Bartering - how much do you do?

[Adrianna Q]

I barter for a LOT of things! Bodywork of course, but also housekeeping, voice lessons for my daughter, childcare for my other daughter and recently for graphic design and signage, and professional framing for a painting I got on eBay.

I love the barter system, cause it allows me to get what I need without a cash outlay. On the other hand, sometimes my week is filled with barter clients and not many paying clients! :shock:

I need to be careful how much I wish for! :

 

[H.O.P.P.E.R.]

I do a little, a very very little. I trade with the lady who owns the children's-clothing consignment store -- we basically pay nothing for clothing or playthings for our son. And I occasionally trade with a woman who owns a couple of large luxury vacation rental homes. Every now and again I take my whole family (8 people if my side, 10 if my husband's side) for a long luxe weekend, paying nothing but food and gas, and it is heaven. None of us do "real" vacations these days, between ailing parents and small children, so 3 or 4 getaways a year is a great recharge and something I'm very willing to give up cash for.

 

[SanD]

Hey Amy,
I barter for guitar lessons, personal training, horseback riding, and I'm hoping my new CPA will barter with me. And of course I trade massage with a couple other MTs.

I love the whole idea because although there are weeks that seem heavy with barter clients, each one of those people knows a whole lot of other people! I'm hoping my guitar teacher, who comes in for his first massage next week, will tell his bandmates and the other guys at the shop where he teaches. My personal trainer is also another good potential source of referrals.

I figure barter is the cheapest and most effective form of advertising.

 

[Soraya ( =]

Currently: Chiropractor, carpet cleaning (we have 4 pets), web site design and maintenance, with someone to sit at the desk on Xmas and Valentine's Day and sell gift certificates.
And naturally, with other Mt's.
In the past: cleaning lady, lawyer, personal trainer, electrician, Feng Shui practitioner, yoga instructor, esthetician.
I would really like to trade with a Dr or a nurse at a medical spa to get certain procedures done (like laser hair removal).
I don't schedule trades during "prime time" when I get a lot of demand for massages.

 

[Apple Juice]

Hey Amy,
I figure barter is the cheapest and most effective form of advertising.

Very good point!

I forgot I've also bartered with my chiropractor, for yardwork, jewelry, hair services and I just got a far infrared body wrap a few weeks ago. It was *awesome* BTW.

I use CL a lot to find barterwork!

 

[misty-dawn]

I barter with my hair stylist. And once in a while trade for bodywork. Although generally I pay for that.

jason

 

[Pompal 09.]

I barter with my hair stylist. And once in a while trade for bodywork. Although generally I pay for that.

jason

Me too.
Also bartered for my wedding photography!

 

[Ezekiel]

I don't barter. I just find more respect for the work comes with an exchange of money. I did trade for massage but after some sessions that weren't effective I ended it and go elsewhere for different work.

My hair/facial person wanted to barter but I don't like feeling committed to go to someone if I don't want to. It's just my committment phobia. :

 

[IJR]

P.S. I don't trade for bodywork.

EM I hope you find that barter is a good source of cash referrals. I have not found that for me -- just more people who want to trade. But then like I said I am not into trading very much -- I am very selective.

I schedule my trade folks whenever they want to come in, including prime hours. It's what works for me.

 

[Eagle Eye]

I also don't barter. I prefer the simplicity of cash transactions. If I value something, I'm willing to pay for it. And when people receive my bodywork, I prefer cash that I can spend anywhere, rather than a credit with one specific person for one specific service.

I respect those of you who like to barter; it's just not my thing.

 

[lisaraeneal]

I dont trade for bodywork, when it comes to that I cherish being a real paying client, and to be treated like one!

I do, however, enjoy bartering for luxuries that I dont usually shell out the money for.

My most ongoing trade is hair and beauty supplies from one of my best clients. I am constantly changing color and cut, and have vowed to never pick up tweezers again, and I'm a product junkie at heart (I buy the cheap stuff, but its no BedHed or Joico).
I trade for profesisonal signs and banners, gorgeous handmade jewelry, expensive makeup and this spring I'm trading for laser teeth whitening, something I would NEVER spend that kind of money on - but a few home visits for the dentist and her hubby and I'm taken care of. Gotta love it.

 

[Bill]

I do barter. It is a great way to get some items that one may not have the cash layout for at that time, or just a good way to do business in general if both parties treat each other with respect.

So far I have bartered with my hair stylist, Rolfing sessions, a logo and corporate identity, feng shui of the office, cabinet building, picture framing, martial arts training, acupuncture, dental work and have in the works a local diner owner who is interested in bartering for a few free meals (YUM!).

