Comments on: Can You Barter For It?

By: hock

hock — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:46:00 +0000

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By: Eileen Coale

Eileen Coale — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:26:00 +0000

A bartering relationship is one I would enter cautiously. In the past, I’d tried to barter web writing for web design, and it just didn’t work. But in the past few years, I’ve made friends with a graphic designer and we swap services all the time. I write the copy for her self-marketing postcards and articles, and she does the design on my self-marketing postcards and direct mail pieces. It really has worked beautifully, but I went through several failed bartering relationships before I found one with the right chemistry.

By: Lillie Ammann

Lillie Ammann — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Lori,

I do a lot of bartering, but I don't do direct trades. I barter through two trade exchanges (a combination of a bank for trade credits and an advertising medium).

There are fees to trade, but I consider the fees advertising costs, which you pay only if you make a sale. The trade exchange actively seeks business for you because they only make money when trades are made. Consequently, they are selective about who joins and usually will mediate if there are any problems or disagreements in the transaction.

Anyone interested can learn more in my series of blog posts on bartering.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:38:00 +0000

That’s the danger of it, Leigh. You never know if the person on the other side of the equation is going to be honest about it. I’ve been fortunate – Kevin’s a wonderful designer and delivers exactly what I want plus a little of what I need (the two are exclusive of each other sometimes!). I linked to Kevin on Ryze.com, and we formed a quick alliance. Then he asked if I wanted some web design in exchange for copy. It helps to be linked on a social networking site. It adds another layer of accountability to it.

By: Angie Ledbetter

Angie Ledbetter — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Bartering services is a good thing when everything’s nailed down and signed by both parties. It helps when delivery can be set up for the same time too.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:28:00 +0000

Lori:

I have bartered before and it usually turned out to be a disaster. When I first started out, I knew I needed a Web site, but didn't know a lot about finding a good designer. Someone had posted an ad on CL offering to barter Web design and SEO services, so I wrote and offered proofreading, editing, and writing services. He agreed.

In exchange for site design and SEO, I did $1,500 worth of report writing for him. My site came out pretty well and I had no major problems with it. Here's the problem: a very long time later, I found out that he had used the same template he had used to create someone else's site to create mine. So, he definitely did not do $1,500 worth of design work. He took a free template that he'd already used for someone else and simply filled it in with the links and menu tabs I had asked for in my e-mail.

The same person also swindled me out of $6,000, but that's another story.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Oh, I can’t blame the cynicism, Devon. It’s turned into a world that takes and takes. I’m hoping the people we find on these sites are there because they share the same spirit as those in the 80s. It’s why I love freecycle.org. Everything there is given away. Everything. I’ve managed to get a huge fish tank for Fishy, and I’ve offered ski boots (no takers – anyone here?). Great way to pass it on without filling a landfill.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:48:00 +0000

In the mid-80's, when I lived on the West Coast, we did a lot of bartering. Most of us were struggling, starting out in the arts. Most businesses demanded credit cards rather than cash payments.

So we'd find each other and barter.

Clear communication helped a lot. Set everything out ahead of time, no surprises. And no backing out because it's a barter and "something better comes along."

I see it coming back around me.

When I was worried about Elsa's vet bills, calling around to different vets here, I offered to work in the office or behind-the-scenes in exchange for the vet care, but no takers.

I use BookMooch, which is kind of a book barter site, which I like a lot.

I'd be more likely to barter with people I already knew and trust than with strangers. I've grown a lot more cynical since the mid-80's.