Barter

Bartering is an age old term but we all seem to have different ways of saying it and different opinions of what it means. We refer to it as swap, barter, trade or exchange but they all mean the same thing.

First off we can assure you that an item or service for cash is not considered bartering, it's considered selling.

There are all different types of bartering. There are barter exchange groups that use a scrip in lieu of cash. This is great for companies with extra inventory that needs to be moved. The downside is that this can also lead to inflated prices due to business owners trying to recover the cost of belonging to the barter group. It is then left to the barter exchange to crack down on businesses that inflate their prices when bartering. They're hesitant on doing this however because they lose the membership and commission fees if the company decides to leave the group. This can sometimes mean thousands of dollars.

There are also message boards that will add on a small barter area catering to their niche. This is a great way to meet people that share the same interest if for example, it was a barter section for collectibles. Not so good if it was a message board catering to a certain profession. An electrician wouldn't barter for electrical work. In this case, they limit themselves to other possibilities. We all know that half the time people end up trying to sell something on these message boards, as educating people on bartering is not their top priority.

Then there are barter groups which can take a little more work but usually the price is right. It's more affordable because the barter group is not setting up the exchanges for you. Depending on the size of the group, you can also have the freedom of contacting whoever you like and possibly coming across an offer you hadn't thought of.

Some groups allow contact from guests or visitors while some are more private with "members only" exchanging. Each is beneficial to the person trading because there's no middle man and by broadening the number of people you barter with, the more success.

The most ideal situation would be bartering with a circle of friends. People who are lucky enough to do this know that the trust factor doesn't get any better. Problem is, the majority of us don't have hundreds or thousands of friends.

If you are new to bartering and haven't started yet, do a little shopping around. It's fun, economical and you may make a couple of friends along the way. If you're really lucky, you might make a hundred.

www.u-exchange.com

Barter With Etiquette

Proposing a Trade

When bartering, it's important to introduce yourself in a professional and courteous manner. If you are e-mailing someone, you should never end your mail with "Either way, thanks for your time". E-mail is not one hundred percent reliable and that person may not have received your message. This leaves you with the conclusion that they are not interested in your trade offer. Instead, you should always end your proposal with a question that requires a yes or no response.

Consider that if you haven't heard back, it may be that they've gone away for holidays or have been very busy. It's fine to send a follow up e-mail but no more than two should be sent until you receive a response. Unless they have specified to be contacted by phone, the initial contact should always be made by e-mail. You could then ask for a convenient time to call, remember that they may not be in your time zone.

Declining a Trade

This needs to be done in a polite and timely manner. If you're business bartering, keep in mind that you're representing your company and the way in which you conduct your business. A personal or business proposal may not be of interest to you but you should always try to respond with something along the line of "Thank you for taking the time to write to me and I will keep you in mind for the future."

Regardless of how your response is worded, just make sure there is one! The worst thing to do is not respond at all.