how to barter
so how can an individual successfully barter here are some tips identify your resources what items do you have that you could easily part with use a critical eye to go through your home and consider possessions you may have in storage or that another family member or friend is currently using if you would prefer to offer services honestly assess what you could provide for others that they would otherwise pay a professional to do it could be a skill or a talent or even a hobby such as photography put a price tag on it successful bartering must result in the satisfaction of both parties this can only happen if the items bartered are realistically valued if you have an item you would like to trade obtain an accurate appraisal an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it therefore do your research and look at the selling section on ebay to find out what online buyers have paid for similar items to value a service call around for local estimates from professionals to find out how competitively you can price your abilities remember to be honest about your skills and to factor in costs associated with the exchange for example shipping for goods or materials for trading a skill identify your needs be specific about what you are looking for in a barter exchange in addition to specific items you may need here is a list of potential services that you could barter for search for bartering partners after you know what you have to offer and exactly what you need want in a barter situation find a barter partner if you don t have a specific person or business in mind try word of mouth let your friends colleagues and social network know about your specific need and what you want in a barter situation check online swap markets and online auctions that have a bartering component such as craigslist com check under for sale for the bartering category swapace com and barterquest com also check for local bartering clubs your local chamber of commerce may be able to provide you with information on similar clubs in your area make the deal after you ve found a barter partner get the agreement in writing make sure you detail what services or goods will be involved the date of the exchange or work to be done and any recourse if either party reneges on their part of the deal if you are working through a membership based bartering association they will likely provide all the structure and paperwork you need for the deal limits of barteringbartering does have its limitations much bigger i e chain businesses will not entertain the idea and even smaller organizations may limit the dollar amount of goods or services for which they will barter they may not agree to a 100 barter arrangement and instead require that you make at least partial payment membership based bartering trading exchangessome businesses that may not directly barter with customers might swap goods or services through membership based trading exchanges such as itex or international monetary systems ims by joining a trading network which often charge fees members can trade with other members for barter dollars each transaction is subject to a minimal fee the exchange facilitates the swap and manages the tax components of bartering such as issuing 1099 b forms to participating members you may find a nearby exchange through the international reciprocal trade association irta member directory before you sign up and pay for a membership however make sure that members offer the types of goods and services you need otherwise you may find yourself with barter money or credit that you cannot use 