There are probably more things I have bartered for over the years, but these are the things that come to mind today.


I'd love to barter for an i-pod, but haven't found anyone for that yet.

 

[Stacey M]

I barter for massage, but mostly with friends who I like to hang out with anyway. We get to spend time together and get massages. It's pretty cool.

I also bartered for food at a nice massageplanete. The food was more expensive than I would usually eat (on a regular basis at least), and they always had good live music and outdoor seating. I'd massage the owner twice a month (she had been my client when I was a student, and she LOVED me), and hubby and I would get one nice meal out per week. OR I could have lunch myself there almost every day. Also, she wasn't a real stickler about the exchange. I could pretty much eat there whenever I wanted and she would get more massages to cover it.

Ahhh...I liked that. Wish I had something like that now, too. The food was GOOD!

 

[MENTAL PATIENT]

I'm definitely selective, and don't barter if I get bad vibes. But with a tight budget, it's more likely I will enjoy more bodywork via trading with a few close LMT friends. It's more likely my daughter will get private voice lessons. It's more likely I'll have help with house cleaning and office cleaning.

As I said though, I'm careful with whom I commit my time and I wouldn't hesitate to refuse future barter with someone who didn't follow through the way expected (as in poor bodywork or other services).

And while it is true that some people don't hold bartering in the same light as cash exchange, some of us DO hold it - AS importantly. Barter is the original method of currency. It's worked for millennia, and still does when approached from the right place.

Certainly to each his/her own!

 

[twilight]

Question (and if this needs to be a new thread, let me know)

Say I want to barter with someone who's hourly wage is less than mine. Like I want to get some housecleaning. Do you do $ per $, or hour per hour?

A couple of you have mentioned trading for housecleaning. Can you give details of how your barter works? (My husband and I are disagreeing about how it *should* work and I wouldn't want to be demanding something unfair right off the bat.)

I think it should be $ for $. If she charges $20/hr and I charge $65, so about 3.25 hours of housekeeping equals one hour of massage. Hubby thinks it should be hour per hour, which just doesn't seem right to me. But is it? When I pointed out to him that if she did 4 hours of housekeeping in one week, I'd then owe her 4 hours of massage in that week...he agreed that didn't seem right either, but wasn't willing to agree on the $ per $ thing either.

Thoughts?

 

[aaaa15]

Question (and if this needs to be a new thread, let me know)

Say I want to barter with someone who's hourly wage is less than mine. Like I want to get some housecleaning. Do you do $ per $, or hour per hour?

A couple of you have mentioned trading for housecleaning. Can you give details of how your barter works? (My husband and I are disagreeing about how it *should* work and I wouldn't want to be demanding something unfair right off the bat.)

I think it should be $ for $. If she charges $20/hr and I charge $65, so about 3.25 hours of housekeeping equals one hour of massage. Hubby thinks it should be hour per hour, which just doesn't seem right to me. But is it? When I pointed out to him that if she did 4 hours of housekeeping in one week, I'd then owe her 4 hours of massage in that week...he agreed that didn't seem right either, but wasn't willing to agree on the $ per $ thing either.

Thoughts?

I'd think $ for $, especially in a case of a serious difference in the rates.

 

[Woot!]

I do it based on value, with some wiggle room: my guitar teacher charges $25 per half hour lesson. He gets one massage for every three lessons. Trail rides at the barn are $35. Two +/- trail rides is good for one massage.

I have tp agree with EH that both parties must feel as if they are getting a good bargain. In my case, I would not be able to afford to do either of these activities if I had to pay cash, and due to my practice being fairly new, I have the space in my schedule.

 

[Judas Priest]

I try to barter $ for $ when possible, and if it has to be that someone gets the short end of the stick, I'd rather it be me than the person I am bartering with, so I barter "in their favor" when I come across a situation like this.

 

[bradfordlloyd]

Thanks for the replies! They jive with my gut feeling as well.

Each situation will be different and both parties must be happy. I'd based it on $ per $, but also leave some wiggle room for both parties to be happy. And I'd definitely want the barter to be in their favor if it had to be in someone's.

I'd love to have some help with the housekeeping! That's probably the thing I hate the most. Now to find someone interested in such a trade.

 

[S. Parkmen]

I'm amazed this thread was put up because I've been thinking about this ALL WEEK! :

I barter with a couple of people, but it's for hair, massage and energywork.
I want to barter for a few select things with select people but don't know how to get that word out.

For example, I need a house cleaner and an accountant. But I don't want to join a bartering group. A friend of mine is in one of those and her whole week is always full of barters.