Who would support the barter system?

Question

Who would support the barter system? If not why are you against it?

Answer 1

Profile

As a leader in the commercial barter industry, Barter Systems, Inc. offers business owners and professionals, another means of meeting many of their ongoing business and personal needs without using cash. Instead, BSI clients use trade dollars earned by selling their products or services to other BSI client companies or to member companies belonging to other barter exchanges located throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia and South America. BSI clients also have the ability to apply their trade dollars to purchase travel, media, and other items on a world-wide basis, tapping into the barter industry's association (IRTA) and its Universal Currency. Link below.

Since 1977, Barter Systems, Inc., based in Montgomery County,MD with over 3,000 card holders in the Washington DC (Maryland, N. VA.) and Baltimore Metro areas, has continued to adapt and innovate its programs to accommodate the requirements of an ever-expanding client base. Our long time clients have significantly increased their trading activity primarily because they have become fully engaged with the idea that barter is a vital part of their company's overall growth.

BSI has recently expanded its regional presence with the creation of a new office on the Eastern Shore.We have partnered with another trade exchange with clients in the Delaware, lower PA. areas to form Shore Trade, LLC.This will provide a core of important business resources spanning the shore areas of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Listed at the bottom of the page are links to these new trading areas.

BSI will continue to provide its clients the very best service possible through use of a professional team of Trade Brokers, the latest technology, and an attitude that respects the challenges associated with maintaining a successful business in a tough competitive marketplace.

Website News

June 14, 2006
Over the last several months we have been working on our website making additions, deletions and changes. Navigating on the site has improved a great deal and we have updated many things. Our biggest addition can be found under the Marketplace tab where our interactive classifieds has been replaced with a fully functional bulletin board system. Open that section up and click on interactive classifieds and you will be guided to our new Forum and Classifieds section for BSI clients.

Answer 2

On paper, the barter system is a good system, but in the "real world", it didn't work. Here's why. The barter system says, you provide a product or service and I provide a product or service in return. Here's the problem: Who determines the value of each product or service? What if barter A says to barter B, oh I want more for this now because what I have is of more value? There in lies the problem. You cannot have total freedom when dealing with human beings. There has to be some control, some semblance of responsibility for one's actions.

Answer 3

The barter system is excellent in a small community or environment. Particularly when all involved are diverse and have the common element of being start up or small organizations. They have the most to gain from this system. Once a company becomes large enough, the notion of bartering is non-productive.

Answer 4

I would support it to a point, and I have practiced it on a limited basis.......If I have something you need, or a skill you need, & vice/versa, we worked it out. It wasn't a formal arrangement. We just knew that we could count on each other. Some people will take advantage of you & you end up always doing things for them. Someone I don't even know is coming over to fix my washer, through a mutual friend. Beats paying for a repairman. I know some of you will say "that's friendship", but its different. So many people are so busy today, they can't help you move, paint your house, etc. I'm growing tomatoes & my neighbor has an orange tree. Things like this.

Answer 5

I am against it. I work for a company that provides a service. I work in computers and information- all I could trade is "service"- nothing concrete. In a service based economy, the value of a service would be very limited, which I think would put the US in a lot of trouble.

Answer 6

It worked in the "old" days but now we have too much technology (and greed) for that.