and buy yourself a cup of hot joe.
Just don’t drive off with it between your legs regardless of your nut cup size.


BKB

[Thumper]

Just look at it this way. I've been enlightened and in turn, I was able to teach youse deplorable dufes sumpin'. Worthless info maybe, but you can stuff it in the part of your noggin that stores useless trivia.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Its the reason this joint is so popular.

BKB

[Captain]

List the damn thing and tell them you have no clue what size it is but you filled it with water and it held X amount.
Problem solved.

[Thumper]

List the damn thing and tell them you have no clue what size it is but you filled it with water and it held X amount. Problem solved.

So our long absent Tar Heel finally drops in for a visit and takes us full circle BACK to post #9. Sheeesh! Did you miss page 1?

[Captain]

No, I didn’t miss page one.
I just thought the answer was so simple even a cave man could figure it out.
All this what if and crap sounded like a buncha’ Democrats taking.
I can’t leave you Effers alone for a minute.

[Thumper]

And how should I word my 64-ounce decanter ad for people who are searching for a 10 or 12 cup decanter?

[BarryBobPosthole]

“this large 64 ounce decanter will brew enough coffee no matter what the size of your cup!”

yw,

i normally get big bucks for my ideas but this one is free.

BKB

[Thumper]

Ok, I now officially give up on youse bozos. Bunn sells a 10-cup decanter and a 12-cup decanter. They don't break it down to ounces. If I advertise it, I have to specify whether it's a Bunn 10-cup or a Bunn 12-cup decanter. (either/or)

If I list it as a 64-ounce decanter ... it will not bring up EITHER in a search for a 10-cup OR a 12-cup decanter. I'm glad youse dufes ain't my listing managers. I'd NEVER be able to pay for my next cruise!

[Chicken Dinner]

“10-12 cup/64oz Bunn Decanter”. You’re welcome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BarryBobPosthole]

Thumper is being obtuse.

BKb

[Captain]

As oppose to his normal surly self.