Barter

Bartering is a way to trade goods and services directly, without any kind of currency. People have been bartering for centuries, but the Internet has opened up a whole new world of bartering possibilities. It is also eco-friendly because it encourages reuse. Find out how to set up one-time or on-going bartering for everything from food to personal care products to resort stays.

Steps

 * 1) Think about what desirable skills or products you have. The most obvious choice is something you already do, or have done, as a job, like hair styling or dental work. You can also poke around your place from a bartering perspective--there may be little things that would be hard to sell but easy to barter, like a bottle of wine that you got as a gift. You can even scour garage sales for useful stuff you can buy for cheap and barter later, especially kitchen appliances like microwaves and bread machines. Here are some additional ideas:
 * 2) * landscaping, mowing lawns, pulling weeds
 * 3) * babysitting
 * 4) * artwork, crafts
 * 5) * moving help
 * 6) * computer help, web design
 * 7) * dog walking, pet sitting
 * 8) * transportation (giving someone a ride to/from their destination of choice, like the airport)
 * 9) * food (any great dishes or baked goods you can make)
 * 10) * sewing (hemming pants, altering clothes)
 * 11) * your home, or your second home (letting someone stay there for a period of time)
 * 12) **See also How to Exchange Your Home for Free Vacation Accommodation
 * 13) * home cleaning
 * 14)  If your city has a Craigslist page, look for the "barter" section under "for sale". In addition to offering your goods/service to people who have created ads, you can also create your own listings for free, letting people know what you can barter.
 * 15)  See if there is a time bank in your area. A time bank is a bartering relationship in which people exchange time as currency. Usually, for every hour you provide any service, you receive a "time dollar" which you can redeem for an hour of a service provided by someone else. One place to start, if you're in the US, is the Time Banks organization directory (http://www.timebanks.org/directory.htm). If there's no time bank in your town or city, maybe you can start one!
 * 16)  Explore websites that specialize in bartering. Here are some:
 * 17) *http://baarter.com
 * 18) *http://www.u-exchange.com
 * 19) *http://www.barterplanet.com
 * 20) *http://www.bizx.com/ - business-to-business bartering
 * 21) *http://www.swapstyle.com/ - clothes, accessories, cosmetics, shoes
 * 22) *http://www.swaptree.com/ - books, music, DVDs, video games
 * 23) *http://www.zwaggle.com/ - kids' stuff, uses a points system
 * 24) *http://www.tradeafavor.com/
 * 25) *http://www.nubarter.com/
 * 26) *http://www.barterbee.com/ - movies, music, games
 * 27) *http://hyperlocavore.com/ - for exchanging food from your garden, yard sharing, tool and seed sharing for groups.
 * 28) Convert your friends, family, and co-workers into barterers. If anyone does or has something you want, ask them if they want to trade. Network. Keep in mind, however, that many people already barter with the people they know, without declaring it. They might turn down an explicit offer to barter, because it seems to them too transactional, or they might say yes, just to be polite when they really don't want what you're offering. Sometimes it's better to offer your goods and services to people you know, without negotiating anything in return, and hope they reciprocate somehow later. If they don't, just stop offering them stuff!

Tips

 * You can also advertise your bartering with flyers.
 * Another place to look for bartering opportunities is the farmers' market. Some farmers will happily trade excess food for farm labor or other goods and services.
 * Be specific about what you're offering, and what you want. If you're offering web design, for example, how many revisions does that include? If you want some yard work done, does the other party think that means mowing the lawn, and you mean cutting trees?
 * This is a great way to deepen a relationship with your community and helps you honor and truly value your skills. Many of us do not realize just how gifted we are.

Warnings

 * Watch out for scammers. Some people don't hold up their end of the bargain, so barter at your own risk! If there's a high barter value involved, it doesn't hurt to ask for references.
 * If you make a profit through bartering, even if that profit isn't monetized, you're expected in the US to pay taxes for the value of that profit. But, much in the same way occasional babysitters don't report their earnings, many barterers don't, either--at their own risk.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Freecycle
 * How to Panhandle
 * How to Apply Lessons Learned from the Great Depression
 * How to Become a Hobo
 * How to Live the DIY Life as Described in "Possum Living"