Bartering - Have you done it?

[PurpleBunny89]

Has anyone barter'd before? If so what was it for. Please give details!

[RandiL]

i love a good barter
you can barter on anything you pay cash for, or trade. garage sales and flea markets are a practical every day example, but so is buying a vehicle or home, i guess.
my friend once bartered down her over-charged rogers phone bill, and pretty much paid only half of what she owed with a promise to quit the contract (she owed over $800 in long distance and roaming, and 2 late payments. only ended up paying around $450ish). kind of extreme, but you dont always have to pay face value for everything.

[PurpleBunny89]

i love a good barter
you can barter on anything you pay cash for, or trade. garage sales and flea markets are a practical every day example, but so is buying a vehicle or home, i guess.
my friend once bartered down her over-charged rogers phone bill, and pretty much paid only half of what she owed with a promise to quit the contract (she owed over $800 in long distance and roaming, and 2 late payments. only ended up paying around $450ish). kind of extreme, but you dont always have to pay face value for everything.

I agree, not everything you have to pay the full asking price for. Garage sales and flea markets as well as house and car sales are the obvious haggling but I'm talking about bartering in which you offer something for a product or service.

For example I'll clean your house if you fix my car.

[FallenPixels]

My boyfriend does with other business contracts for services from each others businesses, but its construction and normal in the industry

[bgheuchert]

I barter A LOT I am a registered massage ,therapist and barter for hair cuts/colours, house cleaning services, family photography sessions, personnel training, anda furniture set. Right now I am considering trading for cello/violin lessons.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

I have a reflexology practice and have traded sessions for sewing (curtains), hair cuts/colour, massage therapy, and fresh produce. I love trading services! That's why the idea of Time Banks appeals to me so much.....

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/237434-time-banks-canada/

[PurpleBunny89]

Oh my gosh you two are sooo lucky!! I wish I had a skill like that that I could offer to others. Must save insane amounts of money!

[bgheuchert]

Oh I have totally bartered for organic produce as well....Most people will have some type of viable skill that they can trade for other services...what I usually offer is Dollar for Dollar trade, I pay for my services in Gift Certificates for massage for the exact amount they would usually get paid in cash, they are free to use them themselves or give them to friends/family etc as gifts. Seriously though, there has to be a skill that you have that you can trade, do you garden? Help weed. Are you a good cleaner? Do you bake? Do you have an amazing stock pile that you can trade goods for services? The MAIN thing about trading is that you have GREAT communication with the people you are bartering with, lay out all the details of the trade very CLEARLY so that both parties feel they are getting a fair deal, clear communication with bartering is key, if you both feel happy with the trade it could work out into a fab long term thing (Like my fab 3 YEARS of free cleaning services until we sadly said good bye do to a move!).

[PurpleBunny89]

I aactually spent a few hours last night on the internet reading about bartering.

If I lived alone and was single I could offer more services but because DH is so protective he doesn't like me doing a lot of things that I can such as babysitting, cleaning in ones home, pet sitting, etc.

But what I have so far is some baked goods (I'm not that great but if I were to be bartering to a single man I'd be gold), stockpile items, and a few odd things around the house I have been trying to sell on kijiji.

I tried bartering in the past with our groomer but she doesn't use products. Like seriously hardly any at all because she saw on the PETA website that basically anything and everything there is a coupon for is tested on animals. I'd love to offer to walk her dogs when she is sick and/or on vacation and can't do it on her own but DH doesn't want me to push and offend her.

I tried bartering with my vet as well and I definitely thing I offended her. I tried to offer her stockpile items but she wasn't even interested in hearing or seeing what I had (she comes to our house to see the cats).

