In a sluggish economy, bartering is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to cash for businesses and individuals. Indeed, the practice of our pre-currency forefathers is coming back with such a vengeance that there are several websites dedicated to facilitating the practice. [Just like the kind great-great-great grandma used].
One ancient practice of bartering of note is the Old Testament account of Jacob and Esau. For those not familiar, Jacob tricked Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. [Gen. 25].
While that one didn’t work out so well, there have been many successful, profitable ones since.
One way of bartering our ancestors used to practice was a method called dumb bartering. The name refers to the silence that is kept whilst trading, not the intelligence of the people participating in it. The two traders would meet at a designated location, and lay down their wares for inspection, which were either accepted, or turned down in hopes of a better offer.
Several thousand years later, we are still bartering.
We usually start fairly early in life. Bartering snacks or lunches. Twinkies for Doritos. Remember Sticker Books? Trading stickers was common amongst my elementary school friends.
As we’ve aged, our methods have become more sophisticated.
Today the internet makes trading much more convenient. Jessica Hardwick, bartering site, SwapThing’s founder and CEO said,
“I think a few years ago it was more for fun. But we’ve seen a real shift in the last year, and especially an increase in the last few months, where I think people are really doing it to get by.”
There is direct bartering and indirect bartering. The direct form is a non-monetary trade of goods and services. The indirect form is a credit system. Participants accumulate credits, or barter dollars by providing specific services such as teaching a yoga class to building a shed. Those barter dollars can be used to buy the services of anyone in that network. This eliminates the search for an agreeable barter.
Bartering for medical services has become an alternative to people without insurance.
Kaiser Health News tells us that
“With doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, chiropractors and even cosmetic surgeons offering their services, bartering is providing a temporary safety net of sorts for some workers who have lost their jobs and health coverage. And in some cases, people who have inadequate insurance are using barter to get critical services, such as dental and vision benefits.”
The Colorado Gazette tells us of Hillsborough, N.J.-resident Robert Josefs trading his Web site designing skills for nearly $1,000 in dental work last year when he had no insurance.
Psychotherapist, Dr Zur tells us of a painter who was strapped for cash and offered to barter a painting in exchange for therapy sessions. The painting was valued at $900. The doctor’s fee at the time was $90, and the client contracted him for ten sessions. Having the painting hanging in the counseling office deepened their connection and enhanced the therapy.
Bartering also works in your personal life. Let’s say, you are good at yard work and your neighbor is a hairstylist, you could come to an arrangement that would benefit both of you. One haircut would get a lawn mowed. A cut and color would get you two mows, or some such arrangement.
But if you enter into a bartering relationship thinking you might be exempt from taxes, well, you would be wrong. Barter dollars are equal to real dollars, as far as the government is concerned. You must report it on your taxes as if it was paid for monetarily.
Twenty-first century bartering is becoming almost as popular as pre-historic bartering. Many people are finding it to be a viable choice of currency in our economic tumult. Many are finding it better just to swap.
Here are a few barter networks to check out:
—–SPECIAL OFFERS—–
The Federal Reserve is creating tens of trillions of new dollars, debasing our currency, and silently taxing us all through inflation. With tens of trillions in federal budget deficits on the horizon there is nowhere for the US dollar to go, but down.
Refuse to be a victim of this flawed financial system, buy gold and silver NOW!
With hyperinflation and risk of economic disaster increasing with each dollar Congress recklessly spends, it pays to be prepared: Consider stocking up on Emergency Supplies:
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
