Bartering...on the Rise.
Has anyone seen an increase in bartering on the Warrior Forum?
Tacoma gets a place to barter
A group of women starts a bulletin board at a local tea shop to help people trade things they have for things they need. The recession has prompted more bartering.
Whitney Coleman
whitney.coleman@thenewstribune.com
Published: 03/25/09 10:56 am | Updated: 03/25/09 10:56 am
Jeff is looking to trade 10 "Lost in Space" videotapes for a pair of acid-wash jeans - or a Maine coon kitten. He posted his request on the corkboard at Mad Hat Tea Co. in downtown Tacoma at 1130 Commerce St., one of the area businesses where locals can exchange "haves" for "needs" through Barter Tacoma.
Mary K. Johnson, Linda DeSantis and Maureen McHugh say they have been bartering among friends for years but wanted to invite the larger community to the table, in light of the current economy.
They say when cash is tight, extra stuff is the best alternative currency.
"Materials that we may not have looked at in our closet for years, old art supplies, old books, all of that all of the sudden becomes barter-able," Johnson said.
Historically, trends toward bartering have been linked to economic recessions, and the current climate is as good as any to relaunch the effort, the women say.
"I think everybody's been bartering forever," DeSantis said over a cup of tea last week. "We're just giving it a platform."
This most ancient form of commerce is also the newest global trend.
U-Exchange.com, a Web site connecting people who want to barter, logged nearly 1.1 million page views between mid-January and mid-February, a 173 percent increase over the same period last year, according to U-Exchange co-founder John C. Moore.
Barter Tacoma organizers say they prefer the bulletin boards to comparable online systems.
Overall, their goal is to generate community more than numbers.
"This is a way for people to see what their options are outside their circle of friends," DeSantis said. "You may not barter for something that's going to be the end-all, be-all of your existence, but it may lead you to that person who has something you need, to that sense-of-community feel."
Johnson said even if they do expand the Web site barter tacoma.com to include postings, they would not want to threaten the classifieds market or local businesses.
Their intent is just the opposite, Johnson said.
"We want to enhance foot traffic to local businesses with the bulletin boards all over Tacoma, so you can, kind of, go on this treasure hunt to see what's on the board at this place or that place," she said.
At this point, the effort hasn't branched far beyond its humble beginnings at Mad Hat Tea Co., owned by McHugh, but the trio is hopeful that more businesses will get involved.
They said more volunteers and a little funding could help the effort pick up speed. Besides printing slips and buying the boards, there aren't many overhead costs to the operation.
Johnson designed the graphics, a service she often barters for other goods, which helps the women remain true to the anti-cash sentiment at the heart of this bartering resurgence.
"You want to exchange services and goods for other services and goods without money of any kind, because then it's not bartering. It's simply buying," she said.
But many don't realize that bartering can have cash implications. When tax time rolls around, federal law requires taxpayers to report trades as income. Bartering is an exchange of property or services, according to Internal Revenue Service regulations, and the rules apply, even for face-to-face transactions.
David Stell, an IRS spokesman, said there's no way to calculate how much bartering goes unreported or the tax dollars that go uncollected as a result.
But he noted that agents routinely ask taxpayers whether they've participated in bartering transactions when they're audited.
Olympia will host its first barter fair in September, with hopes of attracting as many as 500 people and making it a yearly event, according to the fair's Web site.
Johnson, DeSantis and McHugh tossed around ideas for a similar "kick-off" event to generate interest in Tacoma.
"Like a flea market with no money," DeSantis thought aloud to the other two. "Someone would have to donate the space. It would all have to be volunteer, or maybe you could trade for payments."
For now, Johnson said Barter Tacoma is "cultivating" and eager for more volunteers.
"We've got interested parties, but we're still working on making it grow," she said. "Stay tuned. It's going to get interesting."
Whitney Coleman: 253-597-8546
blogs.thenewstribune.com/business
Tacoma gets a place to barter | The News Tribune - MORE TOP STORIES | Seattle-Tacoma News, Weather, Sports, Jobs, Homes and Cars | South Puget Sound's Destination
Tacoma gets a place to barter
A group of women starts a bulletin board at a local tea shop to help people trade things they have for things they need. The recession has prompted more bartering.
