Thursday 12 February 2015

Swap Or Trade It For Fun And Profit

By Beryl Dalton


It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. The very item that you never plan to use again may be exactly what a neighbor is looking for. When you swap or trade it, you get something in return other than cash money. This makes the whole thing more fun than a routine shopping trip to the grocery store or the mall.

Say for instance that you keep free-range hens and have more eggs than you can use for your family. Selling them would raise cash that you could use for the next sack of chicken feed. However, you may also be able to trade those eggs - worth up to four dollars a dozen - for things you routinely spend money on.

To take this example further: you may have a neighbor with a garden full of perennials, the showplace of the neighborhood. Instead of going to the garden center and buying potted plants or bulbs, knock on the neighbor's door and see if it might be possible to barter a dozen fresh eggs for a few iris roots, a volunteer foxglove, or half an overgrown clump of daffodils. The neighbor may suggest other plants you would love to take home, as well as offering planting advice.

You may get other benefits, too - like free planting advice or a better acquaintance with your neighbor. Once word gets out, other neighbors might be willing to trade garden produce, fruit from their trees, or unwanted items from their garages for your fresh eggs. Pretty soon, the whole community may be into swapping and bartering.

There are designated 'swap meets' where people trade everything from cars and trucks to clothing. These can be really fun, since you never know what you'll find. People also exchange services, like house painting, lawn mowing, or carpentry. The whole idea of getting away from boring old money is intriguing.

You can often find classified ads that offer an item for sale or trade for an item the seller is looking for. Look forfree ad magazines; these make it really easy to offer items and tell people what you're hoping to find. It's a great way to get exposure for items you want to barter without having to pay for the advertising.

This is great for those who may not have a lot of ready cash but still like the thrill of getting something new and different. After all, shopping is addictive because it's fun, even more than because what you get.

People who live on small incomes, who prefer to get by without a nine-to-five job, or just like the idea of barter rather than money exchange love trading. Canny traders can often get more than retail for items that people want; not everyone knows values well enough to judge correctly. People may not even mind paying a little more to enjoy the down-home atmosphere that goes with face-to-face bargaining.




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