Some Thoughts on Successful Trading

While the BarterQuest Web site is intended to be user friendly, that is, to be as supportive and intuitive as possible, the fact remains that there are always things that we can bring to the table as users to develop our trading opportunities and complete trades.

First, take advantage of the features on the site to encourage trading activity, to increase either the number of offers you receive or the offers you make. The easiest way to do this is by posting as many items as possible, both haves and wants. And linking them. By enabling the site’s Matching engine, you are also letting other users know what types of items you have to trade and what you may want in return. The more items you post, the more offers that are likely to be generated. This can lead you to a trade for either these items or, after some back and forth and on site messaging, related items.

Second, spend the time to describe what you have, with the objective of telling other users the things you would want to know about the item if the item was theirs. Photos help, and are well worth the effort to upload.

Third, use the site to make your offers, accept offers, and confirm trades. Although it might be tempting to try to “talk yourself” into a trade, the site is designed to rationalize and provide discipline to the dialogue between potential traders. It focuses the process of negotiation, particularly in an e-market where you may very well have multiple trades that you are pursuing simultaneously.

Fourth, to the extent that you make more than one offer with the same item, you are obviously increasing your chances of a response. (Until you accept an offer for your item, you can make as many offers as you would like involving that item.) Return regularly to the site not only to identify what items have been newly posted, but to determine whether there is more information available that would help you to complete a trade. For example, are there additional wants that have been posted by your potential trading partner, is there more information about the item itself (perhaps in response to the questions of other users), or what other offers may have been declined? Frequency of trading activity begets frequency of trades.

Finally, the site rewards flexibility and supports negotiation. Persevere. You can respond to a declination with a counter offer. You can ask the other user why your offer was declined or whether they would be interested in a different offer, perhaps involving more than one of your items (and then formalize that offer). Don’t hesitate to chase an opportunity. And use the on site messaging system to move your trades along.