The Next Big Thing: Barter → Washingtons Blog
The Next Big Thing: Barter - Washingtons Blog

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Next Big Thing: Barter


The signs are everywhere: Barter is going to be big.

For example:

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.

9 comments:

  1. This is what I've been seeing for a good while.

    Getting the word out locally that you are open for barter will bring out offers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alternative Money Systems
    http://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

    ReplyDelete
  3. Barter can indeed work ..
    Paper 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?

    ReplyDelete
  4. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  5. GreenAmericaToday.org article on barter from 2005:
    http://greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/barter.cfm

    Also- Timebanks.org

    ReplyDelete
  6. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your 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

    ReplyDelete

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