Originally on http://thecreativemama.com/tit-for-tat/
by: Erin Cobb

Early on in my photography business I discovered a fabulous little perk to having a creative pursuit of value – bartering. I’ve always been the kind of girl who appreciates a good deal. And bartering is the ultimate good deal.

Like last weekend, for instance. When I bartered a fun and funky family portrait session for a fabulous weekend at that fun and funky family’s a-MA-zing mountain vacation cottage.

Since I discovered the joy of bartering a few years ago I’ve traded photography for trips, babysitting, tax accounting, children’s clothing and legal advice. And I have my sights on interior and landscape designers in the future.

So what do you have to offer? Photography seems to be a popular interest around these parts but bartering doesn’t have to be limited to what you do professionally. I know lots of working mamas who would pay (trade?) an arm and a leg for hot meals several times a week. Or errand running. Gift wrapping. House cleaning. Custom painting. Monogramming. Tutoring. Pretty much anything you enjoy and are good at is worth bartering with someone who enjoys, and is good at, something different.

As you enter into a bartering relationship, here are a few tips:

- Approach someone about bartering who has showed previous interest in your hobby or strength. A simple statement like, “if you’re ever interested in bartering, let me know!” is an easy and non pushy way to start the conversation.

- Make sure the expectations on both sides are clearly spelled out ahead of time. If necessary, put it in writing. Be sure to discuss the timeline during which your barter agreement will be fulfilled.

- Bartering generally works best with people you already know, trust, and whose service or talent you appreciate.

- Bartering relationships can be extremely rewarding but the balancing act can be precarious. By spelling out the details ahead of time you’ll ensure that no one feels taken advantage of or is left feeling like they’ve put in more work than the other party.

- When costs are associated with the bartering agreement, decide upfront who will take care of them. For example, when I bartered a portrait session for our weekend in the mountains, our family took care of the cleaning fee and her family took care of printing their own portraits.

- Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Be sure you’re bartering for things that are meaningful and enriching to your life. The last things we busy creative mamas need is to add more stuff to our already full plates. So figure out what you value and what you’d like to have more of while spending less for it, and propose a barter.

Originally on http://www.elgavibe.com/?p=2689
by: Cody Wetmore

We don’t always have money to spend, but we’re never without a need for goods: groceries, shelter, transportation, entertainment… you name it, someone’s looking for it. Instead of sulking over a lack of funds, why not ask for a trade? If you can find the right person with the right need, the stuff hidden in the back of your closet, a specialized skill, or some time can be just as good as gold. The beauty of bartering is that neither party has to pay a dime.

Use what you’ve got

The first step to successful bartering is looking at what you have. There’s no use trying to make a deal without having anything to trade in return.

All value is relative

Finding the perfect barter buddy isn’t easy; bartering takes patience. Every person’s estimation of value is different, and you need to find someone who values your assets on par with theirs. When finding someone to trade with, keep these things in mind.

There’s a marketplace for everything

It’s time to find someone to trade with. While trading with a neighbor is certainly the fastest option, there is no guarantee that you’ll want what he/she has and vice versa. Online bartering sites allow you to post and search for items. They’re usually grouped by state or community, which can limit your scope. However, these tools can also be used to broaden the search to connect with a wider range of people.

Craigslist’s barter section is a popular choice among barterers, but there are a variety of other sites, like baarter.com and u-exchange.com, that provide the same service. Some bartering sites cater to specialty audiences: swapstyle.com lets you trade clothing, zwaggle.com has parents trading old kiddie stuff, and tradeafavor.com deals in–you guessed it–favors. You can even trade intangibles, like time, through timebanks.org. Whatever the item, chances are there’s a forum to trade it at.

In good faith

Bartering is based on trust. In other words, you have to hope that the other person will provide the agreed item or service. Since this is the unfortunate risk of bartering, those who cannot afford to get ripped off would do well to trade locally. This doesn’t eliminate the risk altogether, but you have the added comfort of face-to-face transactions to help make sure everything is on the level.

Bottom Line: Bartering has flourished through the recession. Between January and February of 2009, bartering site u-exchange.com saw 1.1 million page views. We all like to earn money, but in tough financial times, trading can just as easily get us the things we need.

Originally on http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-marketing/sales/an-unsung-marketing-tool-business-barter/article2142109//
By: Ryan Caligiuri

I think of marketing as being all about finding the right strategies and tools to help your company grow.

That means everything from finding competitive advantages to implementing multiple lead-generating programs to using a variety of ways, from traditional advertising to social media, to spread the word about what you have to offer.

ou also have to have in place strategies to keep costs in line – and find ways to get products or services your company needs to grow that you would normally pay for with cash, but which you might not be able to afford.

