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Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Rise Of The Modern Online Bartering System

By Katina Brady


When most people hear the word barter, it conjures images of ancient peoples trading goods and services in some open market. If you're like the vast majority of people, you probably thought that this sort of exchange was made obsolete by the spread of modern monetary systems. Well, sometimes is seems that everything old is new again. In this instance, the latest in technological innovations has merged with ancient ideas to create the modern online bartering system.

This is actually a logical progression in the internet marketplace. Sites like Amazon have been in use for years, allowing customers to sell goods to other customers. That site and others are extremely popular. The popularity of garage sales and flea markets demonstrates that people still love to exchange their goods, so it's not surprising that those people would also flock to websites that allowed them to barter those goods.

These sites first began appearing in earnest as the economy struggled to recover during the last half-decade. Much as they did during the Great Depression, people figured out that they could barter for the things they needed. That enabled them to make it through the lingering aftermath of recession even as money remained tight.

There are some obvious benefits to these types of systems. The most obvious is the ease with which trades can be made. As with most shopping websites, the entire trading process can be done with the click of a mouse. Typically, internet trading takes place in swap market sites or at website auctions. In either instance, the value of any good or service exchanged is determined through negotiation.

It is important to understand that one of the chief advantages of these trades is that virtually anything can serve as currency. If your children are grown and their old bikes are no longer used, chances are that there's someone on one of these sites who has a need for those items and something to offer in trade. Toys, clothing, lawn mowers, and almost anything else you can imagine are all trading options.

If you have marketable skills like plumbing or electrical knowledge, there are always people willing to trade for your services. There are even swap sites where larger items like cars can be exchanged. Some people even go so far as to temporarily swap houses when they find people who plan on vacationing in their area.

And if you're concerned that trading of this nature might involve a steep learning curve, you need not worry. The fact is that most of us have been engaging in barter of one sort or another throughout our lives. We traded baseball cards as children, exchanged items from lunch trays, and even promised to keep secrets in exchange for favors. We're just traders by nature.

If you've been pondering some item you desire but have struggled to work it into your budget, maybe it's time to check out one of the top barter portals online. Even now there may very well be someone at one of those websites waiting to trade the item you seek for something that he has been dreaming of acquiring.




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