[walkonby]

Well, early in Dec my DD and I lucked into a shoe store we had never known was there, AND they happened to have boots in her large size!! After he told me the price I nodded and DD liked them a lot,they fit, so that was that!
Then he blurts " I will give you discount " in his accent. I turned red and said OMG! Was I supposed to barter with you?
I remmebered reading on sc that it does not hurt to do it, but I plum forgot! Then I told him that we were born here and we are kind of " trained " from birth NOT to ask for a discount. We just see the sticker price and go ok that is what it costs.
Well he laughed so hard and was genuinley honest in saying that most white customers he gets never do! What a great salesman he was.

We ended up getting 2 pairs of boots from him because of the discount I did not ask for. lol!!

[Angela273]

Since we have had our LO we have been contemplating bartering for baby sitting services. I am well know for my baked goodies and Christmas treats. If I knew someone who liked to clean (especially vacuum because LO is on the floor so much) I could trade them some baked treats? I am a teacher, on parental leave right now, and have certainly been paid to tutor children in the past. I get paid $20/hr for individual tutoring. I guess I could consider having someone babysit LO and in exchange I could tutor one of their children. Not sure how much time that would work out to...?

[PurpleBunny89]

Well, early in Dec my DD and I lucked into a shoe store we had never known was there, AND they happened to have boots in her large size!! After he told me the price I nodded and DD liked them a lot,they fit, so that was that!
Then he blurts " I will give you discount " in his accent. I turned red and said OMG! Was I supposed to barter with you?
I remmebered reading on sc that it does not hurt to do it, but I plum forgot! Then I told him that we were born here and we are kind of " trained " from birth NOT to ask for a discount. We just see the sticker price and go ok that is what it costs.
Well he laughed so hard and was genuinley honest in saying that most white customers he gets never do! What a great salesman he was.

We ended up getting 2 pairs of boots from him because of the discount I did not ask for. lol!!

Wow thats awsome!! I don't think its very common at all for people to do it now a days, even when I was younger - I'm only 23 so not that much time ago, but as far back as I can remember people still didn't barter for things.

I'm slowly making a list of things I have I no longer need like certain stockpile items, other odds and ends around the house so that that way I know what I have that I can offer. For example, I was just moving stockpile around (a common thing for people who live in apartments) and I realized I have a monopoly board game we only used maybe once that I completely forgot I had. I wouldn't miss it if it was gone so if I could trade that to someone for lets say some newer-ish DVD's we haven't seen that would be super cool! Then those DVD's would go on the list too eventually.

This way too in the Spring when my Aunt has her garage sale I have a list of items around the house that I can pack up to go and try to make a bit of change off of.

[PurpleBunny89]

Since we have had our LO we have been contemplating bartering for baby sitting services. I am well know for my baked goodies and Christmas treats. If I knew someone who liked to clean (especially vacuum because LO is on the floor so much) I could trade them some baked treats? I am a teacher, on parental leave right now, and have certainly been paid to tutor children in the past. I get paid $20/hr for individual tutoring. I guess I could consider having someone babysit LO and in exchange I could tutor one of their children. Not sure how much time that would work out to...?

Thats an amazing idea! Tutoring for babysitting. Or baked goods for cleaning. You should definitely look into it, ask around to family and friends.

After I thought about it I've been bartering with my mom for years. She used to take me shopping and I would buy her milk or some other kind of grocery in exchange and this way we both got our shopping done at the same time. Or now that I drive I offer her stockpile items she can use in place of me hogging her chest freezer (despite having my own thats also full).

EDIT: Actually I should make that one of my new years resolutions - stop hogging Mom's freezer. Keep my own stuff at my own house unless its just too good to pass up - like those minute maid juice's from September.

[Kelly5]

I don't often barter, but on the rare occasion I do. I do try to negotiate a better deal on cars and real estate. When I'm in the Caribbean I often barter at the markets. Even here I'll barter at a food market or a flea market.

[PurpleBunny89]

I don't often barter, but on the rare occasion I do. I do try to negotiate a better deal on cars and real estate. When I'm in the Caribbean I often barter at the markets. Even here I'll barter at a food market or a flea market.

Do you mean haggling?