That’s where one of the oldest and most underutilized tools in the entrepreneur’s tool belt comes in. It’s called business barter.

It’s not rocket science and it’s not new, but for many small and cash-strapped businesses, it can be a very effective part of the arsenal for growth.

Running a small business, I like to keep my cash close and have to be careful about how I spend my money. I don’t want to spend on things I know I can barter for when I want something from someone, and I can give them something — my marketing services — in return.

Think I’m kidding? I’ve used barter for the last eight years to acquire everything from marketing materials to office furniture to a company car. Right now, I have three barter deals going for a complete website redesign; for a company rebranding (logos, business cards, etc.); and…for suits and ties.

Bartering can help your company look and act the part.

A former client really wanted to give off the image of being an artsy and forward-looking organization. Its furnishings didn’t go with the image.

So it bartered its marketing services with a furniture retailer — and when clients saw the new, higher-end and more artsy furnishings, they commented on how much they matched the company’s branding.

Companies have not only saved money using business barter but have also created revenue streams out of these transactions.

Take, for example, a small radio station in Florida.

It was having a tough time making revenue to keep its doors open, so the owner decided to trade his product – advertising – for other products and services.

His first barter transaction was to swap advertising time on his radio station for about 1,000 electric can openers.

Most might look at this and see no opportunity, but the owner saw plenty and decided to try to sell the can openers over the air.

After a very short time, he sold them all, and made enough money to keep the station open.

But he didn’t stop there. He decided to continue trading products and services for advertising time. Continuing on this path, he turned that once-struggling station into a company that now generates about $1-billion a year in sales.

That company, by the way, is now called the Home Shopping Network.

There are two types of barter that a small business can explore: a one-to-one trade or triangulation.

One-to-one trades are the simplest form of barter. You simply go to the most suitable business and propose a trade of your product or service for one of theirs.

One-to-one trades can also allow small businesses to enjoy significant cash savings, because they can trade something at retail for something of equal value in the marketplace.

For example, you might trade something you have to offer for $10,000 of equal retail value that might have only cost you $1,000 to develop. You end up saving yourself $9,000.

The other form of barter is called triangulation. That’s when you involve three or more transactions in a barter deal.

This form of barter comes in handy when the straight one-to-one transaction doesn’t work out because your initial partner is not interested in your product or service.

In that case, you can find another partner with something your initial partner may want. Get control of that product or service and then go back to the initial partner and complete the trade.

For example, let’s say you’re a creative agency and need new furniture for your office. You already tried trading your creative services with a furniture store but it wasn’t interested. So you ask what it would like. The answer: New carpets.

Knowing this, you go off to find a business that deals in carpets and propose a trade of $10,000 worth of carpet for $10,000 of creative services.

If they agree to the trade, you now control $10,000 worth of carpeting and can go back to the furniture store and trade it for $10,000 worth of furniture that you need for your own business.

If you’re going to try bartering, start with someone with whom you have a level of rapport. Maybe you know Web designers, graphic designers, printers or advertisers who might benefit from your products and services. If not, try out your first triangulation deal.

Be flexible and make sure you come up with a win-win proposition. If someone else charges more hourly for their work than you do, you may have to offer more hours of your time for less of theirs.

Think about the things that are missing in your business that you can’t afford to pay cash for but that would help your company grow better or stronger. Focus on going after barter deals for them.

Whatever you decide to do, start small. It will allow you a chance to refine your pitch, get comfortable with the process and become a seasoned specialist in business barter.

Originally on http://www.freefinancialtoday.com/2011/08/19/some-benefits-of-using-bartering-for-your-small-business/
By: Jules Vandermint

Bartering is becoming ever more popular as a method of commerce. The US Department of commerce says that between 20% and 25% of all of world trade is now done through this sort of method. As such, if you are setting up a small business then it is a good idea to take advantage of this tool. If you do choose to do this, here are some of the main benefits of using bartering for your small business.

One of the main benefits is the fact that barter increases new business opportunities. You can attract customers and referrals who would not have known about your business had you not joined a Barter network. Members of the network will be a lot more likely to choose you over your competition as there will be no outlay of cash and you can instead use Barter credits. This will then increase your cash sales due to the additional exposure and through referrals.

Barter will also expand on your customer base. You can maintain your current customer base while continuing to expand on it through your network. If you offer a better service to your current customers then they are far more likely to pass on word of your service to others and therefore this will begin to increase your overall customer base.

