At ITEX, the Bellevue, Wash., membership trading company that has 24,000 members and 90 offices around the country, that percentage is 6%. According to Alan Zimmelman, a spokesman for ITEX, barter exchanges work best in local economies and is done predominately via the phone or electronic messaging, rather than over the Internet. Members will use the Internet to search for ways to spend their barter dollars but will call or email one of ITEX’s brokers when they want to engage in a trade. “The Internet will grow but it is a slow process,” said Zimmelman, noting it’s easier to pick up the phone, send a text or email. ITEX members do use the Internet to post advertisements or electronic newsletters.

Members of bartering exchange NuBarter do use the Internet to make deals, even though the company has customer service reps at the ready to help members. On NuBarter.com members are given a line of credit and search for what they want to use that line of credit for. Once they find something they click buy and the seller is contacted via an email. If it is approved the seller and buyer will make arrangements.

NuBarter, which is based in Savannah, Ga., but has offices around the country and a network of barter exchange partners around the world, put together a network of roughly 2,300 members who trade among themselves. A line of credit is given to the members and NuBarter’s job is to make sure the goods and services stay balanced. For instance, NuBarter won’t let 10 hair salons on the network if there is only demand for two. What’s more, in order for a small business to be allowed into the network, it has to go through an interview process. The line of credit is based on criteria, including years of service, number of employees and size of the business, said Gary Field, president of NuBarter.

Full story at http://www.foxsmallbusinesscenter.com/strategy/2010/09/10/bartering-saves-bucks-businesses/

“We are excited to leverage BBI’s longevity in the SC/NC region and look for the integration between the two marketplaces to be complete by early to mid August of this year” said Gary Field, President of NuBarter.

As for joining forces with NuBarter, Bill Bailey, President of BBI, is thrilled to be able to extend the NuBarter network to his existing client base. “Over the past 16 years we have seen tremendous growth in the barter community. Our joint mission is to continue to provide an effective way to increase sales, reduce cash expenditures and increase profits for our members.”

“What barter really boils down to is, you need to find a coincidence of needs,” Tadelis said. “You can’t have barter if you don’t have something people want.”

See the full story at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/short-on-cash-businesses-turn-to-barter-202717.html

Barter, a trade by exchange of goods for other goods, has been in existence for thousands of years. Now, a company called NuBarter offers a new twist on an old idea.

“NuBarter as a whole is growing very fast, as is the entire barter industry,” said Caroline Gosnell, licensed agent for NuBarter.

See the whole article at http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100103/ARTICLE/1031071/-1/NEWSSITEMAP?tc=ar

Businesses in Tallahassee now have the opportunity to keep some cash in their pockets by bartering for services.

Nubarter is a new way to trade services for goods nationwide. A branch opened in Tallahassee last March.

“When people think of bartering, they think of one-on-one trading,” said Tony Miller, owner of the Tallahassee Nubarter. “But we are an alternative currency business.”

He added that Nubarter helps company owners conserve their cash, expand their business and in so doing, maintain or improve their lifestyle.

“It works just like cash at a bank,” said Renee Miller, Nubarter corporate broker and Tony’s wife. “When you open up an account with Nubarter, you are trading services for credits that are cash value. It doesn’t cost a dollar to make a dollar.”

With Nubarter, business owners can build up “barter dollars” by offering their services to other businesses in the Nubarter network. In return, the business that supplied the service can use those “barter dollars” at any business within the network, meaning the money is not coming out of pocket.

Renee Miller said there are 1,500 businesses nationwide in the Nubarter network; 45 of them are local.

Kristen Wofford, owner of Action Attraction Party Rental, has been in the Nubarter network for about a year.

“I like that there are so many companies on the network, not just in Tallahassee but nationwide,” Wofford said. “I’ve had communications with people in South Florida. I think it’s helped to get business we wouldn’t normally get with doing regular advertising.”

Wofford added that most of her company’s dollars spent have gone to local restaurants.

International Monetary Systems has more than 1,000 trade members in Indiana and 17,000 across the country. The Wisconsin-based company did $170 million in trades in 2008, and 2009 has been even better, Martin said.Joining International Monetary Systems costs new members a one-time $695 fee, and the system gets 6 percent of the value of each sale or purchase. But bartering can help move people into a business’s door.

NuBarter was also featured in the article.

NuBarter is runner-up in Forbes contest

NuBarter, a barter network, has been chosen as the runner-up in the Forbes “Boost Your Business” contest. The grand-prize winner received $100,000 in cash and advertising.

With more than 1,500 members, NuBarter is a community of businesses that barter their goods and services. For information, go to www.NuBarter.com.

“The challenge of business-to-business bartering in a direct fashion is that you have to have a trading partner who has exactly what you want at the same exact time for the exact same value. We call it a coincidence of one, and it’s -difficult to find,” says Jason Richards, head of marketing for BizXchange, a Seattle-based barter-exchange business that helps facilitate ¬transactions between companies. “And there’s financial risk. What happens if a printer does the job and receives gift certificates from a restaurant, but it [then] goes out of business? They’re exposing themselves to financial risk.”

See the full story at http://www.americanwaymag.com/nubarter-exchange-member-hotel-owner-bizxchange

“We’re helping them survive the recession,” says Karen Roumay, owner of the Delray Beach-to-Deerfield Beach territory for NuBarter.

“Danielle could never have done her renovation. Who has $90,000 in their pocket right now and who is lending $90,000 right now?” Roumay says.

Itex and Trade First are also mentioned in the article. See the full story at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-marcia-barter-20091216,0,2604188.column

See the full story at http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Business/Headlines/bizBIZ01120909.htm