More than Just Money: Barter

By definition, barter is the when parties swap services or resources But in business terms, itÂ’s an exchange that ends usually with everyone a winner All parties involved in bartering hold onto their cold hard cash and donÂ’t lose a cent ThereÂ’s no worries about getting ripped off as a buyer or seller, so itÂ’s an exchange thatÂ’s high on trust, low on tension And finally, the government doesnÂ’t get its hands on any of the proceeds Bartering is such a great system, itÂ’s no wonder itÂ’s been around nearly forever

Historians and archeologists reckon that bartering is a human business practice for the ages It goes back as far as written history, and perhaps even further into mankindÂ’s (and womankindÂ’s) history of business practices

Between humans, the actual business practice of money came long before money was invented In written history, as far back as 9,000 BC, shepherds used cattle as a means of exchange—from sheep to cows, camels to goats Then when farmers came along during the course of the next couple thousands of years, grains and plants became the hot commodity in the world of bartering

Bartering may have dissipated over the years, but it by no means went away ThatÂ’s the amazing thing about bartering It still is, to this day, the ideal method of business exchange for some business folk, including companies with millions in assets But itÂ’s especially helpful for small businesses looking to get a leg up on their competition

Listen to people talking in today’s business world, and you’ll hear stories such as the programmer who helped to code an interactive Web page for a startup graphic-design company, in exchange for a logo design for his own startup surf-board design shop Then there’s the story of the new Internet advertising firm rolling out an ad campaign for a restaurant Later that year, the restaurant hosted a “free” party and dinner for that ad firm’s clients

Examples in todayÂ’s business world abound for bartering The reason is that bartering still has many advantages to it in this modern business world

For instance, for companies that are just starting to build up their assets, bartering is an opportunity to save their hard-earned cash Even established companies love the chance to keep their money in the bank With bartering, a company can get what it needs, while providing a service that the other company needs

And because there is no money passed between pockets, the taxman does not even need to know about it That saves you, and your accountant, the trouble of figuring out one more piece of business income or expense

Lastly, deals involving money may whip up the old Scrooge mentality—a combination of greed and mistrust With money deals, you may always be left wondering if you got the short end of the stick Not so with bartering With bartering, you get exactly what you need And in return, you give a fair share of goods or services

ThereÂ’s no need to be a Scrooge here Instead, the whole transaction is one of trust and understanding Generally speaking, bartering for goods and services feels more worthwhile than paying money, whether youÂ’re bartering for a dinner party for your clients, Internet advertising space, or whatever it is that you and your bartering partner agree to Perhaps itÂ’s because you can actually feel the value of your own goods and services Or it may be just because you donÂ’t have to open your wallet

Article Source: http://wwwarticledashboardcom

Donald Lee is the public relations manager for Buysellcommunitycom Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services Buy, Sell and trade: auto, computers, household items, real estate, pets and much more For global and localized classifieds, please visit
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