The lifestyle that you lead will also improve as well. Being part of a network offers numerous benefits one of which will be the option of being able to use barter credits rather than real cash when you pay for different services and transactions. In addition to this, if you find a service that you require that is not part of the network you can then recruited then into the network and get a bonus for doing so.

When you want to join a network it is certainly possible to find numerous ones online. The idea that you do not have to live in any specific state joined a network is also a massive benefit.

These are just a few primary advantages that you will see when you join a barter network.

originally on http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8281075/learn_how_to_barter_before_you_need.html?cat=25 by Cheri Majors

originally on http://projecttz.com/?p=3419 by Phil Palij

Money is a medium of exchange and a store of wealth. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that no trade or commercial activity can take place without money, it simply isn’t so. In this age of economic uncertainty individuals and countries all over the world are once more discovering barter. So what exactly is it and how is it done?

China, India, Iran a Modern Example

1. Problem – China owes Iran $30Bn for oil.
2. Problem – India owes Iran $5Bn for oil.
3. Problem – International oil payments are made in $US
4. Problem – International sanctions for the last two years means no $US dollars can be paid over.
5. Problem – Trade ceases; OR DOES IT?
   

Resolution

Oil is vital to energy hungry developing countries like China and India so the way out of the crises brought on by sanctions is to negotiate an exchange of goods and services of equal value with Iran for past oil deliveries and future ones too, no ‘money’ changes hands. It is an example of a modern barter deal.

Trade without money?

While barter may seem an old fashioned way of trading in a digital world where billions of dollars flow across continents in a nano-second, but as you can see in the example above it still has its place in the economic toolbox of any nation, and of course any individual. It is not complicated and it is a simple truth.

You don’t need money to trade.

We are looking at barter systems for individuals, small business and communities, helping them trade anything, absolutely anything without the need for money. Money still has an important role in, but you don’t need it, what you do need is negotiating skill and faith in your trading partner.

Advantages And Disadvantages

Advantages

• Trade for skills, goods and services can take place without the need for money
• Encourages new business activity in the present expecting to be ‘paid’ for it at some date in the future.
• Empowers the individual to offer skills, labour and services when he or she has no money.
• The environment benefits because existing products are traded without the need to create new ones, conserving resources.
• Barter can be used as part of a deal letting you hold on to your money

Disadvantages

You have to remember that the disadvantages of barter are what caused ‘money’ in commerce to grow in importance, that said, with a little creativity and determination and the advent of the digital age the barriers to its increasing use are coming down.

• You have to find somebody who has what you want and of course they want what you have and at the time you are both looking.
• Once you have found a potential trading partner you need to agree how much of your stuff you are willing to trade for some or all their stuff.
• Barter between friends who know and trust eachother can be done in relative safety. Trading with strangers at the other end of the country who you have never seen before is a risky business.

Some Barter Systems Around The World

With the aid of digital technology and the internet the world of barter can be taken to a very sophisticated level:

Australia

Barter may have been a poor relation in recent times but that is changing. A Queensland company set up BarterCard in 1991 with the vision of becoming the worlds largest trade exchange. According to their site in 2005 the International BarterCard franchises had an annual turnover of AUS$1.2Bn.

United Kingdom

There are an astonishing number of barter and giveaway sites in the UK: inspired by environmental reasons, the desire to re-cycle stuff, and to avoid simply throwing unwanted things away. As users of the freecycle givaway system will tell you, no matter how unlikely the item you put online, you will probably find at least one person that wants it and probably a horde! It works. Barter is one step beyond and that works too. Here are a few sites to browse.

United States

BarterQuest

As you can imagine there are a huge variety of barter sites in the US and here we look at BarterQuest which has been in the news recently. The founders got together over a coffee and financed the website driven business which as yet makes no charge for its services, but will make micro charges in future per barter deal the users of the site make.

You can see their site here www.barterquest.com

What The Press Say

www.timesonline.co.uk- Money is dead – long live barter
www.telegraph.co.uk – Popularity of bartering websites soars

But I Have Nothing To Barter

Oh yes you do, everyone has something to offer. It can be an item that you no longer use, a service or a skill.

If you barter an item you no longer need, you not only remove a little clutter from the house but you save money, help someone else and get something you can really use in return.

If you are an artist or musician, you can barter your talent by offering  music or art lessons in return for what you need.

A skill can be something as simple as helping someone’s child learn how to throw that curveball or teaching the neighbour down the street how to use her new digital camera.

You may know of someone going away on holidays and they may need someone to walk the family pet, mow the lawn, tend to the pool, water the plants or anything around the house for that matter.

These are just a few examples but it just goes to show that you’re only limited by your imagination.

