The Best Apps, Websites, and Places Where You Can Trade Instead of Buy
It’s an ancient but fairly simple concept: instead of paying for things with currency, you exchange goods or services for things of equal value. You’ve probably bartered at some point in your life, but what you may not realize is that you can barter a lot more than you think. There are apps, networks, and local businesses that use bartering, allowing you to exchange time, skills, and items in kind. Here are the best places where you can barter instead of spending money.
Applications and websites
Modern technology has become a real boon for bartering. There are many apps and websites that give you access to different bartering communities:
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Barterchain : This app is pretty simple: select the products or services you want, list the products or services you have, then find a match. Once you find someone who matches your needs and offer, you can contact them and negotiate a deal.
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HaveNeed : The HaveNeed app automates the sharing process—you create a list of your wants and needs, and the app matches you with other users (up to five, allowing for some creative deals) who have what you want or want what you want need to. you have.
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Bartershop : Targeted at business-to-business rather than individuals, Bartershop facilitates the trading of goods and services between small businesses that are experiencing “cash hardship.”
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BarterUp Online : This is a web-based platform that allows people to list items they want to trade and search for the items they want. There are paid subscriptions that allow you to host “garage sales” for bulk items or advertise your items, but the free tier allows you to barter for free.
Exchanges
Barter exchanges are more formal and tend to focus more on barter between businesses . If you have a small business that needs to save money and want something less chaotic than an app platform, you can look for exchange barter partners:
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The National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE) maintains a database of barter exchanges, although you’ll need to become a member (for $495 per year) to find it. It is unknown whether they realize the irony of charging cash for access to barter.
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The International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA) offers connections to other barter businesses and other contacts, and requires membership for access to the network and information.
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A barter network brings businesses together so they can exchange unsold goods for materials they need, turning losses into cash savings. Membership fees, fees and transaction fees are required to access the network.
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BizX is similar to Barter Network, but does not charge any membership fees or fees (though it does charge a transaction fee).
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IMS Barter allows businesses to trade both unsold inventory and excess capacity internationally. Membership required.
There are also regional exchanges, such as BarterPay , which only operate in Canada; The Barter Company , serving the Atlanta metro area; or TBT Barter , which operates in southern New Jersey. If you are looking for a B2B barter solution, it may be worth looking for a local organization.
Local business
It is possible that local businesses are willing to exchange their goods or services. For example , Unregular Pizza and Unregular Bakery in New York regularly host barter events that allow people to exchange items for food. Searching your local business community for retailers or other businesses that have a barter policy can be fruitful, or you can simply contact a business that has something you need and ask if barter would work for them agreement.
Taxes
One caveat: bartering may not involve cash, but the IRS considers bartering a taxable transaction , and it’s up to you to determine the fair market value of the goods or services you traded. In short, you should treat the goods or services you provide as money you paid, and the goods and services you receive as money you earned. Don’t think that just because there is no currency that you don’t have to worry about taxes.