Bartering?

[melodys]

Has anyone had success bartering for products and services? If so how do you go about it? Are there websites for this?

[HomeschoolMom]

We have had some success with it but we might be in a different situation.

We are self employed and we barter with some of our customers. My husband has a crane company and last year we got a great deal on asphalt for our driveway $40/ton instead of $100/ton from one of our customers.

We also get free wood (as much as we can handle) and wood chips from another customer that does tree removal. Not shortage of wood for the woodstove in the shop (or the one we'll be putting in the house this year) and woodchips to keep the weeds down in the garden.

In turn we might do a crane (hoisting) job for free or give them a discount.

The closest town to where we live has a barter system for the businesses. Our old neighbours supplied some wine from their winery to the local pub and in turn got to eat there for free once a week.

I have another friend that cuts hair and she often gives discounts/breaks to customers in exchange for event tickets and things like that.

We have another friend that has a 'used oil' furnace and so we store our used oil and give it to him - he just buys breakfast for dh and fil when they drop the oil off to him. That's more of a favour.

I wonder if there are local barter groups set up like there are freecycle groups?

[peanut]

I barter with friends. The key is to form a relationship first, and then set up a mutual exchange thing.

I have one friend I sew for, who returns the favour with produce from her garden in summer.

I have another friend who drives me places, and I provide the gas money...to the youth group so they can go to a conference. She suggested this as a solution. She didn't want to be paid for gas.

There are other friends I meet once or twice a week. We bring excess hobby supplies to our meeting and swap/give them away. What goes around comes around. If you share, things will find a way to your door.

[rainbowgc]

I would love to get into bartering but don't know how

[ladytoysdream]

Last summer, a cousin and I did a lot of swaps.
I would take her a box of stuff and she would send me home with
things from her garden. I found her a book she really wanted, and
she sent me home with some laundry detergent. She had gotten the detergent from a neighbor in a swap.
Kind of like putting the word out there....you mention what you need, and someone eventually finds if for you.

I read this someone and it sounded like a real good idea.
You have a master email list with family/friends, and when you find a deal, you then email your buddies where and what it is.
I would think something like that would work for if you had things you wanted to barter, and then ask what other people might have, and then you could arrange some swap deals this way.

[idodna]

found this online:

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/

This guy traded "one red paperclip" for a house in 14 trades and 1 year.
Just for giggles - not the role model you are looking for I would guess.

[Luv2BeFrugal]

The most we've really done is...my mom and I 'trade' errand running... She'll pick up stuff that I need so I don't have to make the trip and vice-versa...

Oh, and one friend ended up with extra jars of pb (which we go through quickly)...traded her freshly ground wheat flour (2 gal size bags) for 2 jars. (I grind my own wheat and spelt for flour).

I'd like to come up with some other sources...all in good time...

[BangelBrown]

My sister and I do a meal swap. My sister watches my children while dh and I work. Saves us alot of money.

[boysnberries]

We bartered with a man from our community. He teaches our boys cello, and my dh helps him with anything dealing with computers and electronics (set up his website, maintains it, installs new dvd, etc). It's worked out very well.

[candyapplelady]

DH owns his own business and is a computer geek in his spare time. He fixed an electrician's computer and in turn the electrician wired some outdoor outlets on our new front porch.
I have a seasonal candy apple business and trade candy apples for fresh eggs from my neighbor.

[nandmsmom]

We also have a small business. DH does computer repair and we get lots of things for that. We've gotten electrical repair, tree removal, landscaping and odd jobs done around the house.