Have you ever bartered for what you want? I have, and it has worked several times. Bartering is great because it can help me get a service or product that I want/need at a better price or even at an even exchange.
It makes life so much more affordable, plus I make some great contacts and it lets me do some networking as well.
Lets learn how to barter!
What services do you have to offer?
You may have plenty of skills, but what do people want? Maybe you could offer services such as lawn mowing, babysitting, website design, graphic design, dog walking, transportation services and so on.
Find ways to let people know what you are offering.
If people don’t know that you are willing to barter, then it would be hard for any bartering to ever happen. There are many ways to let your services be known. You could:
- Post it on the internet, such as on Craigslist.
- E-mail others. If you are interested in something that another person offers, maybe you could send them a polite e-mail about what you have to offer, and ask if they are interested at all. The worst thing they can say is no.
- Tell others about your services and hopefully they will refer others to you.
- Post flyers on bulletins around your town.
Other tips.
You need to be ready to sell what you are offering. If you cannot summarize your services effectively, then why would others be interested? Make sure to list out all of the details and list out exactly what you want as well in return. Please don’t skirt around the issue and just tell people directly that you are looking to barter with them.
Also, be as polite as you can. If you are asking someone to barter with you, then you should definitely try to be as polite as you can. Don’t demand anything, and be realistic with the price of your services as well. Trading lawn mowing for one month in exchange for a $5,000 car is probably not realistic.
Do you ever barter? What was the last thing that you bartered for?
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