I can see bartering being helpful for small businesses that have a slow cash flow. Imagine a bookkeeper bartering tax preparation services in exchange for a series of press releases from a freelance writer. Imagine a designer creating a logo in exchange for a product or product(s) that she wants.
In this article at The Sideroad by Jack Schacht (the president of one of the largest barter exchanges, the National Trade Association) in which Jack rightly points out that barterers must be flexible about the delivery of bartered goods and services. What you want may not be available at the exact time when you want it.
The About.com post also points out that, in the United States, there can be tax consequences for businesses who barter goods and services. Always check with your accountant to determine the specific tax consequences for your business.But how do you find partners to engage in bartering with? I ran across this post by Chris Gilmer at the downloadsquad about an online bartering service. The service that Chris profiles in his post is mostly based in India (location can make a huge difference in shipping costs), but could it be long before other online barter services crop up?
What about you? Have you used bartering to meet business or personal needs?
Leave a comment and let us know.
I've never used bartering for business but I'm intrigued. I'm a ghostwriter so clips are becoming more and more important to me. This system might be a wonderful way to build a portfolio and references.
Posted by: Tammi | October 23, 2007 1:29 PM | Permalink to Comment