Money as a medium of finance and microfinance does not have to limit the use of barter in any deal. In fact it is capable of creating trade where there was no possibility of any before. The interest here is not to look at barterit from the perspective of large national and international institutions, but from the perspective of the labourer, tradesman, subsistence farmer trying to make their way in the world, educate themselves and build a better future.

Barter is a way of thinking and a valuable personal tool giving ordinary people the chance to help themselves. More case studies from the world of barter will appear on this site soon.

Originally on http://www.scribd.com/doc/60244784/How-to-Barter-for-What-You-Need-and-Save-Money

For many families, cash is tight. But that doesn’t mean you have to forgo getting products or services that you need. One easy way to get without spending is to barter. Trade what you’ve got for what you need, and everyone’s happy, with no money ever changing hands.

Bartering has been around forever, and enjoyed popularity during the Great Depression, when families who didn’t have cash would pay with things like eggs from the chickens they kept in their backyards. But bartering is back on trend, in part because of the difficult economic times we find ourselves living in.

In her book “Money Secrets of the Amish”, author Lorilee Craker writes that the Amish are known for their amazing ability to save money. After interviewing many Amish people, she found that one of their “money secrets” was that they made a habit of saving cash by bartering – trading quilts for buggy parts or whatever. But even if you’re not Amish, you can learn from these plain folk who have more money in the bank than the average American.

Here’s how to start bartering (and thus saving cash):

Assess what you’ve already got: do you have stuff that is sitting around unused, but is still good? For example, maybe you have a bike, but you never ride it. You would, but you’re too busy learning to play tennis. Could you barter your bike for something you want, like a tennis racquet? Or tennis lessons? In her book, journalist Craker describes an Amish couple who traded home-made rag rugs for a cow – which probably isn’t something most of us would be able to do (or even want to). But the principles of bartering apply to anyone.

“Whereas in the Depression people struck deals in tools, chickens, and milk – essential provisions and supplies – now traders will offer personal training sessions for scuba gear or a Pilates lesson for a borrowed trailer hitch,” she writes. (p. 200)

Assess your skills:

Even if you don’t have stuff to trade, you might have abilities to bring to the table. What skills do you possess? Do you know how to paint a room? Sew a dress? Organize a home office? Write down skills you have that have value.

“The question is, what am I good at, and what could I trade for something of equal value? What are you good at, and what could you negotiate for something of worth?” Craker writes.

Find someone who needs what you’ve got: this is where bartering websites are helpful. Craker points out that from 2009 to 2010, bartering postings on Craiglist.com increased 100 percent. Her book also lists several bartering websites:

Let people know what you have to offer: Post what you are offering on one of the bartering websites out there, and you may be able to strike a trade with strangers. But one of the benefits of bartering, Craker asserts, is that it builds community. When done properly (without trying to take advantage), bartering can be a way to build friendships with neighbors. So don’t be afraid to talk to neighbors and co-workers about bartering. One way to do that is a swap party.

Your own private swap meet: A great way to get things going with bartering is to host a swap party in your home. Whether you gather to trade kids’ clothing, books, craft supplies or whatever, you can cleanout your clutter and find some new treasures, for free. Everyone simply brings things they don’t want, and can pick through the items others have brought, to find things they need or want. The side benefit is that, like the Amish, you are building connection and community while getting things you need.

In summary, bartering is a way to keep your cash in your pocket but still indulge in getting things you need or want. It’s also a way of making new friends – and you can’t put a price on that.

originally on http://durangoherald.com/article/20110718/NEWS01/707189930/-1/s by Emery Cowan

Actually, bartering is more their style.

The couple has traded chiropractic sessions for welding work on their RV, a washer and dryer for tools and are seeking help on a website in exchange for contract work or wellness consultations.

Trading is a way to keep cash in their pockets, said Ghislain Thomas.

“I really believe in it, we’ve been bartering for many, many years,” he said. “These days money is a little more difficult, it’s hard to sell. But when you’re asking people for something and you have something they want, it’s easy to trade.”

With cash and credit tight and bills always looming, the age-old practice of bartering has increasingly become a viable and even preferable method for individuals and businesses looking to exchange goods and services. Bartering websites have sprung up to serve local and national markets and barter exchanges, which serve businesses, have seen steady growth.

While the most vibrant barter markets are in bigger cities, the trend is starting to take hold in smaller population centers such as the Four Corners. Case in point: a barter website for the region, fourcornersbarter.com, launched last month.

“Just about everyone I know has done some type of trading,” said Mitch Schneider, creator of site. “Now that times are tough, it’s becoming more and more prevalent.”

The alternative market

The tough economic climate has played a major role in the growth of the practice.

