Get Barter

AntiCroesus

Haven't got the cash? Need something? Got something you don't want too good for the dump? If you can swap it for something someone somewhere wants, have the internet, then why not use a site for barter? Exchange and Mart started on this principle, but the web has revolutionised its possibilities.The banks aren't going to be lending to each other or to us at a rate that will please anyone I think :mad:, and they REALLY hate people getting into bartering, but that must be on the cards with the tools we have these days to communicate pictures, words and data.
With inflation on the rise, money gets less- not the case with real goods. Bartering allows the rest of your cash to be used for the things you really need to spend on.:j

After looking around a bit, I found these:

For a general overview of bartering that's well argued, and with all the best links to the myriad of bartering sites, and press articles, see this Exeter University site: http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/barter



for business (B2B) bartering: http://uk.bartercard.com/?page=country-page-uk

for individuals: http://www.u-exchange.com/barter-uk

'freecycle' barter groups in UK, (you could even start your own group): http://www.freecycle.org/

for a part-cash/barter and 'pay anyone' system of barter: http://www.xolimited.com/en/home/index.aspx

Why not post on this thread if you have any questions or stories about barter? Remember, you've almost certainly been bartering from the playground till today if you use free info from the net and post some on say, Wikipedia...

bootsalebabe

Hi i think this is a great idea, when i was young 40 years ago, my father had a business and he always bartered, even in his later years,when he was retired and in his 80's, he would provide the local plumber and electrician with excess weekly veg from his garden on the understanding that if he had a problem in his home, they would sort it out! The only problems i can foresee is that everyone these days wants cold, hard cash for goods or services. It's a pity that we couldnt go back to the old system as money is pretty worthless at the moment and set to become more so! Also close communities dont exist anymore, where people know each other well enough to enter into this system, i know me and my family would be up for it, i would gladly do some washing and ironing for someone that would provide me with fresh eggs or milk. My husband is great at diy and would do work for others for something we need in return, it also takes the worry out of wondering where you are going to find the money for an essential repair, great thread BSB

Bongedone

Good idea.

Its a shame the site for individuals is nearly all offering house exchanges.

EDIT: Welcome to the board and your 1st post.

ceridwen

Hi and welcome

Keep up the good work.

Errr....didnt see any mention of LETS? Lets was originally envisaged as being a skills bartering scheme - but a strong element has emerged within it of goods being bartered - ie "sold" for LETS credits - recent purchases of mine have included food, a bag, magazines and cosmetics.

I have always thought "local money" type schemes of any description - LETS credits, the Totnes Pound (in the Transition Town way of thinking), etc are a good idea. Now - I am moving on to thinking it may be necessary to use a variety of Local Money Schemes of whatever description to replace conventional money as we know it.

We can all now see clearly that conventional money is something that can very readily be used to juggle figures about on computer screens in ways that the majority of us dont understand - but the end result is a lot of our money being stolen from us - not to put too fine a point upon it.

Going right back to basics - money is a means of exchange - its something we hand over to get the goods and services we need and was once only used in ways we could all understand. Its a similar argument to the one about "are houses a home to live in or an investment". We all know they are basically a home to live in - but this changed over recent years to regarding them as an investment.

I think we do need a major rethink about money - why we have it, how we use it, how levels of remuneration are worked out for providing goods and services. As a matter of interest - LETS was worked out on a basis of all skills being regarded as equal and "paid" the same number of LETS Credits per hour. Wage differentials have emerged in the majority of LETS Schemes - but at least they arent the HUGE ones that the conventional money economy has. In the conventional money economy the ratio between the lowest earners on N.M.W. and, say, bankers is enormous - whereas in LETS Schemes for instance the ratio would probably be more like 3:1 between highest-paid skills and lowest-paid skills.

One of the other reasons why LETS was founded was that it was reasoned that most people have a skill to offer that someone else would need or want. Now - in the conventional economy one can have a very high level of a very useful skill, for instance, but be unable to obtain any recompense for that skill unless an employer is willing to employ you and pay you a salary for that skill - otherwise you might as well not have the skill (unless its one that is personally useful to you). In LETS it was envisaged that people could still offer their skill and be rewarded for it and "earn" themselves a place in Society even if employers were unable/unwilling to pay for this skill. It was envisaged that even an old granny sitting in her own home - ie someone the conventional money economy would deem to have no "value" - would be able to offer and be "paid" for a skill that is needed by others - eg babysitting for a hardpressed young couple who would be unable to afford paying cash for babysitters for a night out - but could pay her LETS credits - which she, in turn, could then swap perhaps for a haircut or food or gardening for herself. LETS believes that by and large most people have something of "value" to offer for exchange. Having said this, LETS was set up prior to widespread home ownership of computers - so, on the one hand, it still has a place. On the other hand - it could be that this basic idea could well be adapted to take advantage of the Internet now being available to most people (bearing in mind the proviso that a noticeable number of people still dont have access to the Internet for one reason or another - so ways need to be worked out that dont exclude them and, moreover, it is a good idea to bear in mind that ideally schemes would work equally well on or off t'Internet....just in case).

mumzyof2

another one is https://www.swapitshop.com

AntiCroesus

Thanks for the post, Ceridwen. I live in Lewes where we've just introduced the Lewes Pound. I'm impressed about the amount of shops that are prepared to accept it, though my local shopowner is already speculating on it as an item that will accrue rarity value and some have been sold on eBay for absurd sums.

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there :beer: Interesting thread. However, as it's not strictly Old Style, I'll move it to the Green and Ethical Board where there are more similar threads

savvy

Ah this reminds me of my mothers babysitting circle back in the 70's, if you sat for someone you gained tokens and then exchanged them for someone else in the circle to sit for you.

I've just been checking out LETS, never heard of it before! It looks like a brilliant scheme as there's back up in the accounting system, so people can't easily 'freeload'.........that's the thing I'm sceptical of in bartering.

Jacksonville

After doing a bit of research online regarding skill bartering, I trawled through quite a few different sites that you can exchange your skills on. There are quite a few really naff ones but a few interesting ones. I eventually joined a site called Skillsbox.com because I found their site welcoming and user friendly. I'm really happy I did because I've already offered my DIy skills, saved up some credits and paid someone a couple of weeks ago to fix my Mac. Didn't spend a penny! It would be amazing if this kind of thing really took off, the perfect recession busting tool!

Barter

When I saw the title of this post, I wondered what I'd done wrong!

All the best, Barter