One of the things that has always intrigued me about the barter industry is the creativity that comes out of people when they start thinking about their stuff and time as assets instead of liabilities. If you are sitting on your hands as a painter, put your hands to work and get creative about what you are accepting in return. I found a great story in the Irish Times about a clothing store that is doing just that… being creative.
It works like this: if you swap like-for-like clothes – a high street fashion item for another high street fashion item or a designer brand for another upmarket label – you pay a service charge of between €5 and €10 to the store. If you swap a high street item for a designer product, the service charge can climb to €30 while for a reverse swap, designer to high street, the service charge is negligible.
What a fantastic idea! In a time where cash is scarce and desire still abounds, a clothing store takes in trades on good, used clothing, and for a modest fee lets you take something new home. I celebrate the store’s ability to be creative.
I remember on time talking to a client that had taken in a used RV for a down payment on a house he owned. He didn’t want the RV, didn’t know what to do with the RV, and was just going to let it rust in his driveway. I got him to let me take some pictures and do a little marketing on it, and we were able to turn that RV in to new carpet, new furniture, and accomodations in Anaheim, not to mention about $5k in radio advertising.
Never underestimate the value of your stuff and your time. Bartering is king right now, and that means your stuff and time has more value than it had before, not less.