The International Reciprocal Trade Association estimated that $12 billion was traded in 2009-2010, up from $8.25 billion in 2004.

Especially in a recession, bartering provides an alternative marketplace for businesses to profit on unused capacity, said Ron Whitney executive director of the association, a nonprofit that regulates and provides standards for trade and barter-service companies.

In this economic climate, many hotels, for example, may be able to fill only 50 percent of their rooms most nights, Whitney said. Barter exchanges may allow them to sell some of those extra rooms in exchange for goods and services they normally would have paid for with cash.

The end result is more occupied rooms and hopefully more cash in the bank, he said.

“The bad economy has caused a lot of people to look for new creative solutions,” Whitney said. “The organized barter and trade industry that has been there for 30 years is actually one of those solutions.”

Vacation homes and cars

Craigslist also has barter and trade sections that feature sometimes hundreds of listings each day while other websites like BarterQuest, SwapAce and U-Exchange target bartering specifically. The sites feature various strategies to simplify the process of connecting traders and facilitate their exchanges.

Since the beta version started in 2006, BarterQuest has seen double-digit growth, said Michael Satz, one of the site’s founding investors. People use the site to trade everything from computers and cars to life coaching and vacation homes, he said.

Beyond the cash-saving benefits, the practice of trading goods can be attractive because it is a very green endeavor,” Satz said.

“You’re not constantly buying things with the accompanying costs of manufacturing and distribution,” he said. “It’s a counter to the disposable economy by finding value with things that may not have value for you but have value for somebody else.”

Even though it doesn’t include a cash transaction, bartering still counts as business and can be taxed, said Internal Revenue Spokesperson Karen Connelly. Just like other transactions, barter activities may result in ordinary business income, capital gains or capital losses, she said.

The stuff culture

For most people, bartering is easier than they think simply because we all have a lot of stuff, Thomas said.

“We found out there’s always something you have that you would be ready to trade,” he said. “It’s easier than money.”

Since he started bartering a year and a half ago, Cortez resident Mark Hadsell said he finds himself constantly trading dirt bikes, three-wheelers and anything else with a motor.

Many times, the trading process “just works out easier,” he said.

Schneider said that around the Four Corners, the trading of services – say, carpenter work for financial work – is what he sees most often.

The Four Corners Barter website aims to bring all those transactions into one place, like a bulletin board, he said.

“It’s a way to bring people together, it will help out on both ends,” he said.

Back in the early days of civilisation when there was no accepted form of currency, purchasing was based on the barter system. If the caveman down the way had a hunk of dinosaur meat you were interested in, you could offer him a pelt of fur in exchange for it. You got to eat, the other guy got to stay warm. It was a win-win situation.

Things have certainly changed in modern society but the barter system is still in use. Trading products, services, or promotional efforts provides an affordable way to extend your internet marketing reach.

Trading Services

You might be in need of professional services for your company. Often accounting or legal services, necessary for the growth and compliance of your e-commerce company, present prohibitive costs to the small business owner. Why not barter for these services?

Consider offering a free banner ad or a complimentary write-up on your blog in exchange for an initial consultation or a service from a professional who offers the services you need.

If your first offer doesn’t pique the interest of a professional provider don’t give up. Provide a list of things they can choose from. There is bound to be something you can offer that is of interest.

Promotional Bartering

You can really extend your marketing reach if you partner with others to help spread the word about your online business. This is a simple concept, usually offered in exchange for like promotional efforts.

Working with another online individual or company, you can offer to exchange banner ads, blog posts, a link in a blogroll, or even do-follow comments.

But you can also use other items to barter with. If your website sells products, consider giving something away in return for a posted review, a testimonial, or a referral on a social media site.

Planning an event? Whether it is an online or offline gathering, find the vendors who can supply the needed components, such as webinar software. Ask if you can exchange the necessary product or service for advertising spots on your website or a complete write-up of the event afterward that showcases the vendor’s offerings.

Need a logo for your start-up? Why not offer the graphics artist a direct link from your site in exchange for the design or a deep discount?

General Bartering Tips

Bartering works best if you attempt to exchange items or services of similar value. Offering a blog post in exchange for the complete legal setup of your business is probably not going to entice a lawyer to take you up on this deal. It is easier to make appropriate offers by first assigning a dollar value to the product or service you are using to barter.

If you don’t already have a relationship established with a vendor, provide them a show of good faith by giving something upfront. With so many scam artists on the internet these days, many people are leery of deals from an unknown source.

Bartering can save the internet marketer a lot of money while extending their marketing reach. Even if you don’t have cash, there are ways to attain the things you need by offering an even exchange.