BARBADOS TRADING CLUB
(Where you barter and/or sell items or services)
Why barter?
• Because you need something – goods or services – and you don’t want to pay for it.
• You’re frugal and you believe in stretching a dollar as far as you can without sacrificing quality. If you have a skill or a profession, why not exchange it for someone else’s expertise? That is what you’re doing. Not asking f
or a reduction in price – but an even exchange of your services or goods for their services or goods. Everyone wins! RULES OF BARTERING
Figure out what you have to barter. What skills (or goods) do you have to barter with? Maybe you’re a gourmet cook in your spare time and you play the piano. Include things like landscaping a yard, planting vegetables in containers, grooming dogs, tutoring math. TIP: Every single thing that you know how to do at least pretty well to exceedingly well is a bartering task! See if it’s a good fit. Once you set yourself up in a bartering market and you start getting responses for your skills or bartering wish list, begin to evaluate whether the person who you’re bartering with is a good fit. TIP: There are no obligations in the bartering system! You either agree to make a trade for services or goods or you say "no thanks" and move on. Always though, be honest and specific about exactly what services or goods you’re looking for. Being specific from the beginning is essential – but communication is also key. Just by refining your requirements by communicating, you should be able to find the perfect match. Decide on how you will swap and for how long. Is it an hour by hour kind of barter? Is it a one-time swap out of goods? TIP: Do you want to extend the bartering period for instance in terms of tutoring someone? Whatever you decide on – even a trial 1 hour swap of something – put it in writing. It can be through email but get a confirmation email back.
“We have decided to swap 1 hour of Quick Book instruction for 1 hour of Excel instruction between Joe Smith and John Black. It will occur on this date and this date and then we’ll reevaluate and see if we want to go further.”
Then do what you promised and the other barterer should do what he or she promised. POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE BARTERING SYSTEM
• The trade has to be equal – both parties need to get something out of it.
• It needs to be in writing just because that’s the best way to do things.
• Ask for what you want in return no matter how many things you want to barter!
• Go through your worldly goods and swap them, exchange them for things you want. If they are just sitting there useless, sell them/barter them for something you could really use! Understanding the Bartering System
The main idea in using the system effectively is having the knowledge of when you should pay in cash and when you should pay in cash alternatives. Bartering is useful when cash or money loses its value during certain periods of economic crisis. Having these in stock will improve your purchase power thus providing you cash to be stored when it loses value. Post photos of items you want to barter or sell. Place the points the items are worth if you are bartering or the $ if you are selling