Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Next Big Thing: Barter
The signs are everywhere: Barter is going to be big.
For example:
- A helicopter-skiing company is offering barter in exchange for stock in tanking companies
- You can barter with a lawyer for legal services
- There's an informational webpage on how to barter for daycare services
- General contractors are offering their services for barter
- A professional writer will - for barter - write your love letters
Indeed, the Wall Street Journal just wrote an article entitled "Barter Fits the Bill for Strapped Firms", which states:
As small businesses find it impossible to borrow money and customers are slower to pay bills, the barter economy is becoming a crucial way for many companies to find the cash they need to keep operating.***
In 2008, about 250,000 North American companies conducted barter transactions worth more than $16 billion, according to the International Reciprocal Trade Association, a nonprofit based in Portsmouth, Va., that regulates and provides standards for modern trade and barter-service companies.
And given the worsening depression, and the prospect of a devalued dollar, barter might become essential in the future. For example, a respected economist is recommending buying gold and bottles of booze to barter once bailout-induced hyperinflation makes the dollar worthless.
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Posts
This is what I've been seeing for a good while.
ReplyDeleteGetting the word out locally that you are open for barter will bring out offers.
Alternative Money Systems
ReplyDeletehttp://www.community-exchange.org/misc/links.htm
search for Local Exchange Trading System
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=local+exchange+trading+system&btnG=Google+Search&aq=1&oq=local+exch
Barter can indeed work ..
ReplyDeletePaper currency (and the printing press ) are the ultimate house of cards. Chinese might call it ponzi
as they would have to buy more USD
to receive interest for prior investments. All made possible by
currency. Barter would not allow that.
Where was Rick Santelli when the banks and the execs that wrecked the world got close to 400 Billions?
You can even barter for equity these days if you have a service a startup wants. There are places like Stock4services.com that connect you to startups.
ReplyDeleteGreenAmericaToday.org article on barter from 2005:
ReplyDeletehttp://greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/barter.cfm
Also- Timebanks.org
go to www.favorpals.com to do your bartering of services. not only great for bartering on an individual to individual basis, but perfect for small businesses too. it's a great site.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post about Barter is nice. BizXchange Barter and trade exchange system helps companies to increase sales, expand market share and improve cash flow through barter
ReplyDeletegreat post!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDelete