All too often people have the idea that barter is something peculiar, that it’s not for them, that they’d lose money using a barter system. Mostly these comments come from people who have never had any exposure to barter trading as it is done today.

People tend to have the misunderstanding that the only way they can sell or buy goods is through the exchange of cash and that cash is king, well in some respects cash is king; but with the way modern barter is allowing businesses, and individuals to monetise downtime, move surplus stock and at the same time filling the needs of others, barter is making a real comeback.

Modern barter, as conducted through the BarterZone community allows for businesses to offer goods and services at their normal market rates with the knowledge that they will not lose net income levels.

The use of barter can be a very powerful business tool that provides a solution for virtually any type of business that has a need to move stock, or fill vacant downtime. Businesses, who accept payment in trade dollars instead of cash, have the opportunity to maximize efficiency by increasing stock turnover or billable hours. Companies are able to utilise the trade dollars they have earned to purchase goods or services they need without the need to use cash, cash can then be diverted to pay other accounts, or for use for business expansion.

It’s important to understand that businesses who barter don’t do it because they don’t have the cash, they do it because they know it makes sound economic sense; and they do it because they know it is one of the smartest and fastest growing ways of doing business.

If you’re already using barter, one of the best things you can do is to ask your suppliers (current and new) if they use barter (trade dollars).

Some of the types of businesses who regularly use barter are:

Printers

Mechanics

Accommodation

Business services, including accounts, financial planners

Now days you will also find that there are residential and commercial properties available to purchase with the use of trade dollars.

Sometimes you will find that its not always possible to get what you want, from where you want when you want it, patience and planning is a must, and you will also have to accept that there may be a need to look for alternative suppliers to the ones you currently use.

One of the other keys to successfully use of barter is to be flexible.

Sometimes you will have to be prepared to wait for product or service to become available, but you must also be ready to move quickly when something comes available that may not normally be available on barter. It’s the old adage “he who hesitates is lost”.

At BarterZone we say Barter is Smarter, and it is, it allows you opportunities you may not otherwise have.