Whitney Coleman
whitney.coleman@thenewstribune.com
Published: 03/25/09 10:56 am | Updated: 03/25/09 10:56 am
Jeff is looking to trade 10 "Lost in Space" videotapes for a pair of acid-wash jeans - or a Maine coon kitten. He posted his request on the corkboard at Mad Hat Tea Co. in downtown Tacoma at 1130 Commerce St., one of the area businesses where locals can exchange "haves" for "needs" through Barter Tacoma.
Mary K. Johnson, Linda DeSantis and Maureen McHugh say they have been bartering among friends for years but wanted to invite the larger community to the table, in light of the current economy.
They say when cash is tight, extra stuff is the best alternative currency.
"Materials that we may not have looked at in our closet for years, old art supplies, old books, all of that all of the sudden becomes barter-able," Johnson said.
Historically, trends toward bartering have been linked to economic recessions, and the current climate is as good as any to relaunch the effort, the women say.
"I think everybody's been bartering forever," DeSantis said over a cup of tea last week. "We're just giving it a platform."
This most ancient form of commerce is also the newest global trend.
U-Exchange.com, a Web site connecting people who want to barter, logged nearly 1.1 million page views between mid-January and mid-February, a 173 percent increase over the same period last year, according to U-Exchange co-founder John C. Moore.
Barter Tacoma organizers say they prefer the bulletin boards to comparable online systems.
Overall, their goal is to generate community more than numbers.
"This is a way for people to see what their options are outside their circle of friends," DeSantis said. "You may not barter for something that's going to be the end-all, be-all of your existence, but it may lead you to that person who has something you need, to that sense-of-community feel."
Johnson said even if they do expand the Web site barter tacoma.com to include postings, they would not want to threaten the classifieds market or local businesses.
Their intent is just the opposite, Johnson said.
"We want to enhance foot traffic to local businesses with the bulletin boards all over Tacoma, so you can, kind of, go on this treasure hunt to see what's on the board at this place or that place," she said.
At this point, the effort hasn't branched far beyond its humble beginnings at Mad Hat Tea Co., owned by McHugh, but the trio is hopeful that more businesses will get involved.
They said more volunteers and a little funding could help the effort pick up speed. Besides printing slips and buying the boards, there aren't many overhead costs to the operation.
Johnson designed the graphics, a service she often barters for other goods, which helps the women remain true to the anti-cash sentiment at the heart of this bartering resurgence.
"You want to exchange services and goods for other services and goods without money of any kind, because then it's not bartering. It's simply buying," she said.
But many don't realize that bartering can have cash implications. When tax time rolls around, federal law requires taxpayers to report trades as income. Bartering is an exchange of property or services, according to Internal Revenue Service regulations, and the rules apply, even for face-to-face transactions.
David Stell, an IRS spokesman, said there's no way to calculate how much bartering goes unreported or the tax dollars that go uncollected as a result.
But he noted that agents routinely ask taxpayers whether they've participated in bartering transactions when they're audited.
Olympia will host its first barter fair in September, with hopes of attracting as many as 500 people and making it a yearly event, according to the fair's Web site.
Johnson, DeSantis and McHugh tossed around ideas for a similar "kick-off" event to generate interest in Tacoma.
"Like a flea market with no money," DeSantis thought aloud to the other two. "Someone would have to donate the space. It would all have to be volunteer, or maybe you could trade for payments."
For now, Johnson said Barter Tacoma is "cultivating" and eager for more volunteers.
"We've got interested parties, but we're still working on making it grow," she said. "Stay tuned. It's going to get interesting."
Whitney Coleman: 253-597-8546
blogs.thenewstribune.com/business
Tacoma gets a place to barter | The News Tribune - MORE TOP STORIES | Seattle-Tacoma News, Weather, Sports, Jobs, Homes and Cars | South Puget Sound's Destination
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