I want to barter

[Hamster Tycoon]

Hello,

Do any of you barter? I'm just starting my own business and I have no money. I'd like to barter but who can I barter with? I don't know anybody else that has small businesses that I can do it with. I would like to barter to get my haircut and colored but where I go, a haircut is $10.00 and I color my own hair because they don't color hair there.Crazy I know. A few years back I was going to barter with my ex-hair stylist to get my hair cut and colored but everytime I made an appointment, she canceled, then she wanted me to baby-sit her kids instead of me giving her a massage which was fine, after a while, I gave up and would screen my calls from her, rude I know but after a while, I got annoyed with her. I came to find out she had issues and had to be fired from her job. Anyway, does anybody have any ideas? How should I ask? I know I should get buddy-buddy with them, right? Thank you for your help.

Happy Posting!

Heather

 

[Sincerly Me...]

Hey, I did a search and here are some other threads that may be of interest to you. I personally have not bartered for anything but I'm considering approaching the tattoo parlor where my husband gets his tattoos done......I'm a little chicken, I guess the worst they can say is No.

http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4523&highlight=barter

http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3324&highlight=barter

http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1632&highlight=barter

http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=981&highlight=barter

Steph!

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hello Steph,

Thank you for your post and links. Good luck trying to barter with the tattoo parlor...I'd be chicken too....Maybe we both should try henna!!!

Happy Posting!

Heather

 

[SmartyPants]

We barter. It's great!

Here's how we do it: we sat down to brainstorm when we started up (something you never stop doing, and it NEVER seems to end when you're just starting up lol). We made up a list of everything we could think of that we could really use. We put them into some general semblance of order. We built our own web page and added it to that. You can see it here:
http://www.4thconsciousness.com/html/bartering.html

We've added and subtracted things as necessary. I've carried out several successful barter transactions. I bartered for some ham radio gear for my husband; he got a nice radio, I did 7 hrs worth of work, and my client got some good massage out of the deal. (It was around my husband's birthday, so I didn't mind at all doing the work for his radio. )

One has to be cautious with bartering; I have heard that some get burned with it. But some of that is under our control, at least to some extent. For instance, it's good to make a list of what you need. Don't be afraid to come up with specifics. If you're looking for someone to do your hair, don't be afraid to say that they must be good with blonde or red highlights, or whatever the case may be. It saves you time if you can weed out ppl who just can't provide what you'd be willing to trade for. We get kinda specific on our website, and it does work.

It also helps to make a list of what you DON'T need or want, because you'd be surprised at what people will come to you with. Certain locales are worse for this type of person than others. My locale isn't so bad, but an MT friend who practices in the next suburb 12 mi away gets that all the time (and she doesn't even barter much.) For instance, I really don't do manicures, even tho Dallas is huge for that, so manicurists need not apply. It might sound somewhat rude to some ppl, but again, it saves everyone time. If someone comes up with an idea that you don't need, don't be afraid to gently say no. If you want, you can sort of counteroffer with something more appealing to you, but in the end, you have the final decision as to whether or not you accept someone's idea.

Next, when you find someone to barter with, check them out. Maybe it's good to have a couple paying sessions with them first and see how punctual and trustworthy they are, how mature they seem, what their general attitude or vibe is, and see if your gut says you can trust this person with a trial barter or not. If they pass the benchmark, it's good to enter into a short-term barter first. I have an ongoing barter client. He did many cash transaction sessions first while we came up with different ideas. (He came up with a couple before I bit. For example, he first offered coupon advertising, and with the pathetic return on those things, I opted not to do that.)

Then he proposed the ham radio gear he had sitting around. We came up with terms, 4 sessions: 2 90-min sessions and 2 2-hr sessions, and my hubby gets a quality brand radio he was looking at, well-taken care of, etc. He met with my client (after both agreed beforehand) and took a look at the radio first, so he knew what he'd be getting. He asked my client questions about it, and they both shot the breeze for a while. When we agreed to go ahead, I handwrote each of the 4 sessions, with 2 blanks by each for the initials of both myself and my client, and each time he received a session, we would initial our acknowledgement that that session had been taken care of. Went off without a hitch.

Then he paid cash some more while we came up with some other ideas. Circumstances changed where I needed to work while my hubby needed to get to work (he's legally blind such that he can see but not drive), so this client and I now have an ongoing arrangement; my client drives my honey 12 mi to work once a week, in exchange for a 90-min massage once every two weeks. Everyone's happy with this.

This client found me on a (free) massage therapist listing website and was intrigued that I barter, but was willing to pay cash as well. Turns out that I needed him to drive my honey even more than I needed his money, though, so it's a win-win.

I know that's long, but I wanted to share one of my bigger barter experiences and point out that though there are potential pitfalls, there IS room for success!

Hope that helps & good luck!
~Jyoti

 

[Pompal 09.]

I personally have not bartered for anything but I'm considering approaching the tattoo parlor where my husband gets his tattoos done......I'm a little chicken, I guess the worst they can say is No.

That's how I got my tattoo. The owner was very open to it, but he was a client to start with.

 

[Maddy P]

Hello jyoti,

Wow!!!!!! What a great webpage. If I had a website, I'd ask you if I could copy and paste that information.LOL!!!! Thank you for that great post, I just learned a great deal from you. I'll keep you posted if I ever get to barter.

Happy Posting!

Heather

 

[Chetco]

Interesting topic... I would have never thought of larger services to barter... today I brought up Massage with a local carpenter, since I keep hearing him complain about his neck and back... I really need a new roof on my house, my family has done it before but it really needs a professional to do the job, so we would buy the supplies, and take it off... clean up everything and all I need is for someone to put it on properly!!! So I am debating on bringing it up to him after I start working on him for pain relief...

 

[Anthony W]

Hello jyoti,

Wow!!!!!! What a great webpage. If I had a website, I'd ask you if I could copy and paste that information.LOL!!!! Thank you for that great post, I just learned a great deal from you. I'll keep you posted if I ever get to barter.

Happy Posting!

Heather

Thanks! Glad to help!! We built the site on our own. Took a while, but it's cheaper that way lol I'd certainly let you copy & paste the info if you (or anyone else) wants to.

 

[~MuSiC~]

Interesting topic... I would have never thought of larger services to barter... today I brought up Massage with a local carpenter, since I keep hearing him complain about his neck and back... I really need a new roof on my house, my family has done it before but it really needs a professional to do the job, so we would buy the supplies, and take it off... clean up everything and all I need is for someone to put it on properly!!! So I am debating on bringing it up to him after I start working on him for pain relief...

I had a bad experience with a home improvement project barter so be sure to get the barter in writing and have a back-up plan in case things go awry.

 

[prusa1237]

I love this quote jyoti.

For example: pay for 1 hour and bring me some guacamole and you’ll get an extra 15 or so of foot massage, some extra stretching, relaxation massage, etc.)

*grins* fantabulous!

 

[Duo Seeker]

I have bartered once for computer repair :} I also barter regulayly with a local restarutant owner. he gets a 30 min massage every other Sat, I get a $30. GC to his restaurant when he comes in for his massage.