What Is Barter?
Barter is the exchange of goods and services without using money. Barter is the oldest form of currency. People bartered goods and services before money existed!
From a modern business standpoint, barter is treated like cash: Goods and services bought and sold on barter are still worth their cash value to the businesses doing the transaction.
How Does A Barter Exchange Work?
In traditional bartering, both parties must need each other’s products, and there must be an equitable amount of goods and services to trade.
A barter exchange, however, solves these problems by allowing more than two parties to participate in trade relationships, and making it possible for transactions to be of different values.
For example, a plumber wants to use the services of a landscaper. In a barter exchange, the plumber pays the landscaper in trade dollars. These trade dollars are equal to U.S. dollars, and are stored in a trade account. The landscaper can then use the accumulated trade dollars to buy other goods and services from other members of the trade exchange.
Since we live in a cash-based society, we obviously cannot barter for everything, but in conjunction with cash sales, bartering offers a number of competitive advantages for businesses:
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Save Cash. Increase cash flow by using barter to buy goods and services for which you would normally spend cash.
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Sell To a Receptive Market. Since barter exchange members have barter dollars to spend, they will look to your business first.
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Sell Excess Inventory. For businesses with extra inventory that is not moving, barter can provide an alternative audience to buy the excess products.
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Service businesses benefit by filling scheduling gaps with profitable business.
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Hotels can fill vacant rooms on trade. (The South Sound Barter Alliance has a system in place specifically to help hotels and bed & breakfasts fill empty rooms.)
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Restaurants can increase their business in a controlled way by providing scrip (similar to gift certificates). Filling empty seats with satisfied customers will increase referrals of new cash customers.
Why Join the South Sound Barter Alliance?
Independent and Locally Owned
We live in and own our business in South Puget Sound, and are committed to helping the local economy to grow and thrive. Our interests lie squarely with South Sound businesses.
Unique Marketing Opportunity
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Cash Referrals. As you become involved in the SSBA community, you will develop relationships with other members that will generate cash referrals.
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SSBA Leads Group. We encourage all South Sound Barter Alliance members to attend our weekly leads group. This valuable opportunity is designed to foster ties between members and to help them generate leads for cash customers.
World Trade Banc (WTB)
The SSBA’s affiliation with The World Trade Banc gives you access to almost limitless international barter potential, including a growing network of over 100 affiliated, independent exchanges, tens of thousands of members, and an online barter store containing hundreds of millions of dollars of goods and services!
Professional Brokers and Customer Service
We have a team of dedicated, experienced trade professionals at our disposal ready to help you buy and sell on trade. If you need ideas about how to increase your trade revenue, or are looking for ways to spend your trade balance, we are trained to help you! We’ll make sure you have a steady stream of trade income, and the ability to maximize the benefits of bartering for many items you now pay for in cash.
Efficient, Self-Service Website
In addition to our professional services, we give you direct access to efficient, cutting-edge barter software. This system is available to members through this website, and includes features such as:
- Unlimited product ads in the online shopping mall, either locally or worldwide, at no extra charge!
- Online shopping cart system for purchase sale of goods and services.Online hotel reservation system.No web design skills required...if you can use a word processor and a web browser, you can use our system!
- “Paperless” automated system. Receive monthly statements online and view transaction information in real time!
- Buy and sell with anyone in the WTB network without having to contact your trade broker.
Personal Service
We are dedicated to offering personal service to our members. Tell us what you need and we will help you find it.
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