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Bartering

So just what is bartering all about? Bartering or trading is the act of exchanging your product or service for another person’s product or service without the exchange of money or payment of any kind.

Bartering has existed for hundreds of years. Farmer Brown has extra eggs and milk from his farm but really wants someone to help with his laundry. Widow Jones can use the extra eggs and milk and offers to help with his laundry in exchange.

There are local barter groups where this type of exchange still happens however most bartering today takes on a different form with the existence of the internet and the world wide web.

There are many barter or trading groups online where you can set up exchanges with other members. Go to Yahoo Groups and do a search on barter and you’ll be amazed at the number of groups that exist. Or if you find a company you’re interested in bartering with, simply send them an email and ask if they’re interested in an exchange. Not everyone barters but it can’t hurt to ask.

So you’ve found someone you want to barter with & they’re interested. What’s the next step? Here are some tips to get you started.

Make note of their correct contact information. Write down their name, street address, email address, website and phone number if applicable so you can contact them when you need to.

Discuss all of the details of your exchange before agreeing to the trade. What are you sending? What are you receiving? Be specific. I will send you one 6 fl oz bottle of jasmine vanilla hand lotion in exchange for one size 7.5 inch patriotic bracelet. I will mail your hand lotion on Saturday, February 19 and you will mail my bracelet on Monday, February 21.

Keep in contact with your barter partner. Let them know the status of your agreement at each stage. If I have special ordered a bead or charm, I let them know when the raw materials have arrived. I let them know when their order is mailed & I let them know when I receive their package. After my delivery confirmation shows the product has been delivered, I follow up with an email confirming they have received the item and making sure they liked what I sent. Communicate at a minimum during these stages: when you ship your part of the barter, when you receive their part of the barter, and a follow up when the trade is complete to make sure everyone is satisfied.

Make sure you discuss how you’re handling shipping charges. A bottle of hand lotion will cost more to mail than a bracelet. Will you make up the difference in extra product? If your hand lotion retails for $7.00 and will cost $3.00 to ship and my bracelet retails for $6.00 and will cost $1.00 to ship, I could offer to throw in a book thong retailing for $3.50 to make up the difference in postage costs.

Speaking of shipping, ALWAYS use a traceable method of shipment. I ship every single order whether paid or bartered for with a delivery confirmation number. This costs between .45 and .55 cents depending on how it’s being mailed. Federal Express, DHL, UPS and Airborne all offer tracking numbers so your customer can follow the delivery of their item.

Treat your barter partners the same as your paid customers. Don’t put off fulfilling your barters if a paid order comes your way. Make sure you enclose a business card or printed invoice so the receiver knows how to contact you when the package arrives. Make sure your package is addressed neatly and has a return address label on it. Make sure you’ve paid the correct postage. Nothing says unprofessional like having your package show up postage due.

Bartering can be a wonderful way to find new customers and try new products and services. I have had many of my barter customers turn into paying customers and have purchased products from people I have bartered with as well.

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