• Congratulate Don Mardak of International Monetary Systems for being inducted in the IRTA Hall of Fame
• Report on a new municipal barter web startup
• Report more of the silliness from HE-5 Resources Corp
• Tyler rants about the general lack of customer service in the industry.

Have fun!

• We explore more bizarre news from HE-5 Resources Corporation
• Announce the arrival of another internet barter exchange startup – AssetFair.com
• The opening of another office of Astra UK in Hong Kong
• Discuss the barter program the government of Bulgaria has instituted
• Interview Mark Johnson of WNY Barter
• Rant about piracy in the barter industry

Have fun!

Apart from pure asset trading, AssetFair deals in liabilities as well. AssetFair will allow for the unloading or restructuring of debt, as long as an asset of a higher value is pledged in order to achieve a positive Exchangeable Equity. The TradeYourDebt feature on AssetFair.com allows registered members to post their debts and find an interested party to acquire the encumbered or related asset and willing to pay off or assume the debt.The site provides tools to execute the exchange of assets from escrow to shipping. Members who are not currently participating in trading can also use the site as an active forum for asset evaluation, lending opportunities and information on current exchange trends.

Barter Trade for Upscale Items Creates a Playground for the Affluent
I think everyone in the world thinks they can start, manage, and ultimately succeed in the barter industry. LIttle do they know.

On craigslist, the classified-advertising website, requests for bartered goods and services were up 125 percent in the past year, making it one of the site’s most popular categories. Recent posts include “dining chairs for computer,” “litigation services for a reliable van,” and “my BlackBerry for your digital camera.”

This quote got me thinking, so I decided to a little of my own investigative research on the matter…but relevant to the barter industry. I follow the barter ads in my local area pretty closely, so I went back with a new eye towards looking for anything related to a barter exchange, that sounded like the seller was open to being in a trade exchange, or anything I thought would be of interest to exchange owners.

I found a couple of ads pretty interesting:

The first was from someone associated with an exchange in Salt Lake City. I put in a call this morning, but no one answered. I’m hoping to have a comment from them by Friday for Barter News Weekly. I’d love to hear from him that it is working and that sign ups are pouring in, but I doubt it. I think he will tell me he has had a couple of calls from it. Either way, it’s good exposure for an exchange. The ad looks like this:

Become a menber of a barter exchange-FREE (Utah-S.L.C.)

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Date: 2009-09-13, 5:37PM MDT
Reply to: sale-27gqj-1372924232@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

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Are you a business owner or just like to trade? I’m involved with a great exchange(over 150 members locally). I traded for a CAR! There are NO monthly Fees or Enrolment Fees if you sign up with me. The only commission(6%) that you pay will be for your trade transactions. Pay for when YOU TRADE. You now have the power to barter for many items. Call for info. Trader TROY (801)898-8769

The next ad I liked was one I was surprised to see on Craigslist. Most of the ads are for something small or service related trades, this one says:

28 acres NE Arizona. Less than $400 PER acre. Investment, camping – $11000 (Navajo – St. Johns – Holbrook – Chambers)

Clearly there are things other than massage that you can get on trade by watching Craigslist.

The last ad I found I forwarded on to my own broker, Aaron Orgill at the Barter Anywhere Group.

“I own a lawncare and tree removal company and would like to trade my services for Chiropractic services. I do lawn service on the east side from Millcreek to Draper but would be willing to entertain offers. If you need treework, I travel from Provo to Layton. If you are interested, please call Dennis at 801-694-6565. Check us out at www.woodrufflawncare.com. Thanks for looking.”

I saw Aaron this morning. Apparently he called the lead on Saturday and signed him up on the phone, without meeting at all. I remember doing this same thing a couple of times back when Craigslist was small and barter listings were short and sparse. Good for Aaron.

Clearly, these kinds of message boards can be a source of fantastic referrals for a trade exchange, if you are willing to keep working them and stay on top of what is going on. If you need some help finding the barter listings on Craigslist in your area, shoot me an email and I will help you out…info@exchangetrainers.com

Included in this week’s episode:

• IMS (International Monetary Systems) turns on a blog to let potential customers know what being part of a barter exchange is really like.
• Horse and Hound magazine posts an article about the benefits of trade in the equestrian industry.
• An increase in barter postings on Craigslist is discussed.

If you have any barter industry related information, please contact us immediately so we can include it in the next episode of the Barter News Weekly.

I pulled this part of the article to illustrate a good point about the barter industry that I think we take for granted: the security you have when dealing with a reputable trade exchange.

3. Let the barterer beware. Craigslist doesn’t prescreen users. So if you’re looking to swap for a service you really need — such as baby-sitting — start by contacting friends and neighbors. Or try a site that verifies the addresses and phone numbers of its users, such as BarterBee.com. BarterBee lets you trade CDs, movies and video games free, and it will post a detailed description of your item for you. But, says Robert Alvin, BarterBee.com’s chief executive, be sure you know what your product or service is worth. “If you list it too high, it won’t move,” he says.

What You Need to Know About Bartering – Kiplinger.com

When you are dealing with complete strangers over the internet, like on Craigslist, you never know the quality of what you are going to get. I have in my browser sidebar a couple of RSS feeds from Craigslist for barter. I scan them daily, and every once in a while I may attempt to contact one of the posters to see if we can make a deal. Not so when I look at the member directory of the exchange I belong to.

One of the best things we have as exchange members is the knowledge that the exchange has our back. Usually, when someone ponies up some money to become a member of an exchange, they at least have that limited financial commitment to produce good products or services for the other members of the exchange. When you barter one on one, there is no commitment other than what people are telling you they will do.

Second, someone at your exchange has probably tried working with the other member you want to do business with, and can give you some very important advice and feedback about that other business.

Third, if a deal goes sour, and you are in the right, your exchange is going to work with you to see that you are made whole.

You get none of this when working one to one deals out in the world. It just doesn’t work like that. In a one to one barter you are at the mercy of the provider, and if something goes wrong the only thing you can effectively do to make things right is take them to court, which is expensive and costly, in more than just money.

I think trade exchanges should capitalize on this and use it in every conversation they have with potential members. If you aren’t touting your exchange’s ability to back up members in the instance of a problem with a barter deal, then you are missing one of the effective tools you could be using to help people to join your exchange.